I started my hunger strike Monday, October 21st. Once everybody refused a breakfast tray, the CO came to my door and said, “Why? Why you messing up the spot? This is a good spot.” He said, “Man, you got everybody round up over here going on the hunger strike.” I said, “I don’t have nothing to do with nobody else going on strike. I’m on hunger strike for my own reason.”
So, that, at the count, it was like one or two o’clock. They pulled me out my cell, and they told me I was going to get my burn wound. But I noticed something was up, because it was three or four COs whispering, and they came to my door and told me, “Cuff up.” So I came over here to medical and then Major Hall called and told the head nurse lady, Holbrook, that I have to stay over here in medical.
I’ve been in fear for my life, for even going back to the yard, because at the end of the day, I’m not gonna let these people do anything to me. I got five years left. They put their hands on me I’m gonna defend myself, but I’m not trying to get no more time, and I’m not trying to let these people kill me, y’know I mean, trying to say I was resisting or something, trying to find a reason to just put their hands on me, especially while I’m in handcuffs, [unintelligible] I can’t even defend myself. So, that’s my reasons for being on the hunger strike.
I’m trying to get up off this. I, I’m doing my best, like I’m going about this the right way, I guess, like with the hunger strike way. But if I have to, I don’t mind setting myself on fire again. This time, I would set my whole body on fire before I have to stay up here and do the rest of my time up here, I would rather die before I stay up here, because every day I’m dealing with discrimination, whether it’s behind my race, my last name, or my religion. Just yesterday, they came in my cell after they pulled me off my burn wound care, and the CO, Jay Mullens–I wrote a real complaint on this–It’s a CO named Jay Mullens, he told me, like, “You know we got to search your cell, being that you on hunger strike.” So I said, “All right, like anytime I come out the cell anyway, for medical, y’all search my cell.” So he, they pull me out, he goes search my cell, he starts throwing stuff around and he grabbed my holy Qu’ran, my noble Qur’an, and threw it on the ground. So I start yelling, like, “Man,” I ain’t gonna lie. I said, “Pick my Qu’ran up off the ground. That is my Holy Scripture.” He said, “If you don’t like it, come off hunger strike.” So I filed a complaint about that. And I mean, and I’m going to try to get a lawsuit behind that [unintelligible] can help.
These commentaries are recorded by Prison Radio.