Nevada Prisoners Newsletter

# 12 (NPN Vol. 3, Nr 2, 2012) Knowledge is power

Recalcitrance Our subversive ways of life and thought have become intractable to those who keep us confined to these contemptible cages: our captors. In this clandestine world of stone walls and steel doors, where an undesirable type of thickness languishes in the arid atmosphere, we prisoners have ingenuously created our own subcultural ways to live from day to day, even under the most extreme conditions, where in one form or another, many miscellaneous acts of inhumanity and degradation are constantly being imposed upon us. Our captors see the strength and the passion that unceasingly remains, the flicker of life veiled behind our angered eyes that blink with an edge of vengeance and asperity. Our captors are not only awed by this magnificent strength and resiliency; paradoxically they also despise it, because it stands as a constant reminder of their own inferiority; knowing that they themselves could never have the stamina to endure half of the things weve been forced to endure. And the more theyre reminded, the more brutal and condescending they become, as they try and try to break us. Evidently, what is not understood is often feared, and in this case, their fear leads to suppression. Naively and erroneously, they believe that their suppression is going to lead to our submission, yet contrarily, the more they suppress, the more fiercely we cling to our warriors way of life The more recalcitrant we become. Rebellion, Coyote We all need each other I have actually been in Solitary Confinement for this last six years (since 2007) but up till October 28th, 2010, I was in a normal Housing Unit in a cell where I could communicate with other prisoners who were also in Solitary Confinement. Plus I had my radio and T.V. But now, since October 28th 2010, I have been stuck in an Isolation cell at the end of a hallway in the back of the Infirmary. I have nothing in my cell, I have no window to the outside world. I

cannot see anyone or talk to anyone, even the guards have been instructed not to talk to me. I am 100% isolated, all because I tried to escape. This extreme isolation is the roughest experience I have ever had to endure. This last year and five months have been brutal torture. You cant fully understand what its like until youve experienced it. Humans are social creatures. We need interaction. Our brain lives on social interaction just like our body lives on nutrition: if we stop eating, we starve. If we stop socializing, our brain begins to shut down. Ive experienced this and Ive come to realize that we are all part of a living entity. We are more part of each other than most of us realize. Each of us profoundly affects the next. Our living existence thrives on the existence of others. It wasnt until I was stuck in this cement box with absolutely nothing and no human contact of any kind that I came to realize just how vital we all are to each other. From our deep meaningful relationships to our casual encounters. Each interaction has meaning. Our understanding of life and ourselves, evolve from our interactions. It begins when we are born and it does not ever stop. We are shaped by our experiences. Our brain needs these social observations just like our body needs our heart to keep beating. I believe social interaction is the most important event in the Human Experience. Who we are, who we become, how we treat ourselves and how we treat others all stems from our ability to interact. This ability has become something we are all dependent upon. So when it is taken away, the mind suffers. At first it starts to become hard to even think, then your memory starts to fade. Even the simplest things become blank. It seems as if you were given a lobotomy except for that you can still feel anguish and despair then there is the phase where you start to become neurotic and extremely emotional, its maddening! Then if you allow yourself to continue to slide down this spiral of despair, you become delusional. Thankfully I was able to catch myself as this started to happen. Since then I have had to really work and focus, every day, to maintain a grip on my sanity. Each day I feel I am getting better at it. Ive finally become stronger mentally and emotionally. At least I think thats what is going on. But maybe Im just delusional

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From the editors: The Nevada Prisoners Newsletter (NPN) is a forum for and by Nevada prisoners, made by volunteers outside and inside Nevadas prisons so that people inside are more informed about prisons, rights, about new ideas and initiatives; some articles by prisoners were already published in other media, but most are directly sent to us for publication. Co-edited by Coyote and Mighty Sparrow All views expressed are those of the authors. For subscriptions, articles, we can be reached at: NPN, P.O. Box 827, Gaylord, MI 49734. Nevadaprisonwatch.org - This NPN will be published also online: www.scribd.com/Prisonwatch. Published this time by Johnny Cash Press, thank you to our distributer South Chicago Zine Distro. <3 Stamps welcome, plz send them to our postbox, thank you! In this issue: . Recalcitrance . We all Need Each Other . To Coyote . Were being treated worse than animals for the sake of a dollar sign . Start to Stop! . Classical Quotes . News . Unconfined Thoughts . Poetry . Is it all worth it? . He Who Brings The Rain [from page 1] I believe it is my past experiences and the understanding I gained from these experiences that gave me the ability to stop myself from completely deteriorating. That gave me the ability to stop myself from completely deteriorating most of us dont often realize just how much of a role our interactions with others, play in the future of others. The person I am today is a direct result of the things Ive learned through my experiences with others. We are all teachers and students, forever teaching and forever learning. Through our interactions we teach what we learn. That is why it is so important to be good teachers. How we treat someone today affects how they will treat someone tomorrow. This is how we become part of the same entity. We are all

connected through perpetual interactions that we (humans) are all dependent upon. Our success as individuals is only made possible through our interactive social support. No matter how different and independent we all think we are, we really are very much the same at the heart of us all. We all strive for the same. We all want to be safe, we all want to be happy, we all want to be loved and undoubtedly: We All Need Each Other. David Casper, ESP Infirmary (9-A-30) Johnny Cash Press:

Cash advocated prison reform at his July 1972 meeting with United States President Richard Nixon. In 1971, Cash wrote the song "Man in Black", to help explain his dress code: "We're doing mighty fine I do suppose / In our streak of lightning cars and fancy clothes / But just so we're reminded of the ones who are held back / Up front there ought to be a man in black." Cash attired in black performing in Bremen, Northern Germany, in September 1972 He wore black on behalf of the poor and hungry, on behalf of "the prisoner who has long paid for his crime",[52] and on behalf of those who have been betrayed by age or drugs.[52] "And," Cash added, "with the Vietnam War as painful in my mind as it was in most other Americans', I wore it 'in mournin' for the lives that could have been.' ... Apart from the Vietnam War being over, I don't see much reason to change my position ... The old are still neglected, the poor are still poor, the young are still dying before their time, and we're not making many moves to make things right. There's still plenty of darkness to carry off."[from Wikipedia: Johnny Cash, Aug rd 23 2012)

