Nevada Prisoners Newsletter # 6 (last quarter of 2010)

Knowledge is power The Nevada Prisoners Newsletter (NPN) is made by volunteers for and with prisoners in NV prisons so that they are more informed about prisons, about new ideas and initiatives, articles by prisoners published in other media. The contents are taken from weblogs and other media outlets. We cooperate with Nevada and Arizona Prison Watch. Although we intend to publish in the NPN what you are missing on the Nevada Prisonwatch weblog, we also consider publishing writings you would like to share in here. Let us know if you give us permission to publish it and if you also want it on our weblog online. We do not have a lot of room, but we will do our best to post what you send us to share. All views expressed are those of the authors. Please share this copy with those around you. Address: NPN c/o NV Prison Watch P.O. Box 20494 Phoenix, AZ 85036 Website:

trend which will peacefully liberate many peoples in Africa and lead eventually to political and economic reform and social justice." (Ken Saro-Wiwa, executed Nov 10, 1995 in Nigeria, one of the Ogoni 9, winner of the Right Livelihood Awards 1994) Ken Saro-Wiwa and the names of the Ogoni 9 on a mural in Ireland (text in Gaelic)

A leader is best when people barely know he exists, when his work is done, his aim fulfilled, they will say: we did it ourselves. (Lao Tzu) Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you courage. (Lao Tzu) If you realize that all things change, there is nothing you will try to hold on to. If you are not afraid of dying, there is nothing you cannot achieve. (Lao Tzu) ******************************************* Jailhouse Lawyers review: Whose money is it anyways? By Jeremy Allen Crozier With respect to Nevada prisoners financial accounts within the Nevada Department of Corrections, the Fifth Amendment of the United States Constitution provides that, Private property [shall not] be taken for public use without just compensation. This portion of the Fifth Amendment is commenly known as the Takings Clause. To state a legal claim under the Takings Clause, a plaintiff must first establish that he or she possesses a constitutionally protected property interest. See Ruckelshaus v. Monsanto Co., 467 U.S. 986, 1000-01 (1984); McIntyre v. Bayer, 339 F. 3d 1097, 1099 (9th Cir. 2003). Thankfully, the legal foundation for establishing a Takings Clause Constitutional Claim, has already been laid in the State of Nevada. In 2003, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals found that the former version of Nevada Revised Statute (NRS) 209.241, which

Nevadaprisonwatch.org
From the editors: We are back with a new issue of the Newsletter. For now we plan to make an issue each quarter. So the next one we hope will be out in the new year, hopefully in January. In Solidarity, the NPN-team Sayings to think about Do not act as if thou wert going to live ten thousand years. Death hangs over thee. While thou livest, while it is in thy power, be good. (Marcus Aurelius) "I harbour the hope that in founding the Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People, in empowering the Ogoni people to fearlessly confront their history and their tormentors non violently, that in encouraging the Ogoni people to a belief in their ability to revitalise their dying society, I have started a

governs inmate accounts, effected an unlawful taking in violation of the Fifth Amendment. McIntyre, 339 F. 3d at 1100, n. 5. This was because the State appropriated the interests from prisoners personal accounts and spent it for the benefit of the prisoner population as a whole that is, for public use. Id. At 1100. In accordance with McIntyre, the 2007 Nevada Legislature amended NRS 209.241, to require that all interest and income be credited to each prisoners personal account, minus the prisoners share of the costs of administering the Prisoners Personal Property Fund. See NRS 209.241 (4) (2007). If the administrative costs are greater than the interest a prisoner earns on his, or her account, the interest is deposited in the offenders Store Fund (NRS 209.221), a fund used for the benefit of all prisoners. Id. Essentially, the State only created a new fund under a different name. Jeremy Allen Crozier has styled a 42 U.S.C. par. 1983 Complaint as a Class-Action known as Crozier v. Gibbons et al., 3: 10-ov-00328-RCJ-RAM, filed in the U.S. District Court for Nevada and the proposed Class as all Nevada prisoners. While challenges to the Nevada Revised Statutes as unconstitutional in their nature normally do not require exhaustion of the inmate grievance process, I would recommend that all inmates file and exhaust the inmate grievance process in its entirety. Thus, taking the Nevada Attorney General Offices Standard Claim that No other inmate complained of this issue and therefore, the Court should not treat this legal action as Class Certified away. Other issues to consider for your grievances are: 1) Inmates are not informed of current interest rates paid in their accounts by anyone whatsoever; 2) Policies regarding inmate accounts are unconstitutionally vague in some areas while non/existent in other areas; 3) Policies regarding inmate accounts are not adequate, nor meaningful; 4) Inmates are not informed of the amount of money required to maintain their accounts, nor the amount of money taken in the form of interest from their accounts to maintain it; 5) The interest accumulated on the Prisoners Personal Property Fund and Offenders Store Fund is not paid to the inmates; 6) Memorandum regarding the Offenders Store Fund is not posted by the Nevada Department of Corrections whatsoever as required by NRS 209.221.

