Day 153 (2/22/15) "One incident here, changed her life"

We got an update on "Baby". She's the one that spit on and fought two officers. She's looking at up to 18 years, 5 years for each officer, and additional years for each time she spit. I can't believe it. She's a baby. She's only 20 years old. One incident here, changed her life forever. One bad decision, one poor choice , and you can catch additional charges. You think you're going home and in a blink of an eye, you're going nowhere. It's why they don't give you an out date here (receiving). They give you an "expected release date". You have to keep your emotions in check, stay out of the game, do your time, and go home. We have been trying to tell NayNay this, but our new roommate is not as quiet and polite as she was on day one. She's got an attitude and a chip on her shoulder. She wants to fight and curse every cop she deals with. She's dying to fight someone, or so she says. So much for keeping to herself. She is in the mix and very stubborn . I figure she'll have to learn on her own. 

We had dinner late tonight. On the way to 4pm Meds, 4 "EOP's" got into a fight on the yard. Seems to be the norm nowadays . We started to get ready for inspection When a bunch of girls started chanting "we aren't cleaning up shit, the sergeant , he can suck a dick ! Hail Hitler !" Some of the women say the sergeant looks and acts like Hitler. He is very strict. If you don't walk in a straight line, he'll rip you right out of line, gives you a warning, and writes your name down on his clipboard. He's not one to mess with. But the girls had enough of the sergeant and this whole yard. So, they rebelled with their chanting. It was kind of funny, definitely entertaining from afar. It really pissed the sergeant off and our housing officer let us have it when we got back. It's a good thing we didn't have program that night, because we would have lost it. 

Days 151 & 152 (2/20/15) Dumb Decisions and Diablo vs Granny

"Life isn't always easy, but we have to believe that it can and will get better. Struggle is not a lifestyle, it's a moment in time, one that can be overcome"

The fog is back after 2 weeks of beautiful weather. It's cold and gloomy again. But, on a positive note, we got our entire program time in today ! Finally ! B Hall started their morning off with a bang. 15 was taking too long to come out for breakfast, so the officer shut their door and moved on to other halls, leaving 4 girls in the room. Well, one of the girls got furious and lost her mind. Yelling and banging on the door. The officer refused to let them out so, she decided to break the window. She took a lock and put it in her pillow case and busted the glass window in the door ! That stunt cost her $300 and a 115. The breakfast was good, but not worth $300 !

Too many people have been going in others inmates rooms lately , so the officer on duty today did an "out of bounds" check for the entire unit. He went room by room, made us all come out, then as he called our name, we had to show our ID as we went back in. If you are caught out of bounds, it's a 115. There ended up being four 115's that day. 

Thursday's are court days for AD SEG. So, our old roommate Janie, went to court yesterday. Her girlfriend, Dreamer, said it didn't go well. They are not letting her out of AD SEG and are pressing charges. She's looking at an additional 5 years. Because things didn't go well, Dreamer packed up all her belongings, rolled up her bed, and at dinner, she stood in front of the sergeant's office and refused to lock in. She did it so she could go to AD SEG and be with Janie. Dreamer was on her way to CIW, has kids, and not much time left. Why she was so stupid to give up all that for a prison girlfriend, I don't know. What a dumb decision . I just can't comprehend sacrificing so much for a fling with a woman in prison.

Day 152 (2/21/15)

The day started off with a fight in the chow hall. They had to use pepper spray to stop it. Taya was involved, again. That girl has to have 4-5 115's by now. Then the alarm went off in our unit. "Wolfe" got caught stealing from her roommates. They got into a fight and they kicked her out. Rule #10, Never Steal from Your Roommates. Wolfe got taken out in handcuffs, issued a 115, and moved to 503. Wolfe used to be in room 4, but didn't last, the girls kicked her out. 

Ms Dolly worked as a porter today. When she was working, she saw two of the porters in the laundry room having sex. Poor Ms Dolly. She can't wait to get out of here. She can't take all this "gay shit". 