To Coyote First & foremost I want to thank you for always being a good comrade to me, you always kept me leveled, and you always with no hesitation let me know when I was slipping. You never criticized me without giving me some positive feedback in order for me to find a solution to my problem. All the nights we hooked up going back to forth with comms. I use to look at this as a form of social hour. But the whole time you were getting me ready nice & sharp so that I could stab our oppressor in the gut. No [] know that the gems of knowledge you passed on to me were well received and greatly appreciated. [And so] I have to give you props on getting my writing game together, it still needs some work, but Im going to keep pushing forward like you say nothing in life stays still for too long & change & growth are indeed a beautiful thing so Ill get there, but the most valuable lesson you taught me was to wake the dead and raise awareness around this death machine. Also to learn & retain knowledge not just self but for others that are in that foggy state each one teach one steel sharpens steel. Bro you know we are still fighting an uphill battle but know when youre gone & while youre still here I will do my best to rally the troops so that we can see some true solidarity that will make those officials start feeling threatened. Bro keep doing what you are doing, In struggle & solidarity, MaShaka i Afua Were being treated worse than animals for the sake of a dollar sign About four years ago, the Nevada prison system substituted our nutritional balanced diet with food that wouldnt be able to pass a normal health food inspection. For one, in a course of a four week span, we are at least served 12 dinner meals that are actually lunches. I am being real with you. There aint no way in hell a grown man can get full from a lunch that is smaller than a Happy Meal from McDonalds. This kind of treatment needs to stop! Were being treated worse than animals just for the sake of the Nevada prison system (NDOC) earning more money or shall I say: stealing more money. But when say a health food inspector was to show up. The Nevada prison system would probably try to cook up all type of elaborate meals just so they could try to impress the

inspector. Ive seen this kind of action happen in the County Jail over 13 years ago. The hot lunches are now Bologna sandwiches, and one small apple. The system rotates the apple with either a brownie, a boiled egg or a tiny bag of Pretzels. By definition, a Bologna sandwich sounds delicious right about now. But in our reality, they have turned eating lunch meat into a mockery. The type of meat we are being served , I cannot identify what type of meat this is because its foreign and horse-like. This is the worst kind of lunch meat you could ever taste. Then, half of the time it is served, it is usually spoiled with a slimy residue that sticks to the plastic its served on. Uhhh!! The majority of the dinner meals that get served in the lock-down units are cold as ice. The correctional officers dont care, because they dont have to eat this crap. If we try to complain about it verbally, they will usually respond by saying: You shouldnt have brought your ass to prison. Like prisoners had a choice to not actually come to prison, when introduced into a lifestyle of crime. That lifestyle can become habit. And its in our habits that allow us to commit more crimes like were part of an alternate reality. But nothing a grown man can do in society deserves that we are treated worse than a dog tied up in an empty vacant back lot. Any questions or concerns: Please contact me at: Dexter Owens, #67946 Ely State Prison Start to Stop! First & foremost allow me to send my bulletproof respects to al who put down a solid effort to overthrow our oppressors who try to keep the incarcerated people stagnate & dumb. We start to stop I say this to a lot of comrades in the struggle that are trying to put an end to the gangsterism mentality. What I mean by We start to Stop is that we get put on gangs, [Cliques?], Turfs whatever you want to call them with the aspirations of one day becoming an O.G. we put in work(sell dope, kill other brothers that are too lost and confused with life while in search for a way out of poverty). So by doing this eventually, your status in your hood will go up to where you do not have to put in work anymore now your status allows you to manipulate a younger brother or sister to do your dirty work for you. So we start to stop but in between the start and stopping we have caused so much pain to our loved ones & our

so-called enemies loved ones and we have singlehandedly ruined our own lives. If you do not agree with my start to stop philosophy then think about it. Who says Im going to do this for the rest of my life, or Im going to be on this same street corner forever. Who can actually admit that they never had a dream? Or goals? But lifes trials and tribulations got in the way of them along with bad choices on our end. But those of us who have started its not too late for us to stop this self-defeating mental disease that only leads us to prison or to the graveyard. I believe in organizing for a righteous cause and so I say to all that are reading this that are active in their hood teach your young patnas the importance of education, teach them to believe in themselves and not to fall victim to the so-called bell curve conspiracy. We say we love the hood but we dont give back to the younger brothers. Instead we let them bump their heads over & over until theyre dead or in prison. What happened to Each one Teach one, steel sharpens steel? With this we can eradicate this mental disease that affects all of us who live in urban parts of cities all over Amerikkka. Lets not organize our hoods and cadres to teach them the same ol shit but lets organize our hoods and cadres and teach them how to think and move like guerillas rather than gangstas so lets bang and put in work for change & growth. In Solidarity, Mashaka I Afua Classical Quotes We are oppressed people; we have come together as one. We are brothers. ... We are a unit here, they try to make this a racial issue. It is not a racial issue. Black and white alike have joined hands in SOCF [Southern Ohio Correctional Facility] and become one strong unit. - George Skatzes, one of the Lucasville 5 on death row in OH because he refused to snitch (in 1993 while negociating) When you find yourself having to compromise yourself or your morals for the people around you, it's time to change the people around you. - Harriet Tubman Stop Stop&Frisk! The revolutionary's real generosity toward the future

