-Caveat Lector- <A HREF="http://www.ctrl.org/"> </A> -Cui Bono?- from abolish-l: Every citizen, Mr. Bush, should be interested in what's behind the walls. At current rates it won't be long before half of us are locked up and the other half are keepers. If you choose to ignore them now, be aware that most of these prisoners are due to be released one day, and then the results will be in your world. My prisoners are without power, and so am I, but together we are. . . MAKING THE WALLS TRANSPARENT Open letter to my Florida Prisoners February 28, 2000 Hello again to my growing list of Florida prisoners. Although many of you are still waiting on replies, you are very much on my mind. You have responded in earnest and many of you still haven't gotten a personal reply from me to your Christmas letters. I'm sorry and I'm really trying. Some of you know I'm on the road a lot, doing prison vigils, talking about you and your situation, and how it all affects society out here. I spend as much time as possible building your WebPages. I am transcribing your information and posting it to an unbelievably responsive email list of about 800 individuals, groups, media, and list owners who are interested in what you have to say. Do not stop reporting! I wish I could respond quickly and individually to each of you. Try as hard as I can, this old lady keeps falling further behind. Thus, this one letter is to you all, especially my Florida prisoners. All of you together are making a powerful picture of the state penal system. Your reports definately are making the walls transparent and the people are responding from South Africa, from England and Scotland, Canada, the Himalayas, from every state in our union. Early this week, the Washington Post printed an AP article about the indictment of 4 of the guards who murdered Mr. Valdes at Starke, calling Florida prisons the worst in the nation. Two TV stations, 2 radio stations, and one newspaper came to the vigil outside Starke on February 15th (The day the justice department said we had our 2 millionth prisoner locked up. A clip of the Starke vigil was shown on Comedy Central, the John Dailey Show. This week I was asked to do a 45 minute Rush Limbaugh warm up talk show about Florida Prisons. The Starke situation will be a part of a soon to be released book by Dave Ford, author of "Marijuana: Not Guilty As Charged." Dateline NBC has assured me they are doing an investigative report and 60 minutes II called about a report on florida prisons. People are definately hearing you. I've gotten letters from you detailing many specific instances of misuse/abuse, and reporting all manner of general corruption heretofore unthought of, even by me. From all over the state, from the mailroom to the laundry; from the budget for pest control to the expired food they buy; from the commissary practices to the grievance procedures; from guards selling prison supplies at flea markets to affairs in the laundry room; from the medical care to the verbal, mental, and physical abuse and deprivation, the reports support each other. There is an occasional Florida prison that could and should be a model for lowering recidivism, like the federal prison on Eglin Air Force Base. Some of you are lucky enough to live in one of the more humane prisons, but on the whole, the Florida system is brutal. I'm sorry to see the Random Acts of Kindness stories are all too rare, but y'all can change that among yourselves. Make it happen and learn to see it when it comes. Now we need to talk about the next step. A good number of you are already standing up, encouraging me to put your information on the internet and to send it to the people and newspapers with your names attached. Being first is always hard, and I commend your spirits. Now I need to talk to the rest of you for a minute. If our website had a hundred inmates listed, or a thousand, our power to get the story told would increase dramatically. I have no way to protect you from retaliation for speaking out, but I know if we banded together, we'd be high profile and the eyes of the nation would come to bear on Florida's prisons. Your descriptions are good, your complaints valid, but many say if we can't step up and be named, our words have no value. I understand your situation better than most, but we have to move forward or we just lay down and let it go on forever. I cannot guarantee your safety. You know that. I think only your sheer numbers could do that. But, if you speak only to me, we are nearly powerless. What I can do out here is get the phone calls coming in to the authorities, garner the attention of the media, the public, and the authorities. Then you will all become 'high profile' prisoners, and that in itself at least makes the guards follow the rules more closely. Beating you while we are watching will only bring them trouble. Ask Gary Waid. I won't deny you may get a DR. Gary did. He got two . . . but he didn't get beaten. And he won't while we're watching. If we go high profile, you won't get beaten without angering lots of people and the guards know