Be sure to include a statement in your grievances that you were caused injury by the States actions. Any inmate can file a witness affidavit on the same to benefit this legal action by sending your signed affidavit to: Clerk, U.S. District Court District of Nevada 499 South Virginia Street Room # 301 Reno, NV 89501 With Case number: 3: 10-CV-00328-RCJ-RAM on it. Any inmate should always read Administrative Regulation #740, before filing a grievance. Contact your prison law library for information on Grievances and Affidavits. *******************************************

Little Helper: information

Las Vegas Reentry Program. The Las Vegas Reentry Program assists participating inmates in Nevada state facilities who are three to six months away from release through referrals from criminal justice agencies, including the District Attorney, police, probation and parole, and walk-ins. Participants are provided with a psychological assessment, a life skills program, transitional assistance, and a variety of other services including employment service referrals to other agencies. Contact: Las Vegas Reentry Program, 930 West Owens Ave, Las Vegas, NV 89106 *** EVOLVE (Educational and Vocational Opportunities Leading to Valuable Experience) offers motivational counseling, case management, vocational education and job placement to individuals with criminal histories. Services available include resume preparation, interview techniques and mentorship. Contact: EVOLVE, 1971 Stella Lake Drive, Las Vegas, NV 89106, 702-638-6371 ****************** Dear Society Published on the SF Bay View site, Oct 18, 2010 Reading the Nevada Prisoners Newsletter today, I learned of the death of my friend Bro Muteen (Robert Brown), caused by the States deliberate indifference to his medical needs, while caged in the Northern Nevada Correctional Center. As I mourn this beautiful brothas passing, my heart rages over the loss

of another life that couldve been saved. And in spite of the States rejoicing, having rid itself of a worthy opponent, at the same time making room for another body/pay check, I know that Bro. Muteen left this field of battle in victory. Finally free of all the bullshit. He died honourably, unbroken and on his feet. When I say this was a friend of mine, I mean I prayed with this man. We spoke at length on many subjects, like how to reach these young men, the importance of exposing to the world whats going on behind these walls, organizing our own education programs etc. This was an amazing brotha, who dedicated his life to helping others. He worked tirelessly learning the law to become a jailhouse lawyer. And he was largely responsible for my successful defense against some false charges back in 07. Even against the threats of the crooked warden here at Ely State Prison, Bro. Muteen helped me, secretly working for months on the various motions and briefs I filed. And indeed when they found out, he was fired from his job in the law library. He died shut away in Nevadas dungeons but never shut up. He got a lot of respect and took great pride in helping other convicts fight for their rights and their freedom in the courts. This is what happens when men and women in prison stand up to the state administration. They shut us up in the hole, isolate us from the population, relentlessly harass and deprive us of our basic human rights. Here we are trying to make a difference with our lives, trying to help heal our broken communities and pull these young men some only boys away from that criminal gangster deathstyle, often at great sacrifice to ourselves. Yet you, society, accepting the lies of this prison for profit machine, the media, the state, you view us all as monsters. You say good riddance when the pigs murder us or allow us to suffer and die from a curable illness. And despite all of the mountains of evidence created by DNA testing, exposing the flaws and corruption inherent in the system. Have you thought that you might be celebrating the death or suffering of an innocent man or woman? Or maybe their lives were such that crime was the only way out, the only way to feed their family, the only way to

keep some sense of dignity. And maybe in prison they found a new way and were remorseful for the mistakes they made. Did you know that Martin Luther King Jr. went to prison? That Malcolm X was born in a cell? Nelson Mandela did 28 years. Jesus died on death row. Do you know what a political prisoner is? Im sick of societys ignorance and refusal to see the truth. Its been a minute since they did it in Attica and New Mexico. And its been 40 years since the young comrade Jonathan Jackson and his brilliant brother, Comrade George, forced you all to see just how deeply this problem of prisons and these corrupt courts are affecting the people. Must history repeat itself? How many more like Bro. Muteen must die needlessly, sailing our prayers into the dark, hoping you, society, will wake up? Who prescribes more poison to cure poison? Hate will never cure crime. Maybe the movement needs its own earthquake to shake things up. But instead of shifting tectonic plates, itll be the stomping of fed up feet tearing down these concrete walls demanding freedom and equal justice and an end to oppression of the poor. I honor the names of my true teachers, men and women like Assata, Che and Huey and too many more to name. But without them, nothing you know would be as it is. Understand what it is I am saying to you, Society. I dont want to kill anymore, and I dont want these young men to start killing or to be chewed up by this prison for profit industry. So Im reaching out to YOU for help to reach these young men here. Nevada has nothing. We need a comprehensive correspondence course, free to convicts, teaching leadership and community organization. We need a freebooks-for-prisoners program and a legal aid group. These are the things myself and men like Bro. Muteen have been striving towards. But we need your help. Go to the website Augustinitiative.org to see the beginnings of what weve been working on. This was begun with the help of a single comrade across the water. And from this, NevadaPrisonWatch.org and the Nevada Prisoners Newsletter were developed.