lies in giving all to the present. - Albert Camus Human progress is neither automatic nor inevitable...every step toward the goal of justice requires sacrifice, suffering, and struggle; the tireless exertions and passionate concern of dedicated individuals. - Martin Luther King, Jr. "You stand with the belligerent, the surly, and the badly behaved until bad behavior is recognized for the language it is: The vocabulary of the deeply wounded and of those whose burdens are more than they can bear." Gregory Boyle, Tattoos on the Heart The greatest achievement of humanity is not its works of art, science, or technology, but the recognition of its own dysfunction, its own madness. - Eckhart Tolle (A New Earth: Awakening your Lifes Purpose) The world has never yet seen a truly virtuous nation, because in the degradation of women, the very foundations of life are poisoned at the source. - Elizabeth Cady Stanton (1815-1902) In addition to our goodness and our desire to connect with others, there is something else we are being distracted from, perhaps the most important thing of all. That is our own power, beginning with our power to reprogram beliefs and mindsets that no longer work. While it may be temporarily convenient to blame those who have programmed us for their own benefit, once we realize weve been misled by mythperceptions, who is responsible then? We are. The noise, the disinformation, the divisive puppet show are all designed to make sure we pay no attention to the person behind the curtain. But guess what? We are that person behind that curtain! - Bruce H. Lipton and Steve Bhaerman, Spontaneous Evolution. and it has been seen how far nobler it is in nations to protect the feeble than to oppress them. - From: Uncle Toms Cabin, by Harriet Beecher Stowe An evil deed is not redeemed by an evil deed of retaliation. Justice is never advanced in the taking of human life. Morality is never upheld by legalized murder. - Coretta Scott King

News We recently received this short observation: On March 22, someone was killed on unit 8, a black man named "Brass". Supposedly he was stabbed to death. The prison has been locked down since Tuesday. Maybe tomorrow or Monday it will come off lockdown, but nobody knows for sure. Here is what I've heard: The Unit 8 Senior at the time saw Brass on the tier clutching his chest/heart and thought he was having a heart attack, so he locked the tier down and made everyone go back into their cells, not knowing that the inmate actually got stabbed. So whoever did it was able to get rid of the weapon and clean up all evidence, etc. and basically got away clean. Nobody knows who did it, all they know is that this man Brass is dead. Here is the AP newsitem in the Las Vegas Sun: Ely State Prison inmate found dead with stab wound The Associated Press Friday, March 23, 2012 Officials are investigating the death of a 31year-old Ely State Prison inmate who was found dead with apparent stab wounds at the foot of prison stairs. The news that Ronnie Danelle Brass was found by staff at about 3:15 p.m. Thursday and pronounced dead by a doctor shocked his lawyer, Jonell Thomas, who said he had an appeal pending before the Nevada Supreme Court. "I'm just stunned," Thomas said. "I was hopeful we were going to get a new trial for him."

a solidarity fast and work stoppage from midnight September 8 to midnight September 9 in a show of solidarity by: 1. Fasting for the period above cited unless a medical need necessitates eating. 2. Refrain from working for our captors (or slow work to minimal output) for the period above cited. 3. Engage only in anti-oppressor, networking and solidarity actions for the period. 4. Cease all prisoner-on-prisoner hostilities regardless of set, race, custody, gender, religion or other division. 5. Show respect for our mutual bondage and suffering as well as the sacrifices of all revolutionary brothers and sisters. This is timed to coincide with the anniversary of the Attica uprising and is intended to draw attention to our devolving treatment and escalating abuse of prisoners by the state. We welcome all prisoners - confined or not - to show support by participating or speaking out. Just one day, just one voice! We do not expect our brothers and sisters to incur casualties or harm - we do want to send a message, not to them only, but to each other. This is an us thing - a true united front. Just one day. by SAMAEL June 2011 (from U.L.K., newsletter from MIMPrisons) I am writing this on behalf of S.A.M.A.E.L, aka "The Ministry". We are a small autonomous revolutionary organization devoted to engaging in, and fomenting, resistance via individual, tribal, direct, and guerilla action in the cultural, social and political milieu. Our ideology is within the ambit of class consciousness and holistic resistance, "each according to will and ability." We feel the Statement of Principles of the United Front for Peace in Prisons is, in spirit, consistent with our own charter, oaths, and declarations which stress the need for unity in the face of a common enemy and resisting any "doctrines which divide us." This being said, we accept this unilateral invitation and ratify the Statement of Principles of the United Front for Peace in Prisons in the spirit of solidarity and the advancement of our common goals. Free newsletter Under Lock & Key (Marxist-Leninist-Maoist): MIM(Prisons), PO Box 40799, San Francisco, CA 94140

Solidarity demonstration on Sunday, September 9, 2012 SAMAEL is calling on all prisoners to engage in a solidarity demonstration on Sunday, September 9, 2012. We are requesting all prisoners (who are able) to embark on

Survival in Solitary, A Manual Written by & for People Living in Control Units A free copy of this manual is offered to any prisoner in the U.S. who writes requesting it: Quiver press PO Box 993 Santa Cruz, CA 95061 or AFSC, Literature Resources Unit 1501 Cherry Street, Philadelphia, PA 19102 For your family: It can be read/printed here: http://www.antipolitics.net/distro/2009/survivors_manualread.pdf (54 pages).

If you or someone you know can benefit from this amazing opportunity please contact us so we can help you get back to the business of life.

Prison gang leader sentenced to 20 years for violent crime/racketeering conviction Daniel G. Bogden - United States Attorney www.justice.gov/USAO/NV - 333 Las Vegas Blvd. South, Suite 5000, Las Vegas, NV 89101 (702) 388-6336 - FAX (702) 388-6296 News Release Wednesday, January 11, 2012 Press Contacts: Natalie Collins, Public Affairs Specialist (702) 388-6508 LAS VEGAS - - Ronald Joey Sellers, a leader of the Aryan Warriors prison gang, was sentenced today to 20 years in prison for his guilty plea to committing a violent crime in aid of a racketeering offense, announced Daniel G. Bogden, United States Attorney for the District of Nevada. Sellers, 43,was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Kent J. Dawson, who ordered that the federal term of imprisonment be served consecutively to the life sentence that Sellers is already serving in Nevada for the 1990 murder of a 7-11 store clerk in Reno. Sellers and 13 other defendants were originally charged in 2007 with federal racketeering and drug conspiracy offenses related to their membership in the Aryan Warriors race-based gang, which operated both inside and outside the Nevada prison system. The gang offered protection to white inmates if they joined, and asserted control over other prisoners through violence and extortion. Gang members corrupted guards, extorted money and favors from prisoners family members, distributed illegal drugs, and ran extensive illegal gambling operations. On November 20, 2007, Sellers and codefendant James Wallis attacked co-defendant Guy Almony with a knife while they were in federal custody at the North Las Vegas Detention Center. Sellers believed that Almony might undermine him and other Aryan Warriors defendants by cooperating with the government and testifying against them. Sellers stabbed Almony in the neck, causing life-threatening injuries to him. At todays sentencing hearing, Sellers stated that he was not remorseful for the