that. Your warden also doesn't need the publicity in light of recent negative exposure. I know...It's a tough job, but we have to do it or it won't get done. I promise to keep vigil as you make your stand. Only you can decide if the risk is worth the gain. Truth be told, guards are little more than maids and watchdogs, once the illegal powers they exercise are removed. The light of the truth will accomplish that. You have to be aware that the only reason sadistic guards get away with bad behavior is the same reason a daddy gets away with molesting his child. FEAR. Fear really is your worst enemy. They threaten you with things that can't be acted upon once public. They'd be signing their own warrants. But if they can keep you in silent fear, they will get worse and worse, answering to no one. Until another Frank Valdes (God bless his soul) slows them down again. When nine guards went too far and beat him to death, Starke and the entire Florida system came under scrutiny that was too close for comfort. Got 'em sweating. You're going to have to be warriors now or you will be part of the problem. If change for the better is to happen, it's vital that it happen now. Your stand will affect, not just your future, but the direction justice takes in the coming years, especially if this drug war can't be halted and we keep looking for new reasons to lock up people. More and more the focus is on America's jaded penal system. My gosh, the land of the free is now the number one jailer in the entire world. Prison is being used as a first resort, when it should be the last. Corporate politics have created this climate of hate and horror you are living in, not your fellow inmates, nor even the worst guards. Misuse of power doesn't work with animals; it doesn't work with children, and it will never work with prisoners. My concept for change is an independent citizen review board patterned after the Detroit Police model. I envision this board with the power of Jeb Bush behind it, with the ability to make unannounced inspections; With the authority to investigate or call an investigation of suspect situations. I think it is necessary to require that inmate grievances be written in triplicate, with a copy going to the prisoner, the prison, and one to the review board. To see if the guards are being hired for abusive natures, or more likely being trained that way, the perfect review board would go unannounced through a hiring and training session to understand the issues. Ultimately I'd like to see Michael Moore, Secretary of Corrections in Florida, anxious to fire any guard who violates rules, whether it's for selfish reasons or not. I'd like to see good guards step up to report bad guard abuses, not just because they could go down too if they don't, but because the spirit within them has moved them to help create change. Won't that be the day? But first we, inside and outside, have to stand up, work together, and show cause. We have to be ready for change. We have to be examples for those who would follow. If you will stand and be identified, let me know. I will not leave you until the humanity of the people replaces the callousness of power. And it definately will. We can make sure of that. One more thing that interests me - since the demographics in prison have changed so drastically, more than half of you are not violent, shouldn't there be enough prisoners that would like a little more peaceful atmosphere that they can begin changing the prison culture together from inside? There's much that needs to be done, and while we are working on it, you have to find some kind of peace among yourselves. I know you are over crowded, you are righteously angry, you are disgusted with corrupt authority and fearful of cruel keepers. Of course the tension is high, but you are not each other's real enemy. And you have lots of reason for hope...You are waking people to the need for change. My strength, Love, and spirit go out to each of you as you make the decision to join in paving the way for peace. Come Walk the Walk with me. In the spirit of Love, Kay Lee 2613 Larry Court, Eau Gallie, FL 32935 [EMAIL PROTECTED] ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* Journey For Justice III Florida Style "From the Big House to Your House, Brother Jeb" http://www.fairlaw.org/j4j3/j4j_3_florida.html ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ MAKING THE WALLS TRANSPARENT http://www.zyworld.com/kay`lee/garywaid.htm ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ The Truth As I See It http://www.zyworld.com/kay~lee/home.htm ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ <A HREF="http://www.ctrl.org/">www.ctrl.org</A> DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion & informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic screeds are not allowed. Substance—not soap-boxing! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory'—with its many half-truths, misdirections and outright frauds—is used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. 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