But unfortunately, the little progress weve made is in danger of falling apart, unless we can find a few helping hands here at home. We do not want your money. In fact, neither I nor anyone associated with the August Initiative will accept personal donations of money from volunteers. We need you, your hands, your ideas, your support. So as I began this letter to society solely as a process of mourning the loss of a loved one, I end with hope that you will help me to continue planting the seeds. (Ikemba S. Mutulu) sfbayview.com/2010/dear-society-hate-willnever-cure-crime/ *** Panel proposes easing credit rules for non violent felons By Geoff Dornan, Nevada Appeal September 25th 2010 The Commission on the Administration of Justice on Friday approved a slate of recommendations for the 2011 Legislature to consider, including a law change designed to get some felons out of prison faster. The plan would allow non-violent category B felons to earn good time credits against their minimum sentence, which is already allowed for those convicted of lesser crimes. At present, B felons can only earn credits against their maximum sentences. Category B felonies range from treason, voluntary manslaughter, child pornography and advocating the violent overthrow of government to illegal gaming, embezzlement of more than $2,500 and illegally filling prescriptions through Internet pharmacies. There are more than 160 of them in Nevada law. Prison officials say nearly two-thirds of Nevada's inmates are in prison for a Category B felony and that allowing the credits for nonviolent convictions would help reduce the prison population. The proposed law would not apply to B felonies that involve the use or threat of any force or violence, sex offenses or felony DUI convictions. The commission chaired by Assemblyman William Horne, D-Las Vegas, rejected a recommendation to mandate DNA testing for everyone arrested on felony charges.

The legislation was requested by the mother of Brianna Denison, a college student who was abducted and murdered in January 2008. James Biela, the man convicted of the rape and murder, had been implicated in at least one previous sexual assault. He has been sentenced to death. Twenty-one states and the federal government already require DNA testing after someone is arrested on felony charges. The commission was asked to support a law that would require the defense get every piece of evidence the prosecution has in felony cases at the same time as the prosecution. Inmate advocate Tonya Brown said that would level the playing field and protect the accused from prosecutors who withhold evidence in criminal cases. Brown maintains that is what happened to her brother Nolan Klein, who was convicted of sexual assault and remained in prison until his death a year ago. She has an evidentiary hearing before Washoe District Judge Pat Flannigan next week on allegations the Washoe DA's office withheld evidence that could have cleared her brother of the charges. The commission took no action on her request, which she said leaves her no choice but to report the situation to the U.S. Justice Department. [cut due to copyrights] ***

From: Survival in Solitary (AFSC):

An article on Survival, from the AFSC Survival Manual by and for people living in control units: Mapping Out Survival Survival implies discipline which is the habit of instant and automatic obedience to ones will. It is the human basis or response on which effective control and survival rests. Good plans minus discipline equals failure. And failure in executing plans destroys survival. In understanding strategies to be used for survival, one must survey his/her situation and determine what has been done or what has not, and what should be done. Observation: Little that is worthwhile is accomplished without discipline. Discipline is a learned process, which we must have for survival. There must be something to drive us to move beyond the limiting expectations of loser, that something is motivation. Many men, women, P.P./P.O.W.s have many worries while in lock down (control units) which causes much stress. Sometimes this stress leads to suicide, drug addiction, and actively fights

against discipline. Therefore it is important that those of us locked down in control units discipline ourselves for survival. Health: Mental and physical health are key factors in survival. Study is very important in survival. We must read books, newspapers, magazines, etc. Information is Power! Communicate regularly with family, friends, comrades, organizations in society as often as possible. Exercise at least four times a week: push ups, jumping jacks, squats, toe touches, dips, knees to the chest, arm rotations, sit ups, etc. The numbers of how many to do in a set, and how many sets is up to you. (45) minutes of constant working is good. Stretching before you exercise is very important. Yoga is the best way to stretch. Breathing: Deep breathing three or four times a day is rejuvenating. Walking and Running: If space is available, or running in place for (30) minutes is good. Self Defense: Learning some form of self defense, boxing, karate, judo, etc. are most important to protect oneself. Diet: Vegetarian diets are very important for survival in control units (lock downs), because of the lack of properly cooked foods. Strokes, peptic ulcers, diabetes, hypertension, salmonellosis, stomach cancer, colon cancer, kidney disease, hemorrhoids; are all illnesses that can be produced from a lack of proper dieting. Remember, medical care isnt worthwhile depending on in control units (lock down). A question was once asked: What do the prisoncrats care about a few sick prisoners? Daily Schedule: 5:00 AM Wake up and wash up 6:30 Breakfast 8:00 Yard/Exercise 9:00 Wash up/read 11:30 Lunch 12:00 PM Wash clothes, cell, etc 1:00 Read/study/write, etc. 2:00 Hold class on unit on politics, history, economics, or general discussion on legal endeavors. 4:00 Dinner 4:30 Back to reading, writing, studying, etc. Times of turning in for the night may differ. Survival depends on one to remove bad habits from ones activities. Seek truth and base