Re-entry in Las Vegas [note: editors have no experience with this seemingly new organization] Hope For Prisoners: OUR REENTRY PROGRAM In collaboration with the Nevada Department of Employment Training and Rehabilitation, Department of Corrections, Bureau of Prisons, Department of Public Safety Division of Parole and Probation, Eighth judicial District Court, City of Las Vegas Municipal Court, ICLV Wellness Center, Operation H.O.P.E., Inc., Freedom House Sober Living, Grace & Mercy Sober Living, and in partnership with the International Church of Las Vegas, HOPE for Prisoners Reentry Division is raising the bar for how reentry is to be done by helping ex-offenders successfully reintegrate back into their family, the workplace, and our community. HOPE for Prisoners has become a premier agency in the reentry arena. The only program of its kind in the state, HOPE for Prisoners is gaining recognition for transforming individuals from wards of the state to upstanding tax payers of our community. Conveniently located on the Northeast corner of Pecos and Flamingo (bus route 202): 3430 E Flamingo Rd, Ste 350 Las Vegas, NV 89121 (702) 586-1371 Phone (702) 586-1381 Fax Hopeforprisoners.org Office hours: Monday Friday, 9AM 4PM

attack on Almony, and declined any decrease in his sentence for pleading guilty. Thirteen of the gang members charged in the 2007 case either pleaded guilty or were convicted following a seven-week trial in 2009. Two others pleaded guilty in related cases. All 15 of these defendants were sentenced to lengthy prison sentences on racketeering, drug or assault charges. The cases were investigated by the FBI and Nevada Department of Corrections Inspector Generals Office, and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Kathleen Bliss and Nicholas D. Dickinson, and Thom Gover of the Nevada Attorney Generals Office. Other agencies that have contributed to the investigated include the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department and the Nye County Sheriffs Department.

Authorities investigate inmate death at Ely prison From: SF Chronicle: Aug 17th 2012 http://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Authoritiesinvestigate-inmate-death-at-Ely-prison3796508.php ELY, Nev. (AP) A Nevada inmate is dead following an undisclosed incident at Ely State Prison. The Department of Corrections has identified the inmate as 49-year-old Clayton Wrencher. The incident happened early Friday. Wrencher was convicted in 2010 of murder in Clark County and sentenced to life in prison without parole. Cut due to copyright rules

am not suggesting that we turn our backs on our hoods, not at all, cause in the hood is where Revolutionary minds are needed the most. But its time that we stop giving gang shakes and start teaching our Young Rades about why their hood was founded in the first place. Go ahead ask your Young Patnas why are they banging? 95% of them wont be able to tell you cause their banging to bang blindly with no cause and no direction. The only thing they have is a fake sense of comraderie that will only lead them into a more destructive lifestyle. We must start with our Youth. We must stop getting caught up in our own agenda and stop having fantasies about power, control and greed. We must allow this death machine to be a place where young minds can flourish and not deteriorate. So I want to encourage all comrades who read this, to start up your own prison collectives that stand on firm principals and that wont sway on their beliefs depending on what day it is. We must put all gang shot to the side & breed a new and reformed convict. We must start with getting the mind of our next generation sharp. And to the older comrades: no youre not to blame for whats going on, so dont ever feel that your wisdom & guidance is not needed. We need for older comrades to keep passing on the good stuff so that we can miss the bumps in the road in which you have already gone over. To all the Young Comrades here at E.S.P. and in the NDOC: its our time to shine. Lets not miss our window of opportunity. The Revolution is on the rise. Lets get it crackin. Stay strong & stay sharp, so that we can stab this beast in the gut. In struggle, Mashaka I Afua

Poetry Light is always on No shoes, no sheets, the light is always on No pillow, no clothes, the light is always on No comfort, no sleep, the light is always on I pace the floor until my feet bleed I pace the floor so I can sleep I close my eyes, the light is always on Where are my choices, the light is always on This torture is brutal, My freedom is gone They will not break me My Light is always on

Unconfined Thoughts 4-8-2012 Whats good Comrades? Before I put these unconfined thoughts on paper, allow me to send my Bulletproof Respects along with an Atari Salute to all my brothers captured in this death machine which these slop eaters like to call Ely State Prison. Today I want to address something that has been weighing heavily on me lately, which is the importance of getting all brothers to end the Gangsterism mentality. To clear up any misconceptions from my Start to Stop piece, I

David Casper

Written Word Your time, freely given No less valued For its written form The distance, Becomes inconsequential For by your words You are here. Conveying meaning Shedding light Lifting the spirits Of one of societys forgotten. Placing friendship Before judgment, Kindness before fear. And in my soul of souls I pray I am able To bring as much joy To your life As you do to mine With the simple Written word. Wayne 08/27/10

