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. 

Day 140 (2/9/15) Like I was Human

Happy Monday, and the start of a new week. Need two more ducketts before I can see my counselor. I’m hoping to get one this week and one next week. My friend “Elen” got here four weeks before me and she told me she just saw her counselor and will be out of here in 1-2 weeks. I’m happy for her and it gives me hope, because she got everything done in 60 days. I hope I can as well. 

It was a beautiful day, but due to the gas leak in building 703, everyone had to evacuate and wait for the fire department to clear the building for re-entry. There went our AM program time. It's alright being in 502, it’s not as bad when you don’t get to program. In 503, I would have been freaking out and pacing. Wanting to know why we aren’t programming. 

The view we have from our window let’s us see everything that’s going on all the time. Who needs TV when you have real life entertainment right in front of us every day, all day. Today was laundry and canteen shopping for housing unit 501. In 501, there are EOP’s and women on A-yard. EOP is: Enhanced Outpatient Program. They are women who are “over the wall” (on their way to their mainstream prison) but have special needs. Special mental health needs and that includes a few (hard to house” inmates. It can get really crazy over there. They are currently building the EOP’s their own housing unit. They need it ! Well, the EOP’s shopped today and either the women didn’t pay back debts they owed or they fought over each others canteens, because there were three fights today over in 501. They were all EOP’s. One fight included four women. The second fight was bloody. The first girl they brought out was bleeding all over her face and when she came back from medical, she had scratches all over her face. The last fight after dinner only had one inmate coming out in handcuffs. It was a busy day over there in 501. 

Being stuck inside all day with no programming was a true test of how well everyone in our 8 man cell gets along. To my surprise, it wasn't bad. We all got along pretty well. Janie is a little loud and annoying. Always banging on the windows and yelling down the hall to her girlfriend. She also makes comments about us not being clean enough or always making a mess or some shit. It’s irritating, but I ignore it. But, I can see and sense the tension between Janie and some of the others. But, they just bite their tongues. We will see for how long. Other than that, everyone gets along great and tries to have fun. I’m still enjoying my new housing assignment. 

I got to read some magazines today. In Receiving, you are not only cut off from your family and friends, but the outside world as well. We are isolated, away from the news, TV, and newspapers. I feel like I have no idea what’s going on in the world, so, to read the magazines today, felt a little “normal”. Like I was human. 

Being over here in housing 502, I feel like I have left the black hole and have entered into the light.

Day 139 (2/8/15) I don't want medical here

We officially made it an entire week with no fog. We had clear beautiful weather all week. I hope the weather stays this way. 

After breakfast we had another medical emergency across the way in room 5. There is a woman in there with heart issues. I guess she had an emergency yesterday too. She feels like she is having a heart attack. The officers yesterday were really rude and mean, yelling at her and and letting medical this was her 3rd “heart attack” this week. They were very irritated and annoyed. I wasn’t sure if she was faking or not. Some woman said she came from mental health. Others say she has stints in her heart. So, her issues are real, the CO’s are just being dicks. Today’s officers were nice. Medical showed up, took her vitals and left. Medical care in here is alright. Not great, but they are required to make an effort. I have heard some horror stories. I‘ve watched the staff during an emergency. They never come running. If you are really dying, lord help you. I heard they mixed up two women’s procedures, did the wrong procedure on each woman. Ms. Dolly was given the wrong medicine, not once, but twice. They could have killed her. I’m thankful I’m healthy. I don’t want any medical care in here. There are too many women and not enough staff. Prego said when she was at the hospital here, it was packed and over capacity. That they had women sleeping in the hallways. Must be why they are using cells for quarantine. CA needs to get it together and reduce the prison population and hire more staff. So much money is being wasted. Prison reform is desperately needed. I have heard all the talk of "Don't get sick in prison, you may not make it out". Crazy. Another day down. 

Day 138 (2/7/15) As good as I'm going to get

Happy Birthday to my Dad today. Missing my family a lot this morning. I can’t wait to be off the receiving yard and able to have a job, make calls, and have visits. It is getting much more eventful here everyday. With a window that overlooks the yard, we get to see everything that is going on. 

After breakfast, there was a fight in our unit. We watched from the window as they escorted the handcuffed girl out to the sergeants office. I guess it’s a lot easier to go into other peoples rooms in this unit . After breakfast, Janie's girlfriend “Dreamer”, spent the morning with us until we went out to program. I really wasn’t comfortable with it, because I don’t want any trouble. Not sure how everyone else felt about it, but I just moved in, so I didn’t say a word. Just got on my bunk and read. The other thing Janie did was put her ID in the door, so she can just open the door. I don’t know why, it’s not like she could go anywhere. All she was doing was putting our room in jeopardy of getting in trouble. I’m not sure about Janie, this isn’t her first rodeo and she’s been in all the housing units, including AD SEG (solitary, lockdown 23 hours a day). I don’t even want to know what got her there. 

Before dinner, 503 was walking back from dinner, they were on the path in front of their housing unit when two girls started fighting. All 8 of us were in the window watching. They were punching each other, then took it to the ground, wrestling around in the grass. The officers walked up and told them to stop fighting, they didn’t. So, out came the pepper spray. Fight ended, both girls were handcuffed, and hauled off. We had PM programming tonight, but because of the fight and medical emergency, only got 15 minutes. I didn’t mind, dayroom is not that exciting. Spent to rest of the night, talking, laughing, and singing. I really enjoy listening to Jazy and TT sing. I really like my new housing assignment. There are so many different situations, cells, roommates, personalities in prison. When you get a decent one, you have to be grateful for however long it lasts.