ones life on it. Seek life giving and saving ideas. Work for Success. Be productive, creative, and learn craft to keep the mind and body active. Be security minded, avoid imbalances, which result from the taking away of some component necessary to mental stability. In order to restore from imbalance, the missing component must be restored or compensated for. Our brains were created to think right. Falsehood, which is untruth, injustice, or deception produces chemical imbalance in the brain. The proof that humanity is unbalanced is the absence of the three essentials of balance: Freedom, Justice, and Equality. This is due to the oppression and mistreatment of people by one another. But we are made to achieve balance. Our survival strategy should be like a map. A plan from getting from where we are to where we want to go. Planning strategy is like planning a trip. Our tactics should be the specific things that we must do for survival, to help us get there. Petitions, pressure campaigns, etc. Progress reports, quality reports, assignments, and progress schedules are important for survival in monitoring oneself. In dealing with the prisoncrats, remember they arent here to make sure we are comfortable, so the less we deal with them the better off we are; to alleviate any hardships. Accept the worst, improve on the worst. 1. How to break the worry habit: Keep busy. 2. Ways to cultivate a mental attitude, leading to peace and happiness. Fill your mind with thought of peace courage, health and hope. Always keep aware of things around you. 3. To keep from worrying about criticism: remember unjust criticism is often a disguised compliment. 4. Ways to prevent fatigue and worry, keeping spirits high. Rest before you get tired. When you face a problem, solve it, then and there, if you have the facts necessary to make a decision. 5. Good thoughts lead to wise actions. Survival is the most important thing for every creature on the planet earth. Our survival in Control Units (lock down) on Administrative Custody is no different. Control Units were designed to destroy our survival instincts. We must not let this evil succeed. Free all Political Prisoners; Prisoners of War; fight to stop the Injustice, and Shut them Down (Control Units)! LuQman Abdullah Hayes, PA

*** Ely State Prison: A Place of Depravity, Death and Despair Ely State Prison is a place of death, stagnation, misery, pain, loneliness and indeterminate lockdown. If you were to take a walk on one of these depressing tiers back here in the hole, you would hear many disembodied voices ring out, yelling in anger and frustration, trying to tell you how bad it is for us in here, in between the isolated confines of steel and stone. This is a maximum security prison, but not everybody here is a security risk, but if you were to ask these pigs that, theyd probably tell you otherwise, just to try to justify the fact theyre keeping us warehoused in here, whether we deserve it or not. With time things change, and usually for the worse. Deterioration is a normal occurrence in here. In fact, if you were to ask the prisoners around here if they think the conditions here will get better or worse, most of them will tell you things are only going to get worse. Pessimism and hopelessness permeate the minds and attitudes of the average prisoner in here. Theres nothing much to look forward to, besides the next meal, and maybe a letter in the mail, if youre lucky. Back in the day, ironically when E.S.P. was actually opened up (when we were allowed group yard, tier time, porters, etc.), the majority of the prisoners here were actually befitting of the status: maximum security. Back then, a man was sent to Ely State Prison for failure to adjust in another, less secure prison, violence, escapes and things of that nature. But even then, that could also mean he was disruptive, someone who organized other prisoners, led religious services, or filed too many legal writs or grievances. Not every man at ESP is told why hes here these days, and not every man here has committed a violent crime. Not every man here has done anything serious to even warrant maximum security status (like for example, I have a neighbour here in the hole with me right now who was transferred up here simply for contraband). A prisoner has no chance to appeal a transfer before being sent to ESP, and sometimes arrives in the middle of the night without warning. Brought into a world of darkness, locked into a cell, left to get stale and stagnant as he deteriorates, like a mouldy piece of bread. Nobody belongs in a world where theyre buried alive, where theyre in a tomb for the dead, basically. And the police has total control, and many of them frequently abuse that control, either on a psychological level, or on a physical level. And over the days, weeks, months and years, a prisoner who is confined to this every day misery, begins to degenerate. Ive seen it happen, over and over again. Nobody belongs in a world like this, where death permeates the atmosphere. Where pressure is applied so constantly that all it does is make these men hard and mean as time goes by. Some of these guys in here feel they only have 2 or 3 choices now: escape, snitch or suicide. Nobody has escaped from here yet, but many turned into snitches, and many have committed suicide. And others have succumbed to psychotropic medications, which is a form of both escape and suicide. For so many of us in here, theres nothing to strive for, no aim, no goals, no hope, no light at the end of their tunnel, and they just give up; give in. Theres no love here, just the artificial love that youll find in the gang culture of prison life. This is a terrible place to be, especially for someone who has to return back to society. All you have to do is read a little psychology to figure out whats going on, to understand whats being done to us in here. They try to break us down, sever our family and social ties, dominate us, talk shit to us, treat us like children, going out to their way to try to keep us stagnant and ignorant, and always out to break our spirits. Needless to say, I pass around books, articles and notes on psychology, so that prisoners can get a deeper understanding about things. Not just about being in prison, but also about how our minds work, personality, emotions, why we act the way we act, and why we are the way we are. Its very important to actually be able to come to an understanding of these things; to raise our level of conscious and to be able to elevate our thinking under these circumstances is very important in more ways than one, and its also necessary for our survival in here, where psychological warfare is being waged on us every day. The depravity and despair in this graveyard continuously pushes men to death or insanity. I

