Prison Radio, how y’all doing out there today? This is Abdulla a.k.a. Burnell Kelly, the Black Sheep. I just transferred over here from Chuckawalla to Ironwood State Prison Facility C, new non-designated level two program.One of the things I wanted to tap into day on, is the difficulties that a lot of us is facing in coming over here, in particular, the African Americans more or less, right.
One of the things is that the housing criteria, you know. You got a lot of officers here that doesn’t want this change to take place, or they’re going in a new direction that the department and the state of California is going with the Norway [rehabilitation focus] idea. They believe though, it’s taking jobs away from them, and that prisons should be more violent, or prisons should be more adversal because it keeps jobs, or keeps them with the idea of selling the union’s party line, that we need these jobs because prisoners are dangerous, or they got more write-ups, whatever it may be.
And that’s one of the things that we find ourselves, ya’ know I mean, dealing with today, there has been a plethora of 115’s, or rule violations reports, given for frivolous issues that you wouldn’t normally give. And particularly like integrating housing, right. One of the one of the concepts of non-designated program is to integrate SNY (Sensitive Needs Yards) inmates, or those with security needs, with general population inmates. And the only individuals that are coming to these programs are African Americans. You know, Hispanics and Whites are not coming to the programs in droves like the African Americans are. So now the department has slipped the idea or the notion of what they mean integrating. So they’re now saying that integrating means that I should be willing to house, with a White or house with a Black, I mean Hispanic, right.
So that may be fine and dandy for some individuals. But for some, like myself who’ve been locked up 37 years, right, that creates a problem, because dealing with the years of racial violence, dealing with the years of conflict that has come as a result of racial tension, I suffer from a lot of things called PTSD, and you should be aware of. So, me going in a cell with a Hispanic will create more conflict or more violence on my part. And would have made it more difficult for me to get home then, than just saying just let me just refuse the cell. And so once I refused the cell, now I’m getting RVR (Rule Violation Report) for refusing housing, right.
And so now, they don’t apply their own policy rules and procedures when it comes to this. So this is one of the things that we find ourselves going through. And we have a lack of program. We have a constant lack of program where we’re supposed to be in the institution or environment where we’ll have more programming, because we have the main processes and position to earn this. We earned this right. So now, you saying that, “Okay, well, since we’re in the transition, you’ll be working with us, this and that.” Why are we working with you when this is supposed to be something that’s already across the board throughout the state?
Avenal is not having this problem. Mule Creek is not having this problem. Pelican Bay is not having this problem. San Quentin is not having these problems. Why is Ironwood having this problem? So that’s one of the things, talk about the transitions and the frustrations that it brings within the population as we try to evolve, and try to turn it into a positive program to where we all benefit from the various groups and things like that, that’s going to help us get home and closer to our loved ones, in a shorter amount of time.
These dudes sayin’ when you constantly issuing rule violation reports, you’re building the frustration level, ya’ know I mean, you’re building the disconnect between the administration and the population. We just did an Iron Man Contest, which was a success, and I’m giving Coach Martin, the Chief Deputy Warden them approving it, Captain Lopez being behind us and stuff like that. So I’m not saying that all staff – now let me correct myself – I’m not saying that all staff are against us. Again, there’s a body, there’s a thought process that is against us, but there’s also those that are there for us, that want us to achieve, that want us to be successful, ya’ know I mean. And I got to give kudos to those that are doing so, as I said, Coach Martin, Captain Lopez, Chief Deputy Warden, and the Warden himself, Holbrook, because they all have to sign off on these particular programs. So there are those that are within the program that are there for us.
Right, so now we got this and we have a BINGO and Juneteenth lined up, coming up, you know I mean. So this means that we’re doing to try to make do with the situation we be dealing with. However, the transition is the frustrating one. So that’s what I wanted to share with the world out there, Prison Radio.
Thanks for the opportunity again. My name is Burnell Kelly, ya’ know I mean, E0304 and if you want to get in contact or you want to share your thoughts with me, I’m open to that. You can check me out on the podcast “On Uz!” on Youtube and “On Uz!” on Spotify. And, with that, as always, I leave as I came, and I appreciate the opportunity.
These commentaries are recorded by Prison Radio.