Behind the Wall
Larry Baker »3502!,
O .S .P Corrrspondeni
A ll you can do n sit in anger, lis
tening to radio reports or reading
newspapers as the reports ro ll in.
Each giving a different story; each
sounding more gruesome and gory
than the first . . . "Prisoners Mose
T o Take Over Prison A t Oregon
State Penitentiary ’
For three days now, we’ ve been
locked-down in our cells. No visits,
no phone calls, no activities o f any
son. Just sit and wait. Three steel
walls and thirteen iron bars govern
our little 9’ x 12' world with a cement
floor that’s ice cold. A cell that all of
a sudden begins to play a squeeze
game with your imagination.
The air is foul with the smetl o f
unbathed bodies. Windows arc shut
tight, closing o ff the ventilation high
on the fifth uer It has been ordered
that you are to receive only two
meals a day (10:00 a m. and 4:00
p .m ). Those meals consist simply of
two stale sandwiches (baloney and
jelly), an orange and a cup o f coffee.
A ll you can ask is, “ W hy me.
Lord?”
8:30a.m .. Wednesday.
February 7. 1979
It happened so quick: “ A ll
prisoners are to return to their cells,”
came the command. A ll o f a sudden
there appeared more guards then you
ever imagined worked at O.S.P.,
directing tra ffic as each prisoner
peacefully makes his way to his cell
block to be locked-down.
Many o f the prisoners begin to
inquire from one another as to what
is going cm. But it is not long before
the answer to their questioning sur
faces. Some of the inmates refused to
leave their cells from another cell
block to work in the prison's laun-
drv. Only then comes a sigh o f relief
— “ big deal.”
It had been rumored all week that
the inmates »ere not happy with the
wages they were receiving down in
the industry area due to a cut-back.
But that's all it was, a rumor. In
mates are paid from 5OC-S3 a day
and only a siim few ever make the
m axim um . These are the same
wages paid to inmates for the past
thirty years; while prices in the can
teen have skyrocketed 100®« and
more.
O ne-fourth o f their wages are
withheld until they have accumulated
SI00, along with whatever money
that has been sent to them by family
and friends.
No, this grievance is nothing new ;
it has been expressed fo r years.
Because o f the overcrow ding at
O.S.P. it has been stated that there
are not enough jobs. Over 300 in
mates have to roam the “ big yard”
in idleness. The normal capacity is
950, today O.S.P. holds 1.500.
So you lie back on your steel bunk
as anger creeps into your mind.
11:00 a.m . Thursday,
February 8. 1979
A slip o f paper is handed to you
through the bars. “ A ll inmates w ill
remain in lock-down until everyone
has been personally interviewed.”
Personally interviewed, for what?
Personally interviewed to find out
who wishes to express views on a
wage increase. For those slaving
away in the industry or being caged
24 hours a day with all privileges sus
pended?
T his now makes you wonder
where the sanity is in this prison ac
tion?
Surprisingly enough the inmates
remained very calm and peaceful all
through the transactions. Oh, a few
windows are broken and “ cat-calls”
express displeasure, but most spend
tim e w ritin g letters, reading, or
listening to the different reports on a
prison disturbance that sounds as if
it were happening elsewhere.
"Prisoners Revolt To A ttract A t
tention O f State Legislature. "
"Prisoners Sit-Down Strike To
Gain C ivil Right. ”
Prison trouble, displayed w ith
violence is the fartheTest thing from
prisoners’ minds A ll through the
day each watches another being es
corted by a guard down into a small
room where they are questioned.
Those who are fo rtunate to be
housed in a cell with a view over the
wall sit in sadness watching visitors
being turned away, many who had
traveled countless miles.
Once again anger comes creeping
in.
No, it does not make sense, why is
it not possible to speak to prisoners
in a large group about the wage
problem and to air out whatever ac
tions have to be taken in a proper
Julius D. Snowden »38013
P o e m Editor
1
and legal mannei to reach a
solution’ U e are net animals.
W hy subject the »hole prison
population to the discomforts being
displayed?
But then again, we don't have all
t ‘ie facts or the reasons for th.s mass
lock-down, only the facts on why
and how this is affecting you and the
other inmates around you at this
moment.
Oh, welV W hat else is new ?
EFORE COLLEGE.
2:00 p .m . Friday, February 9, 1979
Wow! Another notice.
“ You w ill remain locked-down
until every prisoner is interviewed.”
Same procedure as the previous day,
stale sand» iches and coffee.
Flash! News report — “ 30 In
mates Locked Up In The Hole For
Refusing To W ork.”
A couple o f guards stop by vour
cell, "H o w are you handling this
whole situation?” they ask as a
smirking smile crosses their faces.
You can only look at them
knowing better then to express your
honest feelings verbally. A ll o f a
sudden the air has grown a little
fouler. Quickly you adapt your mind
to the reasoning; to accept
everything which is happening
because it is completely out o f your
control
As you lie on a steel bunk thumb
ing through today’s newspapers, an
article suddenly stares back at you.
“ Representative Biil Rutherford,
R -M c M in n v ille , subm its b ill to
replace cost o f S315,000 gas cham
ber Injection o f lethal drug costing
only S15 each. (Oregonian)
The Prisoner's Dem ands
We the coalition, O.S.P., demand
to be :reated as human beings. Can
any human being deny another this
right?
We feel the need, and we believe
these are reasonable demands. The
action we are taking to show our
support fo r them are intended to be
peaceful, n o n -v io le n t, and non-
disruptive o f O.S.P. policies and
routine.
The truth o f conditioning, as well
as the condition here is our most po
werful weapon, and we seek only to
expose the truth.
