Ronald W. Clark Jr.
May 27, 2016

[crosshatches]

DEATH ROW *
JOURNAL *
May 27-31, 2016

[drawing of threads intertwining]
[the "D" drips onto a puddle above entry]
Friday 3:40 AM. Woke up at 3:15. Just washed up. Had a cup of coffee. Need to clean my cell and make my bunk. I'll listen to some news at 5 AM. That's the first time when it comes on the radio.

5:00 AM. Bunk's made, cell's clean. Breakfast is being served on the other side. It'll be over here in 3 to 5 minutes. All I have on my tray is peanut butter, grits and potatoes.

5:16 AM. See to your left (drawing of two black smudges), whatever that is, come off the top of my tray lid. I put a piece of tape over it so no one comes in contact with it. I know people don't want to touch it, so imagine how I feel having to eat food that's touching up against that. This is disgusting!! I'll file another grievance on the kitchen. In fact, that's what I need to do right now.

6:04 AM. Laundry is here. I wrote my grievance. I'm going to do some walking.

7:24 AM. Just wrote a 2nd grievance on the kitchen and these food trays having gouges in the bottom of the food slots. Was walking before that. Then read the Miami judge's order on the death penalty statue being unconstitutional. I know he's ruffling some feathers (pissing people off) with that ruling. Guess I'll do some push-ups before we go to rec.

7:47 AM. Grievance lady just picked up grievances. I'm exercising.

8:09 AM. Nurse just passed out meds. The one who works on Fri., Sat. + Sun always comes late. Well, back to exercising until they pull us for rec.

8:45 AM. Not looking good for recreation. We got just around two hours on Tuesday, so not even half the required rec time this week. This is one hellish existence. Warehoused here in this cage. Watching your fellow men be murdered. Witnessing the practicing of these killings. What a life! What an existence! But, it's all I got.

8:58 AM. Legal mail officer is coming through. I can hear him on the 1300 side. Looks like a really nice day out there. People in the free world have no idea what they have. You only realize what you have once you've lost it. Then it's too late.

9:18 AM. Chaplin just came through. I'm not impressed with him. No mercy, no compassion, no Christ-like qualities. I was working on a Sudoku, but I'm going to go to the GED book.

9:43 AM. Officer just told me that I have a 2 PM call out to see Father Conrad. I've got to start lunch. Cabbage and stuff off the canteen.

10:30 AM. Well, I got in another exercise session. I knew I wouldn't get it this afternoon. I'll be in the Col. area seeing Father Conrad. Lunch should be ready about 11:30. I've got to bathe about 1 PM. Right now I'm going to do some reading. See what Donald J. Trump is up to as well as Hillary R. Clinton. The madness of US politics.

11:41 AM. Just finished eating lunch. Came out really good. Need to walk it off.

12:13 PM. Lunch trays just came. I kept some of the vegetables for tonight. Gave the rest away. Need to some more walking.

1:04 PM. Just finished bathing. Going to do read USA TODAY newspaper until they come to get me.

3:14 PM. Just got back from seeing Father Conrad. We prayed the Rosary, talked. Had a nice visit. I've got to wash some clothes.

4:38 PM. Just got dinner. I ate the potatoes, saved the pineapples. I'm working in this GED book which I'm about to get back to.

5:19 PM. Done a section in this book. I'm tired and about ready for bed. I need to get up in the morning and exercise. I'll be visiting Gesel tomorrow. She's from Switzerland. Her and her husband visited William Code back 7-8 years ago. Maybe more than that. Code committed suicide. I forgot what year that was. I met Code over here back in the early 2000s. I washed my shoes and clothing earlier, so everything is clean.

6:08 PM. I'm going to bed. Was doing some reading.

SATURDAY May 28, 2016
3:45 AM. Got up at 3:20. Washed up, made my bunk, had a cup of coffee. I'm fixing some oatmeal for breakfast. I'm sore from these workouts. Woke up several times last night with cramps in my legs. Got in two letters last night and a card from my dad. I'm going to get this oatmeal going and read some USA TODAY.

4:34 AM. They are serving breakfast. My tray (vegan) will have peanut butter and oatmeal, which will go into what I'm making.

4:48 AM. Time to workout.

6:55 AM. Well, that was a monster workout session. Need to walk and cool down. Then eat this oatmeal and bathe.

7:39 AM. Walked, ate some oatmeal. Now time to bathe.

8:28 AM. Finished bathing, cleaned all the water off the floor, washed my shorts. Nurse just came and the officer said get ready for your visit. I said I'm already ready.

3:41 PM. Just got back from visits. Had a really nice visit. She's a really nice woman. I'll be going to bed early. I am tired. I'm fixing to lay down here in just a minute. Do some reading and may go to bed.

4:59 PM. They just served dinner. I saved the pineapples, gave the rest away. I've been doing some reading. I'll be going to sleep within the next hours.

5:43 PM. I'm going to bed. I'm tired plus these morons up here have been arguing for almost an hour over stupid crap! Celebrities, famous people: who doesn't give a rat's ass about them. Oh well, to each his own. I have the mp3 player sleep music to block it out.

