Convicted under a gross miscarriage of justice and sentenced to life imprisonment, I had settled to fight the legal system, as I had been doing for 12 years. However, as if that wasn’t enough, I would soon have to wage a war on two fronts: one for my freedom and the second for my very life.
On July 30, 2006 it was announced that anthracite baron, John W. Rich Jr.. intended to build a chemical plant; a coal gasification plant some 300 feet from SCI Mahanoy, where I and 2,267 other inmates are housed. Not being a scientist, I cannot say that I was fully aware of the potentially hazardous impact of the proposed project, but I’ve watched enough environmental documentaries to at least be circumspect. I immediately reached out to a few alliances and had them send me information from the website, www.ultradirtyfuels.com, and contacted several environmental agencies and educated myself about chemicals involved running such a plant. I also got a hold of the Environmental Impact Statement, which read like an apocalyptic horror novel.
In September 1998, former Governor Tom Rich took Eastern Pennsylvania’s anthracite mining baron, John W. Rich Jr., on a trade mission to South Africa, where Rich teamed up with SASOL to bring a coal to oil refinery to Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania. Now calling themselves WMPI Party LLC, they formed a team that now included Rich’s waste management and processes incorporated SASOL, UHDE, GHME, Bechtel, Shell and Chevron Texaco. Eastman Chemical was named as the company that operate the plant. John W. Rich Jr.’s main financial support were backed up by the world’s corporate elite. Morgan Stanley and the United Bank of Switzerland were co-managing the financing; $612 million coal to diesel project in Frackville, an undertaking subsidized with $47 million in state tax credits and $100 million in federal grants. Incessantly, I pondered over what CO [unclear] had stated in the newspaper.
The Department of Corrections had a rule in place that discouraged inmates from mobilizing or signing any type form petition. I was aware that the rules of the Department of Corrections had a very strict policy prohibiting the circulation of any form of a petition, although the formal objection letter that was drafted was engineered to overcome the parameters of the Department of Corrections policy and guidelines. As this formal objection letter was being designed to accommodate everyone, I kept this in mind about not crossing the fine line to avoid violating this rule, especially involving two or more signatures on one piece of paper, would be interpreted as a petition, and anyone who signed the petition would be placed under the administrative custody, segregated from the general population. Many prisoners were afraid to sign the formal objection letter, fearing that by signing it would affect their chances of parole release, or feared reprisal by the outside political influences.
On August 9, 2006 I received a letter from the Environmental Legal Defense Fund incorporated, Thomas A. Lindsay, Esq. acknowledging our efforts, wherein the Pottsville Republican and Morning Herald featured and highlighted our protest in the amount of 402 inmates opposing the proposed coal to diesel plant scheduled to be built only 300 feet from the prison. Finally, we had made headway and garnered the attention of environmental lawyers who would even the playing field against the corporate giants. On September 25, 2006 I met with legal organizer Benjamin Price and environmental lawyer and executive director Thomas A, Lindsey, Esq. to review and discuss the local ordinance that would prohibit the construction and operation of the plant.
The proposed coal to diesel plant posed serious potential dangers to the natural environment and public health. We believe that the plant posed the most explicit dangers to persons who live and work adjacent to the plant’s operation. Those dangers had been outlined in detail in both the environmental impact statement prepared for the plant, as well as by the Mid-Atlantic Environmental Law Center’s extensive comments on the environment and public health dangers associated with such facilities. Given the complexity and depth of the official documents that have been prepared dealing with the potential dangers that would emanate from this facility, I made numerous requests and suggested to the environmental legal defense lawyers to have them come to our prison and hold several forums which would give us all info in a discussion format that everyone could easily access and digest.
The follow up request by Thomas A. Lindsay, Esq. to the superintendent Edward J. Clem to host an educational forum within SCI Mahanoy were outright denied for us inmates, staff, to be educated about the detrimental aspects of this coal plant. This would have been presented by either Benjamin Price, the Project Director of the Community Environmental Legal Defense, Michael Fiorentino, Esq, the executive director of the Mid-Atlantic Environmental Law Center, and/or Bill Smedley, a project director of the Pennsylvania Environmental Network.
The other situation that existed was to get the guards local union and inmates on the same page to push the township supervisors from Mahanoy township to adopt the Sustainable Energy Ordinance. There were outside supporters who were in citizen groups in the township, which were pushing for its passage. Once the township board supervisors adopted the ordinance and were challenged by John W. Rich Jr., who then the environmental lawyers would enforce and defend the ordinance.
