Besides perceived preferential treatment based on race, the writer weighs in on less rec time, library services, and toilet paper.

Wow, Almost a Year In!

Hey,

It’s me again, would like to touch back with you and give some of the current events of what has been going on in the jail. One of the issues I think I should let you be aware of is a fight that broke out in pod 5B Oct. 27 at about 4:30 pm. Now I am going to tell you that this was between a black guy and a white guy. One of the guys talked shit to the other, provoked him to fight and come into his cell so the white dude was young and thought he had to prove a point and himself so he went into said black dude’s cell and they fought. Now due to curious other inmates that got up and let it be known that there was fight going on, they called a code and the team came in and broke it up and took the white dude to the hole and locked the black dude up. Said black dude is older than white dude, been coming to Durham County jail for many years and is known and chats it up and close to the c.o.’s. Now the black dude is the one who instigated the fight and it was a fair one on one fight between two adults. That being said the black dude was let out of lock back the following day, and the day of the fight when the next squad came on, C.O. Jackson… and Sgt. Holloway’s squad goes to black dude’s cell and laughs it up with him and said to don’t worry, just tell the disciplinary officer that he just ran in on you and you just protecting yourself which was total bullshit. He was the instigator of the fight and now he is walking around with no repercussions while the other dude is in the hole. This in my opinion is favoritism and has caused a lot of anger in the pod and tensions are building between blacks and whites. I myself am trying to defuse and to calm the friction on both ends to what good it will do will remain to be seen as they say time will tell. Just thought you would like to know.

Some other things that’s been going on such as the change of the time for a.m. rec from 9:00 a.m. till 10:00 a.m. and usually that’s 10-30 minutes late–they are steadily decreasing the time we are out and with no explanation on why the change even occurred. And the lack of toilet paper in the jail is a joke!! I mean it goes 2 or 3 days man and you won’t get any, NONE! You have to go around and beg other inmates for it or if you are lucky enough to go to medical you have to steal a roll from the bathrooms so you can make it through. I mean me and my roommate actually are always ready to buy rolls of toilet paper from other inmates just so we don’t run out.

Let’s see what else, oh yes, the library it has been 3 weeks since we have been. It’s a joke: you go down there and Ms. Johnson is pushing you from the moment you get there to hurry up, so you can get back upstairs to eat your lunch but she comes at 11:50 a.m. and trays come at 12:00. It takes 4-5 minutes to get everybody together and get to the elevators a couple more minutes to get there.

Well, let me wrap this up. Write me and tell me what else you all on the outside have done thus far on the pencil ban. Any news is better than no news. I am looking forward to reading the next feedback newsletter you all put together. And as always I could use some more books. Would like to read the third book of Stieg Larsson, The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest and any other book that you think might be a good read. Thanks again for everything and keep it up!

One in the struggle,

D.W.D.