It has been an interesting month. Two buildings were involved in a gang war, which resulted in a lockdown and restricted movement for weeks. A bunch of inmates stormed to another housing unit, and the battle started. In a few hours, the two factions met in the yard between the buildings and the day hall using padlocks, pool balls, fists, etc. They “stomped out” people. Multiple ambulances were called, and according to the secretary of corrections, only six people were taken to the hospital. Many inmates were not just going to let this attack go, and the following day, they went for payback, which prison officials met. The whole prison then went on lockdown, with no movement, and we were fed in our buildings. This prison was an old teachers’ college campus, and each building had pool tables that were left behind. This week, they are removing all the pool tables because the pool balls were used to inflict injuries. The news outlet KELO tried to report the news story but needed more information. A news reporter on the street interviewed prisoners who yelled out their windows and successfully got press. After all this occurred, at least 70 inmates were transferred from Springfield to other facilities in Sioux Falls. Things are back to normal, whatever that is.
I am still facilitating the Buddhist Group services here, and the group is growing, which is good. I still need help from the cultural activities coordinator to get orders for religious items such as a Buddhist statue, incense, candles, movies, zafus, etc. I have named this prison official in an active civil rights lawsuit, so he makes getting religious items difficult. I am putting my education as a Legal Assistant/Paralegal to use in exercising my legal rights and the Buddhist Group I facilitate. I continue exercising my legal rights in courts, and being a “Jailhouse Lawyer” has cost me dearly through the years, but I am INTREPID on my course for what I believe is right and proper. I am still hoping for a commutation of sentence from the governor so that I may be free sometime in this life. My request for commutation was NOT allowed to be mailed to the governor, nor was I allowed to make legal copies. This contrasts with the prison’s policy, which states that all correspondence to the governor shall be considered legal/privileged mail. Prison officials regularly violate their prison policies without accountability. An INTREPID prisoner’s only recourse to promote positive change is to file a civil rights lawsuit, a classic “David versus Goliath” battle. All one can do is keep trying. I have sent postcards to five state senators in South Dakota, and only one has replied. I asked them about creating a bill on prison reform and reducing sentences. Hence, they confirm that the other states around South Dakota are getting more education and job training programs in prison to reduce prisoners returning to prison. I keep trying to promote a positive change here, and it appears I will have the rest of my life to do it. I have been without a job for over eight months, the longest time in the past 16 years.
