~*~ DAY FOUR ~*~
"Ill-begotten power in the hands of irresponsible people
is far more dangerous than most people locked in American prisons today."
~Kay Lee"There is a Wing Sgt. McSapdden on the 8 am to 4 pm shift. This Sargeant exhibits the typical guard mentalitiy in his statement, 'He’s not a on a hunger strike, he’s just not eating.' I'm 4 days into this hunger strike. I will continue to ride; there’s no stopping now. I need to close. I have no energy." ~ Ronald Clark Jr.
"... Every man in this place hates and detests the system under which he lives ... He hates it because he knows it is bad; it tends to crush slowly but irresistibly the good in himself."
~Ted Conover, Ex-Prison Worker author of NewJackWe have confirmation that today is Day 4 of death row prisoner Ronald Wayne Clark's hunger strike. Shirley Clark, Ronald's mother, did call FSP on Sunday, July 4th and spoke with Chaplain Spence, who reported that he'd seen Ronnie on Friday (Day 2) and he appeared, as last time, jovial and seemed to be fine.
In general, direct reports as to Ronald's physical condition continue to be blocked from us, therefore we focus on the issues. Confirmation as to Ronald's physical condition have been scarce and questionable. We do know he is not eating, and that he has agreed to drink water during the ordeal.
Ronald is trying to draw our attention to three issues of abuse that are prevalent in nearly all Florida prisons, most assuredly on death row: The heat; the excessive use of force, and the chemical agents that are being used so indiscriminately and without documentation; He would also like to question the lack of education on Death Row.
Today, Day 4, we take a look at the Hunger Strikes' Issue Number Three: The undocumented unnecessary use of force.
"More abuse is taking place here in the F.D.O.C. In facilities such as F.S.P., Gulf Correctional, Columbia CI, Washington Correctional and Santa Rosa, inmates are being abused with chemical agents. Officers are burning inmates with chemical agents over little more than a verbal confrontation. This as well as physical assaults are common in the F.D.O.C. Relief: Any physical assault will call for a polygraph examination on both inmates and officers. Officers, upon failing, will be removed from their position. " ~Ronald Clark Jr.
Among prison workers I've found two distinct breeds: There is the Officer, the professional who, if a prisoner is wrong, will stand up to him; if a prisoner is right, will stand up for him; and will never, ever, give a prisoner a bum rap.
Then there are the guards, who are actually criminals disguising themselves as officers by wearing the uniform and taking the paycheck while they commit their crimes under color of law.
There is a vast difference between the two. The Officer deserves our respect while the guard deserves the fate of the prisoner he maligns. These, the 'guards' are the prison workers who are abusing chemical agents and using excessive force repeatedly. These are also the people who either turn the cameras off, 'lose' the tape, or take their victims around the corner where the camera can't see and do illegal things.*Although they wear the same uniform, you can easily spot them for what they are: They will tell you in their own words and actions. On my page for Prison Workers at at https://www.angelfire.com/fl4/prison/guard.html I let them speak for themselves. ~kl
First, Abuse is a crime no matter who does it to whom. Prison workers must be held to the same standards of behavior as everyone else, if not higher because they represent 'authority' .
We claim that we put people in prison because they are behaving badly. And that's the point, that we claim to conduct ourselves 'better than criminals', which is why we are free and they are not. Which means we cannot encourage nor allow prison workers to behave badly just because their victims are 'criminals' - or the prison workers become no different from their prisoners - and we are not what we say we are.
"The key is this: Once a prison has a veil of secrecy around it, which most do, it's just open for corruption, If you know nobody can get in, nobody can know what you're doing." ~Philip Zimbardo, professor emeritus of psychology at Stanford University. Stanford Prison Experiment Web Site
Philip Zimbardo Conducted Stanford Prison Experiment in 1971
Audio file available at
Talk of the Nation audioThese issues of prisoner abuse do boomerang on every one of us in a number of ways, despite how one may feel about prisoners. Abuse creates mental problems in the weak and desire for revenge in the misguided. Abuse by 'authority' is especially dangerous because it engenders hatred of the entire system and the society that spawned it.
* There actually is a 3rd group of prison workers, good people who are weakened by either fear of or respect to the 'Code of Silence' that groups tend to wrap around themselves when they are doing wrong. The "Do You Eight and Hit The Gate" crowd know what they see is wrong but don't report it, preferring the risks of their misdemeanor offense to the rage of the guards. Even though they are good people otherwise, they are part of the reason we need documentation of all incidences of abuse and spraying.
We must use any tool available to encourage, if not compassion, then professionalism, wisdom, and foresight in the prison industry. Such ongoing volatile situations expose everyone to unnecessary danger.
NOTE: Media may phone Attorneys Randall Berg, Pete Sieger and Larry Spalding for info on the heat issue. Contact info onsite at https://www.angelfire.com/fl5/mtwt/heatstrike1.html
FL DoC USE OF FORCE 33-602.210
AN UNRESOLVED CASE of FAILURE TO FILM
and
FROM
TOOLS OF CORRECTIONS
Use of Force
END OF DAY 4 REPORT.
HUNGER STRIKE - PROCEED TO
DAY 5
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Ronald Clark's Forum:
www.ronaldclark.us/forum