Is it all worth it? Allow me to send you my bulletproof respects alone with an Atari salute. Is it all worth it is a question Ive been asking myself over & over while being captured in this death machine. If I would be obedient and not resist, my time would be so much easier. I would be able to get out of the hole and possibly go home one day to be with my family. I ask brothers around me Am I losing it? They laugh and say: Just do you and dont worry about others. They say this shit around here will never change. They say Shit will only get worse cause the masses just do not care. So many brothers Ive talked to seem to be real genuine about wanting to change the foul shit around here that we are subjected to endure. But they do nothing to elevate their minds to put themselves in a position to better themselves or their surroundings. Im around a lot of really good brothers ant the moment, but the issue seems to be that a lot of brothers in the struggle look at growing and transforming ones mind as a sign of weakness, which is so far from the truth. If anything it makes you stronger and more of a threat to those who hold us captive. I hear young cats around me say Im just not on that. I become so confused by this statement. What are you not on, the liberation of the

incarcerated people are you not on, wanting to see things get better around here? Are you not on learning and educating yourself and taking the right steps to becoming a well-rounded machine? When I hit these brothers with these questions they quickly retreat from their previous answer , They with learning new things. I believe some really mean it, but they just spoke without really thinking about what I was asking them, and some say it only to pacify me & to move the conversation on to something else. I had another really good comrade of mine tell me I dont like reading about Black liberation, Brown Berets, White Panther Party, the slave trade, Native Amerikkkan history and about strategy & other resistant groups. He said that all of those topics were like feeding history books & that he hated history. He said that he liked to read about economics and business. Not only did I praise him for this, I asked questions with hopes of getting my knife sharper when he told me about the whole he does not like history. Thing I did not belittle him or talk down to him, I related to him by telling him how much I hated to study the law, but I let him know the importance of doing things that you do not like to do. I let him know tha tits cool to burn and flood, when those actions are called for, but it is also important to know how to hit these fascist pigs where it hurts and thats in the pocket. We have to do things we dont like, this is the only way we will become a through & through machine. See a good teacher must never impose on his student to fit his favorite pattern. A good teacher functions as a pointer, exposing his students vulnerability and causing him to explore both internally and externally and finally integrate himself with his being- Bruce Lee. You see comrades, we must not force our ideologies on those who have not taken the blinders off, yet we have to just plant one seed at a time & hope that the sun shines bright on that young rade and that he will grow strong and tall like a redwood tree. Now I dont know if this good brother took heed to my words, but I sure hope he did, cause when he elevates his mind, he will be a threat to our oppressors and a leader to his peers. But to get back on track I believe all the pain my comrades and I have endured and will endure is all worth it if we can bring the masses together & rise up against our real enemy. The prison industry is big business so the white elite capitalist looks at the poor socio-economic black, brown and white man as a dollar sign. So by knowing this, we know laws will be put in place. Not to act for us, but to act against us, so we will continue to [..ll] these death machines in

the Nevada Department of Corruptions. So we must unite and bring on true changes, so that when the next wave of young comrades enter these gates, they will not have to face the same type of maltreatment that we are (people change when the pain of the problem is greater than the pain of the solution) Mashaka I Afua NV-Cure Informational Bulletin Newsletter (1) June 2012 Here you find a copy of the NV-CURE Informational Bulletin (IB) Newsletter - No. 1 that will be sent to prisoners on NVCs mailing list this month. We need to bring the problems with the NV prison and parole systems to as many people as possible. Good people should not tolerate the things that are going on behind barbed wire fenses in Nevada. NV-CURE (Citizens United for the Rehabilitation of Errants) 540 E. St. Louis Ave. Las Vegas, NV 89104 702.347.1731 nevadacure@gmail.com nevadacure.org NV-CURE is a non-profit corporation. Our mission is to educate people on the issues and problems associated with the prison and parole systems through factual information to provoke intelligent and reasonable debate and discussion of those issues and problems. Our goal is to find intelligent solutions to issues and problems and cause constructive change to the prison and parole systems. We want humane and rehabilitative treatment for all prisoners and we want justice and fairness for all people regardless of their race, national origin, religious preferences, political beliefs, sexual orientation, or the nature of previous criminal conduct. We need your help, and the help of your family, friends and associates, to accomplish our mission and achieve our goal. Join us in the struggle to bring justice and fairness to all in the criminal justice system.

We hold meetings on the last Wednesday of every month at 6:30 PM in our Las Vegas Office. All people are welcome to attend in person or through our telephonic conference line. (Call for Details). NV-CURE Membership NV-CURE Membership for prisoners ($2.00), basic ($10.00), family ($20.00) and sustaining ($50.00) is ANNUAL. Each person needs to keep track of their membership date and make a renewal membership donation yearly. This will save us having to write you to remind your yearly membership is due. NV-CURE Lifetime Membership is $100.00 and only needs to be paid once. NV-CURE Members may assist the organization by contributing money and/or volunteering to perform tasks to assist NVCURE in achieving its mission and goal. All NV-CURE Members are expected to assist other NV-CURE Members in resolving issues and problems confronting them, to recruit more members to our cause and to assist others in furtherance of our mission and goals. NV-CURE Members are expected to actively participate in the struggle for justice and fairness for all. Struggle in Solidarity. NV-CURE Mail NV-CURE has a mailing address listed above. All mail to NV-CURE, or any NV-CURE Directors or Officers, should be sent to the address listed above. All mail to NV-CURE is scanned into our files and disseminated for response. Responses will be provided within 30 days or as soon as possible. NV-CURE Telephone Calls NV-CURE has a telephone number listed above. All calls to NV-CURE must be prepaid. We do not have the funds necessary for us to accept collect calls. Please do not make collect calls to us. Thank you. NV-CURE Prisoner Members NV-CURE Prisoner Members are encouraged to help accomplish our mission. Work together, help each other, help other prisoners and encourage other prisoners, and their family and friends, to join us in the struggle to make constructive changes to the prison and parole systems. We need your help in building solidarity among all prisoners to make constructive changes and to bring justice and fairness to all. We will accomplish more working together than struggling individually.

