We had just completed servicing our work orders and taking advantage of our down time, we produced a hit of window pane acid. I’d been around drugs most of my life, but had never tried acid. We headed to my third tier cell, and having divided the sheet of acid, we stepped out on the tier, waiting for the drug to kick in, not knowing what to expect.
We noticed there was a commotion brewing on the second tier across from us. There was a new officer panicking and not knowing what to do. He ran to the front desk seeking help. There was a Mexican dude hanging from his cell’s vent still kicking. A small crowd had formed and saw that he was dead or dying. A few went into his cell and removed his belongings, clothing, shoes, canteen and family photos – I couldn’t understand ~ why did they steal his photos. I guess my sorrow over shadowed my acid high because this was the first suicide I had to witness.
To add more misery to that day, there was an incident which set off an alarm. Two guys were racing across the yard, one with a knife or shank in his back, and the other chasing him, attempting to retrieve his knife. After the incident, I decided it was time to turn my tools in and lock myself in my cell for we had our own individual key to our cell.
That was 1969, I was housed in Soledad Prison in California. Both incidents have stayed locked in my mind for 50 plus years. Today at 76, I have seen enough darkness. I know this darkness can only be dissipated by the light of truth and love.