wrote an article on November 18th, 2009, about the mysterious death of death row inmate Timothy Redman. November 18th, 2009, was the day he died, and I was there when it happened. This is a prime example of the daily depravity that takes place in this hellhole. Approximately an hour after Redman allegedly tried to grab a correctional officer by the wrist and pull his arm through the food slot (apparently the pig had to struggle to free himself), an extraction team of officers was made up to physically and forcefully remove Redman from his cell, or at least to try. Redman refused to surrender and to be placed in handcuffs, and he did so by displaying a weapon. Whats cold about this whole thing is that the policy (administrative regulation) even states that any time a prisoner has a weapon in his cell, his water and toilet is to be shut off, an officer is to be stationed outside of his cell, and nothing is to come in or go out of his cell not even meals, and this officer is supposed to stay stationed outside of his cell until the prisoner either gives the weapon up, or for 72 hours, and then they have to decide what to do from there, whether excessive force is to be used or not. Did this happen? No. These pigs refused to follow their own rules and a man died as a result. I can tell you exactly what took place. After Redman refused to surrender, the pigs then proceeded to spray one can of pepper spray into his cell. After that the senior officer in the control bubble commenced to open Redmans cell so the pigs could run in there on him and retaliate, and then remove him from his cell. But the cell door was jammed from the inside, and they couldnt get it open. Obviously Redman was no dummy, he knew how to keep the pigs out, and he knew why it was so important to do so. Thats a situation that you usually dont win. They come in and beat your ass, and after theyve got you fully restrained, they beat you some more as they yell out Stop resisting! Stop resisting! So, over the course of two hours, the pigs emptied a total of 6 canisters of gas into Redmans cell, and then sprayed a seventh canister one time. They would spray him, and then go hide out in the upper storage room, so that the gas wouldnt affect them (Redman was housed in 3-B-48, right next to the upper storage room). When they were finally able to open Redmans cell to get him out, he was dead. His face was purple, his body was blue and blood was coming out of his nose. His boxers were stained with feces and urine and he had what appeared to be a smile on his face. The nurses and doctors tried to revive him, but to no avail.

Whats mysterious about this whole situation was that when they pulled Redman out of his cell, there was no rope tied around his neck or anything. But they say he hung himself. They said it was a suicide. But did he really hang himself, or was he murdered by six cans of pepper spray? Was it a cover-up? People need to be concerned about this, and they should demand to see the video footage of the extraction, just to make sure, because the whole thing seemed mysterious to the majority of the inmates who saw the incident take place. All seem to agree that Redman died from the pepper spray. They think he was murdered. Who knows what happened. All humans are capable of murder, and death row inmates have been murdered before under McDaniels administration. I know this much: a couple of hours after they carried Redmans body out of the unit, 2 of the wardens, the coroner, and the investigator were all standing outside of Redmans cell laughing, smiling and joking around, thinking it was funny, until a prisoner piped up and said, What are you laughing at? If that was one of your own who died, you wouldnt find it very funny, now would you? They got quiet. But it seemed like they were happy to see Redman die. At dinner time, a guard who was on the extraction team came into the unit and yelled out loud, so everybody could hear, Cell 48 said he doesnt want his tray. It just goes to show how much regard these pigs have for our lives. They have no love, no mercy for us. The whole scene was a blatant violation of the administrative regulations and a blatant disregard for Redmans life. And the really cold, cold, part about it was, when the coroner asked the warden, on two separate occasions, How should I decide this?, How do you think I should decide this, suicide or murder? The warden looked around, seen that prisoners were standing alert at their doors and said, I cant decide that, thats your job. But what would even propel the coroner to ask such an odd question like that in the first place? It makes you wonder I knew Redman personally. He wasnt really a friend of mine, but someone I talked to occasionally. I dont know what set him off to go after the pig, but I do know this: Redman was a death row inmate who has had to endure 23-hour lockdown while on H.R.P. (High Risk Potential status: supermax custody level) for 16-17 years straight. Ive heard him talking once about how year after year

administration is stripping one privilege away from us each year. Tobacco, milk, scrambled eggs, hot lunches, food packages, clothing packages, etcetera, etcetera. They just take, take, take and keep you locked down in a cell with a death sentence hanging over your head. Oh yeah, and I know that they were messing with Redmans mail too. He seemed to think that his wife left him due to this; because certain letters never got to her. So, I think its safe to say, with all these things taken into consideration, you have a man who has nothing to lose, and no hope in sight, who has basically been driven to a point where life doesnt even matter anymore. Theres a lot of people like that in here. They werent always like that though. Theyve deteriorated, and have been broken, and just stopped trying, stopped caring, with no one or nothing to help pull them through. Its a sad, sad story, about depravity and despair. Some of us fight and struggle (psychological and spiritually), trying to make it through this, trying to better ourselves and better our positions in life, and some just give up all hope. Its easy to give up in a filthy, foul-ass place like this, where nobody cares about what youre going through, or about where happens to you, one way or another. The guards that work here dont care about us, theyre not trained to care about us, they are only trained to control us. Ely State Prison is an unproductive, unhealthy environment, even for these pigs. It has been documented that prison guards have the highest rates of heart disease, drug and alcohol addiction, divorce and the shortest lifespans of any state civil servants, due to the stress in their lives. Prison guard are in constant fear of injury by prisoners, and the fear of contracting diseases always lingers in their minds, since prisons are normally flooded with all kinds of diseases, from hepatitis C, tuberculosis, to AIDS. From the first day in the academy these guards are trained to believe that they are taught to believe that they are the good guys and that prisoners are the bad guys, They are pretty much programmed into fearing and despising us before they even come into contact with any of us! They are led to believe that all prisoners are manipulative, deceitful and dangerous, and that all prisoners are the scum of the Earth. So no, they dont care about us, they are not even allowed to care about us. We are not even human to them. Needless to say, none of this leads to rehabilitation, but on the