In a bittersweet moment in my life, as I found myself engulfed in the ongoing battle to preserve the lives of many against the corporate raiders who endorsed the building of the coal plant, adjacent 300 feet from the center of the SCI Mahanoy prison, I received an unexpected visit from my dad. As I approached and embraced my dad’s presence, immediately impacted by the dim light in his eyes and weakened posture; exhibited by his sullen countenance, obviously traumatized by the insidious and devastating cancerous diagnosis that unforeseenly befell him. Conflicted and burdened by this disease, which reared its nefarious head, Dad toiled relentlessly to withhold this daunting information during the commencement of our initial visit; as if there was any more room for something else to go wrong, to exacerbate my current circumstances.
It’s been some time since I’ve seen my dad and had a lot to catch up on, so I decided to lighten the load by updating him about my new vocation, on becoming the first jailhouse environmentalist to take on the corporate raiders from this vantage point, in an unprecedented legal endeavor to bring the building of the coal plant to a complete halt. Dad was elated about this major development, gestured by a simple smile, compounded by his inner pain. My dad was devastated, at the same time, was compelled to reveal the unsettling and unspeakable news about his diagnosis. Experiencing a cold chill inside the visiting room as my dad exposed the true culprit behind his visit, revealing the silent but deadly monster, cancer, which literally truncated every waking day and night of his life.
It was like a dark cloud enveloped over my spirit, pummeled by the blow that imminently transitioned my dad’s life, knowing he had very little time to live. Ironically, here I am fighting to preserve and protect the lives of citizens in, and abroad, the surrounding communities, but yet was confronted with not being able to save my own dad’s life. Through the veil of tears, we cried together, recognizing the 11th hour was ‘nigh and there was absolutely nothing we could do to slow or suspend the arch enemy of time to extend our last precious moments, as the unceasing pendulum worked against us. Together we were faced with the inescapable: Dad’s demise.
At this juncture, I had to summon my reservoir of unexpected strength and put on my best face in one of the most critical moments that surpassed the wars I was engaged fighting on several fronts without resigning under the forces aligned against us. Prior to Dad’s departure, I was relieved with the sense of accomplishment that provided us with the opportunity for Dad to validate and acknowledge my plight by his overwhelming joy to discover that amidst our circumstances, I became a bonafide jailhouse environmentalist and an advocate of justice in the interest of mankind.
A unique sense of peace dovetailed upon me. Knowing that my dad would be leaving this visit into the world, accepting this incontrovertible fact: that his smallest son was being utilized as an instrument of justice to literally save the many unsuspecting lives and future progenies from serious illness and death produced by the threatening coal gasification plant, if it would have been built 300 feet from the prison yard. I mentioned and reassured my dad I would continue fighting for both my freedom and the anthracite baron John W. Rich Jr., with the rest of his corporate cronies, to conquer their efforts at all costs. This was accomplished without any financial means and just by doing the right thing by the law. All law is beneficial, but not necessarily advantageous.
The survival of this movement was based on constantly growing numbers and changing with whatever we confronted at the time. I knew that if our numbers weren’t growing, it could potentially stagnate our efforts. Especially without the support of the prisoners, this protest wouldn’t have existed, no matter how correct our analysis of the situation was. That’s why I strongly believe selfless, conscientious work and organizing are so important. Unless you are addressing the issues people are concerned about and contributing positive direction, they’ll never support you. People believe what it is that you do and not say.
After completing our first batch of 402 formal objection letters slamming the plant in protest, the political forces made an anemic attempt to isolate and besmirch my character for mobilizing and organizing on behalf of the inmate and staff members. They attempted to dissuade and sabotage our efforts by publicizing my criminal case, which they anticipated would have taken the wind out of my sail, only to discourage other inmates from joining our initial protest. In turn, I revved up our efforts and got 500 more signatures, totaling 902 formal objection letters. This was an unprecedented feat, and we made our protest known by acting as a collective, mobilized unit.
Life is stranger than fiction. Who would have ever thought that I would become the first jailhouse environmentalist in the globe, born from the miscarriage of justice I was convicted of during this period of time. One may ask themselves, how could anyone have fathomed to find an environmental solution inside the nation of prisons; to resolve their social problem, which would have affected the lives of many human beings, elders and children across the surrounding communities. The size of any problem doesn’t determine the outcome. Never be intimidated by the size of your problem, because every one of them has a solution. Nothing is impossible. Solidarity is essential in life. Keep in mind, the resistance we prisoners received was a confirmation that we were moving towards the detour of victory. Obviously, the local ordinance was adopted and John W. Rich, Jr.’s plans were shattered beyond hope, defeated. We were up against impossible odds, but yet conquered the impossible. From SCI Frankville, the voice and face inside the nation of prisoners. Bryant Arroyo for prisonradio.org
These commentaries are recorded by Noelle Hanrahan of Prison Radio.