Before dinner a fight broke out across the hall. They were in the corner, so we couldn't tell who was fighting. But then, we realized it was "Diablo" and "Granny". What the hell !? You don't take off on an older woman like that. I guess they were having words, Granny walked away, laid on her bed, and Diablo snatched her off her bed. But, Granny held her own whipped Diablo's ass. But, that's not the point. What's wrong with Diablo ?! No one should be beating up or fighting their elders like that ! It's like punching your grandmother. Our room was not very happy with what went down across the hall. But, we didn't have time to deal with it. We got notice the we had inspection. What a pain ! Inspection is one hour. Break down your bed, empty your drawer, clear out your locker, throw out your extras and contraband . Then when they're done going through your room, you put it all back. I'm glad the day is over.

Day 150 (2/19/15) "They leave and you feel alone"

Woke up today at 3am. The officer came to get Prego. He told her to pack up, she was leaving. She had 45 minutes. I was so happy for her. She's going to CIW until her release on March 5th. Now, she will be closer to home when she gets out and have the medical care she needs until then. We all helped her pack. This is what's best for her and her babies. But, I am going to miss her so much. My San Diego roomie, my Charger fan. How did I get attached to her so quickly ? To all these women in this room ? I couldn't sleep. It was a rough day. I think we all miss her presence and taking care of her and those babies.
No duckett and no program today. How frustrating ! I'm really tired of not being able to go outside . Last week and this week has been horrible ! Thinking about Prego leaving makes me want out of here that much more. I really want off A-Yard (receiving). Keeping my fingers crossed I see my counselor next week. Only 9 more days in this month.
We got our new roommate this afternoon. Her name is "NayNay". She is 21 years old and from LA. Just a kid. She seems sweet, very polite, and keeps to herself. I think she's going to fit in room 4 just fine !
Tonight was a good night despite not getting to program this evening. TT and Jazy are back to their normal fun selves. They laughed and joked about their fight. It was more like 2 sisters fighting rather than 2 enemies. I'm just happy things are getting back to "normal", whatever normal is anymore. Still missing Prego, but I think Smiley misses her the most. She was her "med buddy" and her room BFF. It's sad she is gone. You get comfortable, you have a temporary family and then they leave and you feel alone. Feels like it's day one all over again. Too much time on A-yard is rough. Tomorrow is another day, a better day.....I hope.

Days 148 & 149 (2/17/15) Stay Out of the Mix

Tuesday , finally got to shop canteen today. Waited 5 weeks to finally go shopping. You get to shop canteen once a month and depending on your CDC# determines when you shop. I'm 3rd week draw. So, the 3rd week of every month, I get to shop. I desperately needed hygiene items, stamps, and envelopes. Now, I'm set until I get out of here. 

We got a deck of cards from our neighbors in room 5 and we played spades all afternoon until dinner. It's the simple things like a deck of cards, dice, a good book, pen and paper that can make your day here. 

Wednesday, busy day . Breakfast, then a duckett for medical at 805. 805 is the health center over the wall. Got to take a brief trip over the wall. Walked past "B" yard with its beautiful green grass, a full size track too. The grass is literally greener on the other side.Haha.  We have to be escorted and go through a metal detector before and after. Can't wait to get there (B yard). The final stop before I go "over the wall" to my final destination. 

Got back from medical to do laundry exchange . Then I tried to sneak in to the library because I missed sign ups while I was at medical. That didn't work. So hopefully , next week I can actually check out some books. 