contrary, it only contributes to the everyday depravity here in this hellhole. Im writing about all of this for a reason though. Im here to expose the abuse, the injustices, the disparity and hopelessness. Im here to raise awareness about all of these things, and Im here to help seek solutions. One of the things Id like to help Nevada prisoners understand is that the situation for us out here is deplorable. There is a real problem with this whole system, and if we dont recognize these problems, we will never find solutions, not to mention the possibility that we ourselves could even be contributing to many of these problems. Please believe, the way theyve got us doing our time is not the way were supposed to be doing our time. This whole prison is the hole, theres no general population here at E.S.P., theres no incentive, no programs, no rehabilitation, nothing. We have way more coming to us than this! We are not supposed to just lay down and accept this, we have to start finding ways to come together, we have to start striving to make the necessary changes that will help better our positions in life, so that we dont have to keep coming back to these dead ends. Furthermore, like Ikemba always says, theres no real level of activism in Nevada. Prisoners do not have any available resources, bookstores for Nevada prisoners, no prisoners rights advocacy groups, no solid help from the outside, whatsoever. In order to make changes on the inside, we need support from the outside. We must take it upon ourselves to build a proper support structure for Nevada prisoners, and we have to do this from the ground up! So, if youre a prisoner doing time in Nevada and if you have family/friends out here in Nevada or anywhere else on the outs I would like to encourage you to explain to them how bad the situation is for you/us in here. Let them know that we cannot expect any type of real rehabilitation from this system; explain to them that the administration is not going to do anything to help us further our growth and development, or push us close to becoming reformed, socially functioning individuals. We have to take it upon ourselves to do these things and we cant do it without a proper support structure from people on the outside. Talk to your families, talk to your friends, talk to your loved ones out there (show them this newsletter if you have to), see what they would be willing to do to start up programs for Nevada prisoners. Something needs to be done, but nothing will improve unless prisoners start taking the initiative. The guys who have to

do life sentences, or who have to be here for the duration, I encourage you to start learning the law, use it as a tool to make changes for everybody; start stepping up to the plate, instead of waiting for others to do it for you. As long as we keep trying, sooner or later something has to give. Its better to try than to do nothing, especially when were living like this! We can do anything we put our minds to, it all starts with a thought, and what we think about we become, so lets get it cracking! Until then, we are just going to sit here, warehoused in this misery, as the years go by, more people losing their minds, more deaths and suicides, more repression, more rules being placed on us, making it harder on us, more restrictions, more losses of privileges and whatever else they want to take from us. We will sit here with sad looks on our faces, as anger and hatred eat us up inside. The despair will lead to depravity, and the depravity will do us in. Death is the only outcome tomorrow, for those that dont start taking action today. Solidarity and Respects Coyote *** High Desert State Prison News Sent in on Oct 24, 2010 There were two incidents (Oct 13th 2010) where live rounds were fired, inmates injured due to racial riots among Whites-MexicansBlacks. Units 5 A/B and 5 C/D are now Level 4 housing units. Units 6 A/B and 6 C/D are Level 3. Level 4 only gets showers every 3 days. No yard, no day room, no phone, no appliances. Its worse than the hole (disciplinary lock-up). Tensions are high, weapons were used and things dont look good. The prison staff dont seem to realize that inmates need jobs plus education or some sort of activity to utilize their time, or situations such as this will only get worse. They need to start a program like California has called the M.A.C. (Man & Con) Program, it allows us to have an inmate Advisory Board set up to work with staff to help better overall conditions.

But warden Neven and Baca dont want to act upon or care about what inmates need, their poor leadership is pushing the prison into a war zone and pretty soon its gonna get to a breaking point that no one will be able to overcome its fall-out. *** Nevada gets F in treatment of pregnant inmates S. Chereb, Associated Press Writer October 21, 2010 Reno Gazette Journal CARSON CITY, Nev. (AP) - The state received a failing grade for its treatment of inmate mothers and pregnant women in a new report issued Thursday, but a spokeswoman for the Nevada Department of Corrections took exception to the findings, and the report itself suggested at least some of the criticism was based not on state practices but the lack of a written policy. The 50-state survey released by the National Women's Law Center and the Rebecca Project for Human Rights analyzed state and federal prison policies on three criteria: prenatal care, use of shackles, and alternatives to incarceration for pregnant women and mothers with young children. Nevada received an overall grade of F and was among 21 states to receive a grade of D or lower. Only one state, Pennsylvania, received an A. Nevada received a failing grade for prenatal care and lack of family-based treatment programs for nonviolent inmates who are mothers, and a D for use of restraints on pregnant women. "Too many women in prison fail to receive adequate prenatal care, are shackled during childbirth and don't have the option of family based drug treatment programs that would allow them to be with their children," Jill C. Morrison, senior counsel with the National Women's Law Center and co-author of the study, said in a written statement. "It's shameful that so many states fail to have laws and policies to protect this vulnerable population of unseen and largely forgotten women," she said. [cut due to copyrights] ***