NV-CURE Prisoner Members need to organize as many prisoners as possible at each institution into a cohesive and united front to effectuate constructive change. DO NOT VIOLATE ANY PRISON RULES. Gather information regarding staff abuse, conditions of confinement, staff misconduct and other problems that need to be addressed. Provide that information IN AFFIDAVIT FORMAT to NV-CURE for our use in any manner deemed appropriate. NV-CURE will compile that information, organize it into an articulate format and provide that information to persons responsible for investigating the problems addressed and to persons responsible for the adopting of laws, policies and procedures governing and controlling those matters and for correcting those problems. We all need to work together to make NV-CURE a viable vehicle through which all our voices and complaints heard in an intelligent and reasonable changes made to the criminal just-us system. NV-CURE Prisoner Members at each institution may elect a member at each institution to lead the struggle for change. Each elected leader should be in weekly telephone communication through pre-paid calls to designated NV-CURE Community Representative. Only through coordinated and organized joint action may we effectuate the changes required for humane conditions of confinement and justice and fairness for all. Legal Assistance NV-CURE is NOT a legal assistance organization. We are not lawyers and we do not provide legal advice. We have lawyers and paralegals as members involved with us in the struggle and on our Board of Directors. Those persons are acting as individuals in our struggle and pursue their professions separately from NV-CURE activities. Please do not contact them for legal assistance or advice unless you have the money to pay for their services up front, or you have survived summary judgment in a civil action. As much as they would like to help, they require financial resources for their survival in the community. Please do not write them personally for help unless you are able to pay for their services. Thank you. Staff Abuse of Prisoners As many of you are aware, for the past nine (9) months NV-CURE has been gathering information regarding staff abuse of prisoners. We have received a great deal of information on the subject. (as well as on other problems) and we have reported those matters to NDOC Director COX and various other non-profit legal

assistance organizations, legislators, NV Advisory Committee on the Administration of Justice (ACAJ) and the media. Director COX has assured us that each matter we reported to him as been referred to the Inspector Generals Office for investigation. (NDOC staff investigating claims against NDOC staff). We have received reports from our Prisoner Members that staff abuse of prisoners has diminished during the past five (5) months. We hope that we have helped to reduce this problem. If you have information regarding continued staff abuse of prisoners, in any form, please report that abuse to us in affidavit format. We will continue to gather and correlate information on that subject. We want all staff abuse of prisoners to STOP and we need your help to do that. Documents Please do not send us documents you want returned or copied. Only send us copies of documents we may retain in our files. We have attempted to copy and return documents, but the task was overwhelming and the costs overburdening. We will no longer return or copy documents. Send us only copies of documents we may retain. Thank you. Retaliation NDOC Director COX has assured NV-CURE that there will be no retaliatory action taken against prisoners that report staff abuse or misconduct. We have taken him at his word. Unfortunately, we have received reports that prisoners who have reported staff abuse and misconduct have been retaliated against. We want information on each instance of staff retaliation against prisoners for exercising their 1st Amendment right to expose staff abuse and misconduct. We suggest reading the 9th Circuit decision in Rhodes v. Robinson, 408 F.3d 559 (9th Cir. 2005), to insure your retaliation complaints meet the five (5) point requirement for stating a retaliation claim. We will report retaliation claims to Director COX and other appropriate officials and attempt to make NDOC staff aware of the fact that reporting staff misconduct, filing grievances and filing lawsuits are authorized, encouraged, legitimate and reasonable forms of 1st amendment activities and are the intelligent and reasonable alternative to violent protest. If staff want to avoid being reported, staff should not engage in abusive or retaliatory misconduct. It is in all of our best interests to resolve complaints through appropriate channels.

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Report each instance of staff retaliatory action to NV-CURE and pursue your claim through the grievance and, if necessary, the judicial process. Please be aware that NDOC staff have been known to engage in devious and underhanded retaliatory misconduct. NDOC staff have labeled prisoners as informant, child molester and other undesirable persons, regardless of the truth of the matter, to retaliate against prisoners that have reported them, or their fellow employees misconduct with the intent of causing those prisoner harm from other prisoners. Do not fall into their retaliatory games of deception. NDOC staff are not your friends and reporting their misconduct does not make you a snitch. Report staff misconduct and make NDOC staff follow the law and the policies and procedures governing their conduct. Please provide NV-CURE with information regarding each and every instance of NDOC staff misconduct and we will report the misconduct to appropriate authorities. False and Inaccurate Information in NDOC Files and Records NV-CURE has received credible information indicating that in 2007 the NDOC had a computer glitch problem that result in various false and inaccurate information regarding past criminal history, good time and custody status being inserted into various prisoner files. It appears in some instances the NDOC removes the false information only to have it re-appear at a later date. An audit has been requested by the ACAJ and will be presented in the 2013 Legislative session. NV-CURE has a Community Member interested in gathering information on this subject. Should any prisoner have a problem with false and/or inaccurate information being contained in their NDOC file, appropriate action should be taken to correct the problem. Document the false or inaccurate information (request a screen printout from your caseworker), request the information be removed and/or corrected, pursue a grievance if necessary and report each incident in affidavit format, with supporting documentation, to NV-CURE. Our Community Member will use information in attempt to resolve problems existing in NDOC files. Hep C and HIV Issues We have received information indicating that prisoners are being denied testing and treatment for Hep C and adequate HIV

medications. Please provide any information in affidavit form regarding denial of treatment for HEP C and HIV to NV-CURE. The news media may be interested in this situation. Medical and Mental Health Issues NV-CURE is aware that, in spite of the settlement reached in Riker v. Gibbons (ACLU litigation against Ely State Prison for denial of medical care), medical care at ESP and several other NDOC facilities is far below a constitutional level of care. We have received letters complaining of prisoners being denied medical care for broken bones, hepatitis c, cancer, diabetes and other issues. Please provide information in affidavit form to NVCURE, and file grievances. While it is difficult for prisoners to prevail in a medical case against the state, it has been done. Recently, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals decided in favor of prisoner John Snow in a medical case and remanded his case back to district court for further proceedings. It would be informative to read the Snow v. McDaniel, 681 F.3d 978 (9th Cir. 2012), decision to understand deliberate indifference to serious medical needs, which is the standard necessary to prevail in litigation against the state on this issue. NV-CURE is in contact with the ACLU National Prison Project attorney that has an interest in the medical care and treatment being provided to Nevada prisoners. Additionally, it has come to the attention of NVCURE that mentally ill prisoners are being harassed and abused by NDOC staff. This is unacceptable. Please report any incidences of this type to NV-CURE in affidavit format. Our respect and thanks to those already speaking up in defense of the mentally ill in Nevadas prisons! Please provide information regarding medical and mental health issues in affidavit form to NVCURE. Clothing, Food, Personal Hygiene and Water Issues Please provide information in affidavit form to NV-CURE regarding inadequate clothing, food, water and personal hygiene items issues within the NDOC. We have received information that there are problems in these areas that need to be addressed. One of our Prisoner Members is handling issues relating to inadequate food and we will channel the information on that subject to him. In the event any other Prisoner Member is interested in handling the information provided concerning the other issues, please