While C and D were programming this morning, a fight broke out behind the porta-potty on the yard. They like to fight there so the cops don't see them. Not sure exactly why they were fighting . Rumor has it, it was a domestic dispute (over girlfriends). Reminder ! Rule #2, Don't Get a Girlfriend. But then I heard it was gang related. Crypts, Bloods, Hoover, not sure. But, 3 of the girls involved were Crypts. So, this giant Amazon broad was told to beat up this girl (rumor was she was given a shank to stab her). They go at it, this woman is twice this girls size. You would think she would mop the floor with her, but the little one held her own. They would stop fighting, then "Peaches" kept telling the Amazon lady to keep going. So, two more times they went at it and the little one kept fighting. So, finally "Peaches" and another girl got involved. It's now 3 on 1. The two came from behind and "Peaches" is a very tall woman as well and I tell you what, that little one had heart and fought her ass off. She took on all 3 of them. Then it was yard down. The fight was over. They came over and handcuffed "Peaches", the Amazon, and the little one. The other girl got away. The Amazon resisted arrest slightly and that got her thrown into AD SEG. It was yard recall after that. Then we had a fire inspection this afternoon. That cut our long program down. But, at least we got out at 3pm for 45 minutes. Some time, is always better than no time. Plus, our room needed a breather. 

The tension has been building between Jazy and TT and it's sad to see, because I like both of them and they are friends. But, drama has been brewing and it sucks because it makes the room uncomfortable. But, the 5 of us, Sam, Smiley, Ms Dolly, Prego, and I, have been keeping it together the best we can. But today, it blew up. Jazy and TT got into a screaming match that turned into them throwing blows. I couldn't watch. Ms Dolly tried so hard to prevent it too. I like them both, I don't want to see them fight. They stopped, but then had round two. I felt awful. The room was so tense. You can't stop it, you can't call the cops. Rule #6, Do Not Snitch. I like them both and felt sick to my stomach that they fought. But, was so grateful that we got to go outside . We all needed a breather and when we came back, it was squashed and over with. But, of course, room 5 watched it all go down from their windows across the hall. Room Rule and actually Rule #9, What Happens in Your Room, Stays in Your Room. When "Cuba" asked me about it, I said nothing except it was a "room issue". But, "Norbit", came running out of room 5 and hit the yard telling everyone about the fight she saw. Not a smart move. She broke Rule #4, Stay Out of the Mix and Drama. When we came back in, TT let Norbit have it. Jazy was pissed too, it was not Norbit's business. Like I have been told "there ain't no business like your own business" and getting into to other people's business will get you in a lot of trouble. 

503 finally brought my mail over. Got a letter and a bunch of photo cards, along with a catalog. We spent the rest of the night together going through the catalog. Picking our favorite food items on each page. Anything to feel "normal" again. 

Day 147 (2/16/15) "Why the hell didn't you help !?"

Presidents' Day . Fully staffed today, we programmed on time today, got in my exercise and as I was walking back from the water fountain, Kalie, one of my old neighbor from 503, started talking shit about this girl from San Diego. Saying "yeah, she's a baby case too". If you come to prison because of charges against your children, your stay will not be an easy one. The woman from San Diego was not a "baby case", she did have kids, but her crime did not involve them. But, the crime took place at her home, so they added child endangerment as an additional charge. The story is from another woman here on an actual "baby case" that was in the "meds" line talking shit to try and take heat off of herself. So, rumors started spreading. Kalie heard the rumors and ran with it. Well, she ran her mouth too much, because Tammy from San Diego, ran up on her and started kicking her ass. She had her on the ground and was thumping her. So, Kalie's girlfriend Jewels, jumped in to help, not fight. She was pulling Tammy off her girlfriend, when a group of girls came rushing in. 5 or 6 jumped Jewels, that's when the yard went down and the officers stepped in. The cops handcuffed Jewels and Tammy. Then brought out the zip ties and cuffed up Kalie and 4 or 5 other girls. Jewels said to her girlfriend "Why the hell didn't you help ?!" She replied "I tried Babe". Jewels was pissed. She stepped in to help her girlfriend who was getting her ass kicked and her girlfriend just stood there and watched as she got jumped. Needless to say, Jewels let her go and moved housing units. Due to this incident, we had yard recall only an hour into our program. But, luckily after the dust settled, they let us back out.
Jazy left us tonight. She had a sleepover in room 2 with her friends. Traded places with Jessie. They do that at times. But, if you get caught "out of bounds", it's a 115. Girls go in to each other's rooms and trade places usually when the regular housing staff is not working on the weekends . I don't mess with that. I don't care what others do. I'm not risking my date on games and bullshit. Jesse, the girl that stayed over here while Jazy was in her room was alright. But, I'll be glad when Jazy comes home.