E.S.P. Book Drive (tell your family and friends this please!) You can help change someones life! There is nothing more invigorating, nothing more liberating than knowledge! Books can definitely change peoples lives, and who needs help with changing their lives more than the people in prison? It has already been proven that education is the most powerful tool against recidivism, yet prisoners sit in their cells going mentally numb, getting more aggressive and deteriorating intellectually, spiritually and physically, just wasting away behind steel and stone, until the day they are released and returned back into our communities! This is a chance to make a difference; to have an impact on someones life. This is a chance for people out there to really get involved in something significant. We need you to help us bring meaning and productivity to these prisoners lives! Please, help us do something positive; something that will definitely make a difference. Help us give these prisoners something important to think about, help us raise their level of consciousness and break them from the shackles of the gangster, pimp and criminal mentalities that confine them to self-destruction and perpetual misery. Help us get books together for these men who sit in their cells staring at the walls all day. People throw books away every day. We need those books. We want you to help us donate those books to the Ely State Prison library; we want you to help us help these people who will be returning back to society. We want you to help us help these people who deserve a second chance. Any book you can donate will be appreciated, and put to good use, no matter what kind of book it is. Our mission here, however, is to turn the E.S.P. library into a real library. The E.S.P. library already has lots and lots of horror novels, sci-fi novels, fantasy and romance, but lacks anything of real educational value. So, we want you to help us provide any type of book that will allow prisoners to think and comprehend things on a higher, or deeper level. We want educational books; anything that has some type of educational value, or that will provide real intellectual stimulation. All books will be accepted and appreciated, and books that we are particularly looking for are basically any type of books on: Any type of self-help book Dictionaries, thesaurus, encyclopaedias, almanacs, vocabulary builders, etc. Philosophy, Psychology and/or Sociology

Anthropology, History Text books of all kinds Non-fictional books, true stories, current events, etc. Books on business, economics, law, etc. Poetry, classics, literature, etc. (Auto-)biographies, memoirs Books on science (any branch of science Good fiction novels that could possibly have a life-changing impact on a prisoners mind Books about prison, or written by prisoners, who have changed their lives while in prison (these stories are always inspirational and helpful for those incarcerated) Any books on politics, revolutionary science, prominent figures and leaders Cultural studies: Latino, African American, Native American, Asian, The Celts, The Romans, The Greeks, The Egyptians, Aztecs, Mayans, etc. Political books (on anarchism, communism, socialism, etc.) Theology, Theosophy, etc. Books on different languages Geography Best sellers, Pulitzer prize winners, etc. Esoteric studies, masonic literature, symbolism, etc. Health, medical encyclopedia, physical fitness, etc. Any book that you have, that you dont want, or need any more, any book that you think would be uplifting, educational, or inspirational to prisoners, please send them to: White Pine County School District Mountain High School 1135 Avenue C Ely, Nevada 89301 Attention: Ms. Thiel / E.S.P. Library Donations Please make sure to go through all of your books, removing money, papers or anything that you may have left inside of your books, because the officers will thoroughly inspect each book before they are inducted into the E.S.P. Library. Please talk to your friends, family, coworkers and classmates, ask them if they have any old books that they dont want or need any more. We really want you to help us turn the E.S.P. library into a real library. Help us bring meaning and positive change to these prisoners lives. There is no rehabilitation, no programs, no real educational/vocational opportunities for these guys incarcerated at Ely State Prison. We want you to help us give them that opportunity, we want you to help us help them. We want you to help us liberated

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these prisoners minds and transform their lives through knowledge, education and higher learning. Please get involved in this lifechanging project. Theres nothing more empowering than knowledge! Thank you for your time and concern. Solidarity and Respects From Someone Who Cares *** Dear Society, Yep, its me again, Pig Pin. Ive been encouraged by one of the other writers to come back and run my neck on some ideas Ive pondered and chewed on over the years! Heres one I started working on several years ago when I watch the cops beat a man near to death then threw him down both flights of stairs when he was all the time in handcuffs and shackles. I thought Man Itd be cool to show the Public this shit and see them come down on this dump! But unless one of you want to come infiltrate this place put on a paper badge and become one of the abusers (C.E.R.T.), then we need to interview an officer willing to blow the whistle lacking all that We can ask one of these convicts suing the prison: for excessive force, or one being charged with assault on an officer for a cell extraction! (thats their favorite: rush your house, beat the stutting outta ya, charge you for assault!). We take the tape, make copies, send them to newsmedia, governor, senators, news papers like LV Sun, LV Review Journal, Reno Gazette! We make up a permanent solution to open ESP and HD peacefully (well as peacefully as can be expected with a maximum security prison) and effectively we send it to the Legislation and the above. We ask people to join in our cause to Expose ESP for the worthless money pit it is, by asking them to research and investigate. How much does it cost to run a lockdown prison, compared to one that is open? How much is the costs to supply a prison 2,300 miles from the hub, way out in B.F:E.? How many pending cases lawsuits are there on conditions of confinement / or any other cases that can potentially be worth $? How much $ has ESP lost because it refuses to play by its own rules?