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make that fact known to us. We need your help to make changes to each of these problems. NV-CURE Informational Bulletin Newsletters A new NV-CURE member in the community has an interest in preparing NV-CURE Informational Bulletin Newsletters. We welcome him to the struggle for change. We intend to begin publishing this newsletter on a quarterly basis and provide you with news and information beneficial for use in the struggle for change. Any suggestions for matters to be included in this newsletter would be appreciated. National CURE Board of Directors Meeting National CURE Board of Directors is meeting in Washington, D.C., in the end of August and early September of 2012. Our President, who is on the National CURE Board of Directors, will be attending that meeting and representing the interests of NV prisoners. In our next newsletter, we will report of his activities. Please provide any suggestions for topics of discussion for International and National CURE. Thank you for being a member of NV-CURE and for joining NV-CURE in the struggle for justice and fairness for all. Financial Resources Donations NV-CURE requires financial resources to accomplish our mission and goals. We currently have extremely limited financial resources. We need your help, and the help of your family and friends. Please contribute to our cause and induce other to contribute. Donations may be sent to the NV-CURE office and made through paypal on our website. The more financial resources we have available, the more we can do. Without financial resources, we cannot accomplish our mission or goals. Help. Thank you. Affidavit Format for Providing Information The following is the format that should be followed in providing information regarding the above referenced matters to NV-CURE. Please use it. AFFIDAVIT OF (NAME OF AFFIANT) (Nature of Complaint, i.e., Medical treatment, Use of excessive Force, etc) State of Nevada ) :

I, (Name of Affiant), hereby declare and state as follows: 1. I am a prisoner confined at (name of institution) and I am making this Affidavit for the use of NV-CURE in any manner NV-CURE deems appropriate. 2. I am above 18 years of age, I am competent to testify regarding the matters set forth herein and the matters set forth herein are stated based on my own personal knowledge and observations. 3. (Use as many numbered paragraphs as necessary to described the events you witnessed. Be sure to include names, dates, times, places of the events and all relevant facts. 4. Further, Affiant sayeth naught. Pursuant to the provisions of 28 USC 1746, I declare under penalty of perjury that the foregoing statements are true and correct. Executed on this ____ day of _(Month)_, 2012, in the County of (Name of County) in the State of Nevada. ---(Name and Address) NV-CURE Meetings With NDOC Director COX NV-CURE is scheduled to meet with NDOC Director COX quarterly on issues of concern related to the prison system. We are also in communication with other organizations, legislators and media regarding those issues. We are advocates of your concerns and will do our best to address your issues in the community. Nevada State Bar Notice Please note that Veronica Melton is no longer answering prisoner mail for the State Bar Association and is no longer able to send the Jailhouse Lawyers Handbook to prisoners. Sorry. A new person has been assigned to answer prisoner mail. Contact the Center for Constitutional Rights, Attn: Jailhouse Lawyers handbook, 666 Broadway, 7th Fl., N.Y., N.Y. 10012, for a copy. Problems Obtaining Identification Documents Anyone having problems obtaining identification (Birth Certificate, Social Security Card, etc.) necessary for use when released to the community should provide an Affidavit on that subject.

County of (Name of County)

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STRUGGLE IN SOLIDARITY The cruelest tyranny is practiced Behind the shield of law and order He Who Brings The Rain Among a broken people an unbroken man can only rarely be tolerated he becomes a too painful reminder of what the people as a whole had once been. -From Larry McMurtrys book Crazy Horse With a hardened heart that still beats to the vibrant rhythm of Resistance, I salute the strong, the conscious and the real, and I greet all of the poor, downtrodden and stepped on with a solid extension of my most sincere greetings of solidarity and respects. I chose to open up this article with the above quote by Larry McMurtry, about Crazy Horse, not only because Crazy Horse is a legendary figure that I greatly admired, but because this quote rings true for all of the unbroken who remain locked down, in solitary, or in the hole, infirmary, etc., while the ones who have been broken and tamed by these so-called privileges walk on these yards, or in general population. We are a reminder to them of what they once were, or of what theyve never had the heart to be: Warriors! Combatants! Unbroken and unbent. Whenever I encounter people who talk down on revolution, or who say they dont want revolution, people like this seem suspect to me, because revolution means change, and look at how were living, look at how foul and fake this shit is around here! Who wouldnt want change? What kind of person would actually want to continue to live like this, in a foul ass environment like this, under these stagnant type of conditions, around this type of common degenerate mentality that you see around here every day? Revolution is beginning to look more and more like a beautiful thing, if youre looking at life through my eyes, and I promise you Im not one of these people who keep the blinders on! For so long Ive been feeling so much pain inside, nearly making me numb to all that happens on the outside, in this heartless style of death that Ive been perpetually caught up in, as Ive wrestled with the madness that perverts the world Im forced to live in. But Ive been fighting my whole life and not just in the physical sense so. For so long Ive been feeling so much pain inside, nearly making me numb to all that

