Pablo Piña D-28079
D-2 122 SHU
P.O. Box 7500
Crescent City, CA 95531

10/23/13

Re: Classification Committee

This is a chrono that I just received tonight at mail call. I went before the Unit Classification Committee (UCC) solely to ask them for the phone call that, by right, I have coming.

But they denied me the right, claiming that because I refused to make a call on their speaker phone, I refused the phone call. They kept saying that it is policy that all emergency phone calls are put on a speaker phone so they could stand there and listen to the call. But here where I'm housed, two other prisoners were given phone calls when their parents died and they were allowed to use a phone while in a holding cell. And no speaker phone. I explained this to the committee, but they still said they didn't do that type of phone calls.

I have two affidavits that prisoners swear under oath that they were given a phone call not on speaker phone twice. Each prisoner called twice like that. A total of four times altogether right here in my unit. There's no telling how many times it's been done in other units, but it's obvious that they have double standards.

I got it, though. Their friend and coworker I was suing died was probably one of the reasons. It's their way of getting payback. The other reason is I don't kiss their ass like other prisoners do. Sure, it may cost me a phone call, but they can stick that phone up their ass.

In the past thirty years, I've seen it go from bad to worse. I learned very quickly how to react if being escorted down the stairs by guards: they push you down them. I saw it done quite a few times to other prisoners and hope to react quick enough to break the fall. I have a plan, don't know if it will work because I haven't had to yet. The closest I came is a guard whispering to me that he could shove me down if he wanted. I didn't say anything back. Just got ready to put my plan into action.

The guards are human beings too. They hate and hold a damn grudge just like anybody else. If you do something to them, they may not be satisfied with just giving you a write up. Instead they want to get personal and hurt you. Sure, it's criminal. If they wait and set it up so that you get in a fight, then they shoot you. They're used to getting away with that. It's a little harder now since many prisoners began studying the law and file civil rights suits. But there are guards who still do it. The law books are full of such cases.

I remember long ago how guards used to go in our cells and leave weapons under a pillow or bed. Then they'd search the cell once you're in it and "find" the weapon to accuse of possessing it. Then they'd take you to the hole for six months. This was real common back in the 1970s. I know because it was done to me. I arrived in DVI and, the next day, a shank was found in my cell. It was wrapped in a newspaper dated six months before I even got there.

There's a saying that's very common in prison: "What comes around goes around." So they did a lot of stuff to me, but I've done a lot of stuff to them too. The only difference is, as a prisoner, I always get the new charges.

So I can't understand why only prisoners would want to even talk to a guard, let alone play with them like they're friends. There must always be that invisible shield between prisoners and gatekeepers, even though there are some guards who are not dogs. If put in a situation where they have it decide between lying for job or siding for a prisoner's rights, it's obvious which way they will decide. It's done all the damn time.