Days 145 & 146 (2/14/15) Documented Medical Issue

The weekend started out with Valentine's Day. Thankfully, love was in the air and it was calm and peaceful. We got our full afternoon program and there were no fights. The jerk officer we had for the 4 days is gone. Hopefully, he stays gone. Found out there was a 3rd incident this week involving an inmate and a cop. Friday night during evening program, "Little Bill" got into an altercation with the housing unit officer. "Little Bill" is now in AD SEG. Currently, she's been on A-yard (receiving) for 16 months. Average time is 3-4 months. She's supposed to get out sometime this year. I'd go crazy being on A-yard that long. But, I guess multiple fights and medical mental health had kept her here all this time. She may just be paroling from this yard now. 

Sunday, short staffed again. We are on 3rd watch status, no program today. That's 4 days this week without program. No wonder there are so many fights and problems. They keep us locked inside so much. We need to get outside and release that energy. 

Our neighbor across the way had two medical emergencies again today. The first one, she wet the bed and claimed she couldn't get up. Then an hour later, she called them again. The second time was during meds and the nurse was pissed off and wanting to not respond anymore, because she thinks she's fine. The nurses believe she's trying to get back to 805 (the hospital). The hospital will not take her. She has clogged stints in her heart and is waiting for the procedure to clear them, but it's not life threatening, so she has to be patient. The sergeant on duty told the nurse "She has a documented medical issue and if she needs us, we will come, because the one time we don't respond and she croaks, I'm not going to be the unlucky guy to deal with it. So, what ? It took 10-15 minutes to respond, now you can go back to giving meds". The nurse wasn't happy about it. They do come at least once a day for this woman, sometimes 2-3 times a day for this woman. After the sergeant left, a female officer told her she was going to get in trouble for "faking" it. Her roommates patience is wearing thin, they have asked her to be moved. The lady should be very grateful for the room she's in, because they help her out a lot and put up with her. There are women here that would not be so nice. 

Day 143 & 144 (2/12/15) Tested positive for TB

Got an update on Janie. The officer is not pressing charges, but the DA can still pick up her case. There is a woman here doing a 2 year term for assault on an officer.  She threw her ID card at the officer and it hit her in the chin and left a tiny scratch. The officer did not press charges, but the DA picked it up and charged her. She got 2 years for it on top of her original time she was doing.  It amazes me that the DA can do that. They must have needed to hit some sort of goal / quota. It's all about the numbers. Who cares about lives. Especially, if you're already in prison. 

They were short staffed today at second shift. So, no program time for us. That is 3 days this week. Stuck inside all day and 2 of those days were our long program. Thank goodness I'm in this new housing unit. It's not as bad here when you lose program. I want to go outside, but if I was still in 503, I would have been freaking out this week without program in that tiny ass cell with nothing to do. 

Day 144 (2/13/15)

It's officially been 30 days on A-Yard today. Here's my break down of my stay so far.

I've read 2 books, received 9 ducketts, 1 letter, 10 postcards, I've eaten 41 apples, 17 bananas, and 3 drumstick ice cream cones, I've witnessed  2 fights, been through 6 fog days, and 13 yard downs. 

The nurse came by this morning to check our new roommates TB test. She tested positive for TB ! I know TB is very contagious and an airborne disease. So, I was waiting for her to be removed from our room. A second test needs to be done to confirm the results. They sent her to medical for an X-ray , but nothing happened. This is ridiculous ! Do they plan on leaving her in here and allowing the 7 of us to be exposed !? Prego is 8 months pregnant and carrying twins. This is a serious problem. I came in here healthy and plan on leaving here healthy. This may be prison, but to knowingly allow exposure to TB is irresponsible, unacceptable, and a huge liability. Our room is not the only one with a roommate with TB. One down the hall has a positive TB test as well. That girl was on the same bus that our new roommate was on. 