All this info is available on the web. It is the right of taxpayers to know where how their $ is spent! We put this info in with other facts like ACLU in Riker v. Gibbons just settled for $ 350,000 because the medical at ESP was allowing men to die without treating them! (see medical report in Riker v. Gibbons). Also: NDOC refuses to join ACA (American Correctional Association), because it would mean having to obey the law and guidelines. See, the ACA is also a Grant by the government to prisons who accept these guidelines. So let me break this part down to you: Nevada cut + 13% of our childrens education budget. Jobs are being lost, houses foreclosing; meanwhile Nevada Prisons Budget has increased! And now there are grants NDOC could accept but has not and will not. So the governor can say he wont raise taxes. Well people open your eyes! Taxes got raised anyway. When people are aware of all these facts, about how their dollars are being spent, theyll outcry. Then we make them aware they can sue their own politicians individually and officially we break it down to them how they cant sue the State or its Entities, but they sure as hell can sue the people who run it, theyll want that right?! All this can be done on two sheets of paper all the facts worded right can be done with no expense except to run a computer and time to research it all. Now we make copies (a few hundred). This will cost about the same as a monthly newsletter. But were about to get a bigger bang for your buck!! Heres how: we focus on the main characters. We send a copy to those on the mailing list and ask for stamps to help send to: Governor, legislators, newspapers, major town halls, NDOC Board of Commissioners. Put in the ones to officials This is being sent to ACLU, Dept. of Justice, Media, and all authorities allowing ESP and HD to run like gulags. Then you send on to ACLU (Washington, DC) and DoJ (Washington DC Civil Rights Division). So far we have a cost of one (or slightly more) monthly newsletter. But we still have a bunch to do. We can also send a copy to every Activist Zine Distro Abolitionist groups and beg they help us by putting our report on their websites, and on their newsletters. If we can get a tape

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we can ask them to display it on the web. We pull in all our resources and focus on Nevada (for now, Ill get to that soon enough). We do this once a month for 3 months we do it around Elections if possible and we switch up on officials Director, Judges, Congressmen. While one group does this, another continues to research and investigate youd be amazed how much dirt you can make into mud when you dig far enough. We find out as much as we can on other ways to push the report in the faces of the public with other organizations aware of our efforts, they in turn will lend support spread word of oru efforts. Even a little by several, amounts to a lot from just a few. So far oru costs are minimal. But we have covered a huge area of battle ground. See, right now everyone is doing their own thing, sure, theyre fighting the same fight. But if each group helped the others focus on one state at a time, or even part of their time together, they could make an incredible change in the States prison system. They move on to another State history tells us of these truths, people can achieve great things when they come together!! Its in the peoples spirit to rise and resist. Dig? We in here can best help by telling you out there whats broken; I say this because we see it happening to the whole. We see and are a part of; whats messed up because its going on with all of us! Individuals? Thats bullshit. Anyone who says I more than they say we should start out like a stain on a white sheet, as a selfish antagonizer , not a man who wants change for all, but followers like sheep! Baah! Focus on the whole and the individual problems will fix themselves. Its not the power, its the way you put it to use that makes most, You feel me? Its not the convicts we need to make aware. On many levels they/we already are aware. Your news isnt new news, its updates to the same old news. You may argue that we make the convict aware he in turn makes his people aware. No. theyve already made their people aware long before. Any convict that writes to you for a newsletter is a convict that already speaks to his people aloud and tries to make others aware. The rest, they dont care! This is sad but true; but true nonetheless! The solution is we make the people aware in terms they can relate to . their $$, their children, their $$, their politicians with their $$. We tell them how they can make a change and help the most. Each month you tell them steps they can take facts about NDOC like how

much cheaper it is to run an open population prison then a maximum security locked down. Cost-effective solutions - that can (and have) work for even a maximum prison. Give them addresses and phone numbers to the members of the Board of Prison Commissioners, NDOC, Legislation and Congress. Empower them that they are the tax payer and have a right to be heard! A good example of these tactics as Ive explained them comes to the war on tobacco only one decade or so ago, the fighters of Tobacco were handed out flyers at town hall meetings that got the attention of Pillars` of society. Now look at it. See, they hit the right nerve of the people the people. The people got `Gitmo closed with media exposure and an outcry. We need this. Its the same fight and the same tactics used all over for different causes. And that is my assessment. Thats my first shared idea. Take it or leave it. I have plenty thank you! Fare you all well, Pig Pin a Way *** News The Nevada Board of Examiners has approved a $450,000 settlement with the family of the former manager of the 1950s band Coasters, who died from gangrene while on death row. Patrick Cavanaugh was convicted in 1985 of killing Coasters band member Nathaniel "Buster" Wilson in Las Vegas. Cavanaugh died in 2006 at age 60 after developing gangrene in his legs from complications of diabetes. Cavanaugh's family and estate claimed the prison refused insulin to treat the condition that led to his death at Ely State Prison. (11/9/10)

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