happens on the outside, in this heartless style of death that Ive been perpetually caught up in, as Ive wrestled with the madness that perverts the world Im forced to live in. But Ive been fighting my whole life - and not just in the physical sense - so whats another battle for a young combatant like me? After all, adversity has been the stone on which Ive sharpened my blade For too long Ive seen fakeness in all of this and in many of those around me, and who knows what they see in me? I could only imagine, but not that it really matters, because when it comes down to it, we are all trapped in these tombs called cells, feeling way too comfortable living like this, while also trapped in our limited, outmoded ways of thinking, trapped inside these little tiny boxes inside our minds, trapped in our own rage and hate as it destructively eats away at our hearts; the everyday dilemmas of our own making, making things worse, never better, always making more problems, but never any solutios, and all of these years, the few of us who have chosen to pay the price of staying true to our standards, never compromising, keeping it real to the integrity of what we stand for and fight for, our codes and our standards, only to see things get faker and faker, makes us wonder what have we ever accomplished? And all those who keep making the same mistakes, over and over again, way too accepting of the failure that theyre destined for, you break my heart over and over again. True story, when I was born, December 15th, 1977, at 5:41 P.M., in Long Beach Community Hospital (where the poor people are born), on the very day that I was born, it rained for the first time in 15 years of drought in Southern California And now, 34 years later, here you have me, after almost 15 years of being in this deplorable graveyard called Ely State Prison, telling you about a different type of drought that we have been suffering from for way too long, as if everybody is just waiting for someone to come along and wet it up around here or something. I think back on who I was when I first walked through these prison gates, and I can honestly tell you that from then to now, I have been someone who has climbed very high, but to do so, I had to leave so much behind. I have had to learn how to become a man of fortitude, and it has been through my persistence and my conscience that Ive been able to achieve the things Ive achieved, however small, because for a man of fortitude there are nowhere any walls, only avenues, only doors

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Yeah, its easy to sit here and talk about how no matter how hard those of us E.S.P. combatants have fought; the more foul we see our world become. But its not all for naught, I know. Many minds have been ignited and made magnificent in the depths of this horrendous darkness, hearts have been resuscitated and awakened to the passionate drums of revolution and resistance, and it wont be too much longer before push comes to shove. Also, Ive noticed that a lot of these older cats have become bitter because the youngsters dont want to listen to them, but these older cats fail to realize the reason the youngsters dont listen is cuz they dont respect the bullshit most of these older cats are on. They look at these older cats and see that they have compromised their principles many times over, turning their heads to shit, making exceptions for things unacceptable, and have sold-out, broken weak, got soft and complacent, and the youngsters just dont respect that shit. Some of these older cats are used to the type of youngsters that they can manipulate, and just tell them anything and theyll go along with it, just because. These older cats think because they have assumed some type of O.G. Status that these youngsters have to listen to any ole thing they say, regardless of whether its some bullshit or not. But Im seeing this new breed of youngsters come through here now, and they arent no crash dummies, but strong, determined leaders! Theyre on a mission, and they stick to their principles and codes and they aint leaving any room for exceptions, and definitely arent going to allow themselves to be misled by no bullshit. I love it in em, I respect the hell out of these youngsters! These are the new leaders, the new revolutionaries in the making! Theyve come to bring change to this old, stale, stagnant world weve been locked away in for so long. Yes theres been good and bad, there are those who have been plagued by a defeatist mentality, cowed by their own fear and ignorance, still erroneously telling themselves: It could be worse, and then there are those who keep the flame of rebellion and resistance in their hearts, never giving up, even if it means death! And these are the ones who scream: it could be better! Now theres a whole platoon of guerillas in this graveyard, and they know what theyre doing, what they want, and they know in their hearts that thay can do whatever they put their minds to. To these comrades of mine, I want to relay these words to you:

Never forget that you are a symbol of strength and a symbol of resistance to the young, the imprisoned and the oppressed. In this system we are the unbroken amongst a broke people, so we are the ones who have to organize and fight for and lead these people in the right direction, to awaken them to the spirit of revolt, to invigorate them into taking action over their own lives, through our own determination and through our courageous examples of strength and resiliency. Its on us to have a plan and put it into action, its on us to have goals and reach them. To bring forth a real cause that produces real changes, for the growth and betterment of all. These are the things that other so-called movements of Nevadas past dont have: Plans and Goals! Nothing real or desirable anyways, nothing thats going to make things better for the rest of us. So thats on us to do what others cannot, or wont do. We are the leaders of this new generation, so now its on us to fill those shoes, and to be The Ones! We are amongst a broken people, standing as symbols of resistance, we are NOT broken, nor will we ever be!!! As the strength of Solidarity finds a home in these hardened mens hearts, I think of all those who have struggled in the past: the Wobblies (I.W.W.), the Zapatistas, the Sioux Warriors, Bobby Sands and the I.R.A., Che, Assata, the Black Panthers, the Haymarket Anarchists, and so many more, all who intimately know, and have known, what it means to struggle and sacrifice, and I take this all in , as I see whats happening in the world today: the Cali Hunger strikes (RIP Christian Gomez), the Occupy Movement, the Treyvon Martin ordeal, and I know that when I open my door, I see clearly what sits there on my doorstep: Revolution! To the anarchists, and all the other Revolutionary comrades here at Elys graveyard, willing to embrace struggle and change (to the fullest); to those in the hole, locked down, Unit 4; to those in General Populockdown, confined to their cells with a cellie; to those on ad-seg refusing to take a cellie, refusing to program, to those on HRP, getting shook down once a week and shuffled around once a month; to those on Death Row; and to all those who refuse to accept the legitimacy of this system, refusing to lick boots - the comrade talks about how they condition us, but Ive never forgotten all the times weve conditioned them! -- To all those who havent been tamed or broken, ready to die for whatever they live for; I see now, no man will be broken;

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he who carries the Torch of resistance, those who fight on and fight back; those who carry on the fighting spirit, knowing theres still something worth fighting for, they will never be broken, never, not now, not ever! To those under extreme isolation in the infirmary and to the comrades who have been shipped out of state: Viva La Revolucion!!! Towards Anarchy and Freedom, He who brings the Rain

Hope for Freedom

John Witherow 26 years of experience in Nevada prisons Pardons Board applications Parole Planning Research/Writing of pleadings of interest to prisoners Call or write: 702-900-8958 P.O. Box 4023 Gaylord MI 49734

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