SUNDAY May 29, 2016
3:32 AM. Been up since 3:07. Washed up, made the bunk, had a cup of coffee. I need to do some writing. Got to exercise this morning before visit. By the time I get back, I want to be up to it. I'm going to do some walking. See where it goes from there.

4:18 AM. Going to my exercises.

5:55 AM. Breakfast is here. I'm still exercising. Plus I have rice, fish and potatoes cooking.

7:02 AM. Just finished working out. Now going to eat then bathe and get ready for the visit.

7:14 AM. They just passed out cleaning supplies. I get the products. I don't mess with brooms or mops; they're nasty.

8:02 AM. Finished bathing, Washed my shorts. Now going to mess with this Sunday's puzzle.

8:31 AM. They're coming to get me.

3:26 PM. Just got back. There was only 5 of us out there today. Mom came as well as Gisele. Had a nice visit. I need to do some writing. It is so very hot!

5:16 PM. Didn't do any writing. I was reading. Dinner just came. I gave it away. Tonight is bar check and weight. They take out weight every Sunday. Supposedly to make sure we're not losing weight. The scale doesn't work. One week, it had me up to 190; The next week 230. Anyways, they can wake me up. I'm going to bed.

MONDAY May 30, 2016
4:00 AM. Got up at 3:28. Washed up, made the bunk, had a cup of coffee. I think I'll rest my muscles today. I'm really sore! I need to write some letters. Right now I'm going to do some reading in the GED book.

5:02 AM. Here's breakfast.

5:16 AM. Making some oatmeal. Two of the runners (inmates who serve food and clean G-Wing) just got disciplinary reports. They say for having tobacco. The one runner that's working over here now worked all day yesterday and last night. So he's only had like 3,4 hours of sleep. And now he's got to work all day today. That's violating labor laws, state and federal.

6:08 AM. Nurse just brought meds. I haven't accomplished anything!

8:07 AM. Just finished bathing. Wrote a short card to Pen America Prisoner writing program for a tutor/mentor. Other than that, I haven't done anything. I'm going to do some reading until they come get me.

8:26 AM. Here they come to get me.

3:22 PM. Back in my cage. We had a really nice visit. Gisele is a very sweet person. I'm glad she was able to come visit. Not sure if I'll ever get to see her again. But have some photos and some memories. I need to write Mom and maybe one other letter.

4:36 PM. Dinner just came. I kept some of the vegs, gave the rest of it away. Wrote Mom, sent a note out. I'm tired and ready to lay down and call it a day. Life. Been reflecting on my past a lot the past 3 days, telling Gisele about it. So many regrets!

5:42 PM. Clothes are washed. I'm going to put my mp3 sleep music on and call it a day. Was a nice day.

TUESDAY May 31, 2016
4:14 AM. Been up since 3:30. Laid there for the longest time. Finally got up, washed up, made my bunk. Didn't sleep good last night. I sleep on my side and my arm kept going numb. Which wakes me up.

5:22 AM. Breakfast is here. I don't know what I'll eat. Trays are greasy and slimy. Not going to sweat it. No one else is complaining. Why should I? Time for me to do some writing. I'll figure out something to eat later.

7:03 AM. Wrote one letter. Officer just yelled down, it's 7 o'clock. Get your calls right. Get dressed. My first thought is bring change. Challenge this BS. I've got to get out of that mindset. What I need to do now is write another letter.

8:13 AM. Wrote a card, then did some work in the GED book. Need to write another card.

8:38 AM. Laundry just came through. They'll be back tomorrow for sheets and everything.

9:09 AM. Wrote two cards. Going to do some walking and see where it goes from there.

9:39 AM. Doing push-ups then curls, triceps + crunches.

10:58 AM. It's extremely hot in here! Pouring sweat. I need to eat something. I had one banana, two oranges, and a spoon full of peanut butter. That's it.

11:23 AM. Legal mail officer came back and dropped off a legal letter to me. ACLU. FDOC shot me down again on getting this GED through their educational program. But they stated that tablets are in the works, so I could possibly do it on the tablet in the near future.

11:38 AM. Canteen is here.

12:27 PM. Put canteen up. This moron in Cell 2306 (name: Barry Davis) has jumped out there buying all the stamps for like $6 a book, which messes it up for everyone else. He's yelling all of this out on audio as well. And got dudes screaming up and downstairs as well. Just moronic. Yelling that out on a wing that has audio and it's all against the rules. Stupid!

12:40 PM. Lunch just came. Need to get ready for rec.

1:02 PM. Okay, I'm ready for rec. Now just sit back and wait. It is so friggin' hot in here! Dang, I hate the summertime in here. If we had air conditioning, it wouldn't be so bad. But this humidity plus the heat—it's just unbearable!

4:32 PM. Back in from rec. It was hot out there! Didn't workout. Wish Saint would stay in. All he wants to do is talk. Well, I need to make something to eat.

5:28 PM. Washed clothes, ate some pasta. Need to read over some stuff. Cat's on the yard. Was pissed at Davis for messing up the food and stamp deal. I don't care.

6:22 PM. Just waiting on the shower. Once I get my shower, I'm going to sleep. I'm tired. Could go to sleep right now.

6:53 PM. I'm going to lay down and go to sleep. They can wake me up for showers.