After breakfast, the alarm went off in our unit. No fight or medical emergency this time. It was a woman in room 1 who refused to lock-in. She said I'm not staying and sitting in a room all day with someone who has TB. She refused to lockdown. So, they took her out in handcuffs for a visit with the sergeant. 

Around noon, the alarm went off again in our building. The officers were just walking, so we knew it was just a medical emergency. Then they starting running to our unit. It was room 1 again. They called for a medical emergency. Baby (her name), had a sty in her eye, so the officer pulled her out of the room and was talking to her. He told her "A sty is not a medical emergency" . She said "I'm not going back in there. I am not going to sit in there with someone who has TB. I want to go to medical now". The officer actually said "ok" and told her to take a seat. The other officer got mad and went up to Baby and told her that it was not a medical emergency and to get back in her room. The officer grabbed Baby's nightgown and pushed her toward her room. That was it. Baby unleashed on her. Took the cop down twice to the ground and gave her a beating until the cop got the baton out and hit her in the leg and it was over. They took her out of here in a "restraint" chair, handcuffed at the wrists and ankles, spit hood over her face. They packed her belongings and she was gone. After her write up, they took her to AD SEG, still in the chair and hood. She was here doing a 3 year term, now she's looking at an additional 2-6 years for this attack on an officer. There was no afternoon or evening program the rest of the day. We had 5 more alarms throughout the day in our unit. All medical emergencies.  Two were across the way with the woman with the heart condition. The second call to her room, she was laying on the floor. The officer on duty is a real prick, he said to her "This is getting old. We are tired of you faking it. We know you're not sick and you need to stop this or just die already". What he didn't know, was the sergeant was standing behind him and heard him say all that to her. He got pulled to the side and the sergeant said "You can't talk to her like that, you don't know if she's sick or not". It's true, he's not a doctor and if something happens to her, CDCR is liable. I'm glad the segment said something to him. This officer is a real jerk. He is by far the worst one I've encountered. This week was out of control, as Ms. Dolly said "it was off the chain". 

Day 142 (2/11/15) Rule #12, The cops are not your friends

Then there was 7. Of all the girls to go, I didn't mind that Janie left and to my surprise , no one else cared either. The girls talked all night about her. The pent up frustration and tension was being released. The tension I saw had been building up. Sounds like Janie left at the perfect time, because the storm was brewing. Listening to all the stories they shared, I see now why they are all happy she's gone. Ms. Dolly had us laughing so hard with her story of how she thought she was going to have the room to herself when everyone went out to program one day. But, Janie and her girlfriend, Dreamer, came back to the room and had sex in the shower. Poor Ms. Dolly !

Everyone, including myself was over her banging on the windows and yelling down the hall all the time . We can all rest at ease that she won't drag out room down anymore. Rule #7: Stay low key and don't bring attention to yourself and room. Janie, for being here before, must have forgotten that rule. Now, we have to hope our new roommate is cool. We found out Janie could be facing charges of assault on an officer. She is so screwed. We watched them take her last night to AD SEG (Administrative Segregation). They took everything from her, out her in a muumuu, handcuffed her, and walked her over to 504. Tiny cell, no personal property, no canteen purchases, food is brought to your cell, you are allowed to come out and shower every other day, and you get an hour of yard time every 3 days. Basically, it's horrible. Sometimes you do a week and your back on A-yard. But, because she face charges, she could be there until the investigation and hearing is done. If she's found guilty, she could have to do a SHU term on top of her original sentence. This will follow her when she gets classified. She's going to be high security and the cops are going to mess with her. She is doing a 5 year sentence she just made that time incredibly more difficult for herself. It's dumb if you think you can fight the cops in here and win. Janie blew it, her name was on the list today to see her counselor.  That's what she had been waiting for. Lost, all because she felt the need to be a badass bitch. She was delusional . She thought some of the cops were "cool" and "liked" her. Rule #12:  The cops are not your friends, they are cops ! 