(1) There is a total lack o f commu
nication between inmates, between
inmates and staff, between staff and
administration.
(a) We feel the need for an inmates
council to carry on a continuing
dialogue with the staff as well as the
a dm inistration , aimed at solving
existing problems and preventing
their recurrence.
(b) We feel, an ombudsman for
corrections are useless and helpless
without the aide o f an inmates coun
cil, for they, the ombudsman can’t
feel the pain o f this psychological
warfare being perpetuated by the
administration and some staff. We,
the c o a litio n , see this present
situation being paniculating by staff
and the administration to endanger
ed inmates lives, and we w ill not
tolerate it.
(2) We demerd a higher standard
o f medical care. Inmates w ill no
longer tolerate being denied more
than one day to receive doctors at
tention to their medical problems.
(3) We demand the immediate
commencement
of
regularly
scheduled times fo r g ro u p p a r
ticipation, meaning each day, i f need
be Self-help groups are the only help
an inmate can get in this institution.
We, the coalition, see this as being
helpful to the individual as well as to
the administration.
(a) We demand a chance to satisfy
ones own personal needs; (b) to feel
secure; (c) to get somewhere and be
somebody; (d) to have a feeling o f
belonging; and (e) to gain respect for
ones self.
The use o f the word demand, does
not imply a threat. A man does not
request his basic rights, he demands
them.
Prisoners here at O.S P. are not
requested to obey O.S.P. rules and
policies, they do not have the option
o f refusing, therefore it is demanded
that they comply or go to the “ hole”
(“ lock up” ).
We, the coalition, conclude that be
cause o f these remarks, the admini
stration and corrections division can
no longer evade their basic respon
sibilities, we do not request that they
do so, we demand it!
We, the inside coalition, are asking
for your support, we need your help.
I
A prisoner alone in his call.
the people o f the outside coalition
are bang asked to contact M r. Jim
Abel by mail. Write. M r. Jim Abel
#40876. 2605 State Street, Salem,
Oregon 97310.
The O ther Side of the Coin
To: Oregon State Penitentiary In
mates; Date: February 9. 1979; From.
H .C , Cupp, Superintendent; Re:
Lock-Up Status.
In early February a small m inority
o f inmates began agitating fo r a
work stoppage in industry shops. On
the morning o f February 7, 1979 this
agitation culminated in work stop
pages in the laundry and as a result
o f this conduct the entire population
has been placed on “ lock d o w n "
status to assure the safety and
security o f the institution, its staff,
and the inmate population.
As you know, my staff is in the
process o f interviewing each inmate
to determine the source and cause o f
the disturbances in the industries
area. Preliminary inform ation indi
cates that a few inmates, primarily
w ith out-of-state penal histories,
have agitated and coerced a majority
o f inmates who want to work into
cooperating in the strike. While indi
vidual inmate opinion varies about
the cause o f the problem, the prin
cipal issue appears to be dissatisfac
tion with the amount o f pay awarded
to the inmate workers.
The m anna which concans me
the most is the way the inmates have
chosen to express their dissatisfac
tion with the existing law. To my
knowledge, no other state grants
prisoners in a maximum security
prison greater opportunity to present
complaints and suggestions. These
avenues include the ability to contact
without censorship or reprisal vir
tually any public or private organiza
tio n or in d ivid u a l, including the
Governor, Legislators. News Media,
and Corrections Division officials.
Inmates have participated in the de
velopment o f rules under the A d
ministrative Procedures Act, as well
as submitting th a r own legislation
for considaation. We have provided
more form al means o f registering
problems by providing an Ombuds
man fo r Corrections with fu ll in
vestigatory powas and authority, in
mate counselors, an evolving
grievance mechanism, and a va il
a b ility o f m yself and key s ta ff
membas through the interview re
quest process. When the foregoing
methods have failed or been unsatis
factory the record shows that in
mates have enjoyed free access to the
courts to a ir th e ir com plaints;
assisted by the use o f the peniten
tia ry's law lib ra ry w ith s ta ff and
o th a inmates to provide assistance
as well as private or appointed legal
assistance when needed. Considering
all the available channels, the illegal
activity o f February 7, 1979 was
totally lacking the level o f responsi
b ility which these inmates should
have demonstrated. Considaing the
rights inmates already hold, it is un
fortunate the action o f a few indi
viduals should cause all inmates to
s u ffa the loss o f visiting, canteen,
regular meals, recreation activities as
well as the o p p o rtu n ity to w ork.
However, under the present circum
stances 1 consider the safety and
security o f the institution to be en
dangered and 1 have no reasonable
alternative to the present status.
As S uperintendent, I w ill not
tolerate inmate disruption or dis
turbances. Many have expressed a
(Please turn to Page 5 Column 3)
„ .I ,
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For more information, call your local Army
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T h n offer not anulahle in all focanont
E
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O
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S
le a /m r n /
e a /re
1518 N E KlLUNGSWORTH
PORTLAND OREGON 97211
284 7997
February 1979
EXODUS Honors Black History Month
■la),
A Lt
King
IT, my child, go on out,
ir life will be a series o f bouts,
fgrieves my heart and drains my soul
ho see my baby strapped with chains o f old
Your soft dark eves looked up with fright
A n d you whispered. "But M ommy, there's
loo many to fight. "
I held your hand and wiped your face
A nd sweetly explained the human race
a pich
seen fi
*nuin would be to vain,
s all the same
!he Master's plan,
varieties to fill this land
The Powers, the animals, birds and bees
He even meant people like you and me
n th
1
That
the
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