Peaceful blessings. My name Seven. You can find me up under Travis Nettles. I’m at Toledo prison in Toledo, Ohio. I’m serving a 20-year-to-life prison sentence. My inmate number is 735142, Travis Nettles, N, E, T, T, L, E, S.
Now, I would like to let the world know, here at this prison, with all this Coronavirus stuff that’s going on — I have watched the news and the governor of Ohio, you know, said that testing is available for everyone on the COVID-19 side. And I decided, me and a couple individuals that I’m incarcerated with, we decided to talk to the deputy warden on our way to go to shower, and we asked the Deputy Warden, “Like, what’s going on? Like, what’s up? Can we get tested?” So he said we can’t get tested. So, I mean, like why we can’t get tested? They said on the news that everyone in Ohio is eligible to get tested if we want to get tested. You know, we want to know if we got it, because they’ve been random people that pop up with COVID-19 inside these prison walls, and they really don’t say too much about anything. They just like grab them up, you know, to disappear, like go through isolation, but… Long story short, you know, this man got the nerve to say that we are “property of the state,” and it’s up to them in order to give us a test or not, and they’re not going to give us a test just because we asked for one. That was like a very devastating situation. And then what’s making it even more devastating is two days later, someone in my block, not in my block, but on this floor that my block is on, end up having tested positive for COVID 19.
And that’s kind of sad, because it’s like, no matter the situation, us as being incarcerated, you know, we always on the last of the totem pole, and a lot of people look at us as if we not human beings, as if we not people, just as well as them, just as well as everyone outside of these walls are people. And that’s kind of sad, because it’s a lot of people in here who, you know, is innocent, and it’s a lot of people in here who don’t really, you know, deserve to be in here. And like in my case, I’m serving a 20-year-to-life prison sentence, and my rights are violated. But for me not to have no money and not to be able to be like: I’m not famous or a celebrity and stuff, it’s a lot harder fight for me. And throughout my fight for justice, trying to get a out date, and fighting to get a fair trial, I have days where I do wonder, and I really be actually feeling like, like, when this storm is all over with, who’s going to actually be there when I do get released, or if I’m gonna have to sit here and wait to see a parole board, if I’ma ever get a chance to really, get a chance to have a fair trial. It is kind of sad.
And I started off this, this bid all on my own. I’ve been my biggest support. You know, family left me in the dark. So many people left me in the dark. And as time goes on, when I got in touch with my cousin and her husband, you know, he started to believe in me and starting to come around and starting to understand my vision. And, you know, they put their faith in me and that pushed me even more and even harder to do the things that I need to do, to like stay out of the hole and not go to the hole and fight as hard as I can about my case, and just knowing that I have someone 100% by my side shows me that it’s a blessing, that people still love me, that people still care about me, people still think about me, and I know I’m not the only one who feel this way.
And I just want you to know, since you’re listening, that if you know anyone that’s incarcerated, if you have any family members that’s incarcerated, and you haven’t done nothing for them in a long time or in a while, or you may even forgot about them, like look them up, send them a picture, a letter, or anything like that. That is priceless, but it means so much to a person that’s locked down. $10, instead of you scoring $10 for your habit or a bad habit, $10 would have a person be able to eat for a whole week inside these walls. You know, it’s so many people that would rather sit there and put the poison inside their bodies than to do something positive with the money and put it towards something that really, really beneficial towards someone inside these walls, and they know someone inside these walls. Now, I know it’s a lot of people that may have burnt they bridges, but two wrongs don’t make a right. And I speak truth because I used to be a different type of individual. I used to be a real savage, until I came to understanding what life is really about, and showing love is not so much for what a person can do for you, but what you can do for that person.
Overall, I pray all is well in your world, and I hope I did shine a little light in areas where your world may be dark, or enlighten you on some things that’s going on inside these prison walls, at least in Toledo, Ohio. And I have a podcast. It’s called Justice for Seven podcast. I’m on Google app, Apple podcasts, Spotify, and Anchor app. I just want to thank you for listening and thank you for your time and energy. You just have a nice blessed day.
These commentaries are recorded by Noelle Hanrahan of Prison Radio.