It was a really nice day, just the seven of us. We finally got out and programmed. I learned how to play 10,000 and TT, Jazy, Prego, and I played until dinner. Then it was time for women going "over the wall" to leave . 30 women left today. No one from our room. It's bittersweet, I like all the girls and don't want them to leave. But, I know how bad I want "over the wall" so, I want them to get that muumuu and get out of here ! 

Our new roommate arrived today, right before dinner. Carra is from Kern County. She does not speak English and like Sam, she's going home on March 7th. In a month from now, there will be a lot new faces in this room. I hope they will be faces that I get along with.

Day 141 (2/10/15) This is Prison, Violence will happen

Today started out with a bang and finished with an even bigger bang. We had yard down during breakfast, it was a medical emergency. It was our neighbor across the hall again. On my way back from breakfast , just as I'm at the walkway to our housing unit, the alarm does off, yard down ! There was a fight in our unit. You know when it's a fight, because the officers come running for fights . If it's a medical emergency, the officers walk. It makes no sense, if you're dying, let me stroll and take my time. But, an altercation ? You'll see their fat asses come running. Anyhow, low and behold, Ms. Jealousy, my old neighbor in 503, comes out in handcuffs. The crazy ass jumped someone after breakfast. While they are dealing with this, the alarm goes off again, this time in the chow hall. 3 alarms, all before 9am. As C and D went out to AM program today, they did a search, starting with our unit. As they came out to the yard, everyone had to empty their pockets. If they had anything, they had to throw it away or go back inside. Any comb pieces in their piercing holes had to be taken out, handmade hair ties had to be thrown out, pads in your shoes had to be taken out, double shoelaces had to go back inside, make up on had to be washed off. All contraband confiscated. After 502, they moved to 501, and finished with 503. Guess the officers were bored today, but our unit kept them busy. After unit recall, the alarm goes off again. The officers come running, another fight is going down. As they brought out the first two women, we realized they weren't even from our unit. They were both from 503 and one was Ms. Jealousy's girlfriend. They snuck in and went after someone in retaliation after this mornings fight, snatched the girl right out of her bunk ! 

Then an hour later, the alarm goes off in 503. Another fight ! They had to pepper spray these two to get them to stop fighting. Two bunkies just couldn't get along and that was it, it came to blows. That last fight was the final straw, no programming for us this afternoon. Too many fights. Damn, that really sucks. Because, we had long program today and didn't get to program yesterday. But, we definitely got to see all the "action" unfold today. 

Just when we thought everything had settled down for the day, another fight breaks out in the chow hall between a couple of EOP's ! The ambulance even showed up this time. They ended up being walked over to the prison hospital. 

We have a real miserable prick officer on duty tonight in our housing unit. He's the one that if you forget your ID, you don't get to go get it, you don't get dinner, you get the nasty boxed lunch. He's a real asshole. The best way to deal with him is to keep your head down, your mouth shut, and do what you're supposed to do. You may think that's the obvious thing to do, especially since we are in prison, but that is very difficult for a lot of these women. 

Janie, who is usually the first one out the door for dinner, is the last one today and we were last to close our door in the hall, so of course he says something and makes a note on his clipboard. I'm pretty sure our room will be getting "hit". Instead of getting in line and keeping quiet , Janie started mouthing off to the cop. He says "I'll deal with you later" and he released us to chow. Just then, he stops Janie and asks her for her ID and told her to have a seat. She sat down at the table. We left for dinner. Halfway to chow, the alarm went off again. Yard down ! Officers go running in and Janie comes out in handcuffs. Off to the sergeant's office. Why she decided to "pop off" to that jerk, I don't know. He wanted to engage . Some of these assholes enjoy messing with you and he's one of them. It's not worth it, but Janie has an attitude and a temper and totally blew it. She already had one 115 and was waiting to see her counselor . Now, she could be here months, not worth it. 

We came back from dinner and waited to see if Janie was coming back or not. The story we heard from the girls in the room that could see was, she got up and brushed past the officer. He then grabbed her and threw her down. Game over.

Just before 9pm, they came in and got Janie's belongings. Janie would not be coming back.