Nov. 27, 2019

Chaos, Abuse, Dysfunction at Columbia Correctional Institution

From Prometheus Writes! by Nathaniel Lindell (author's profile)

Transcription

Date: 11/14/2019 1:39:32 PM Subject: 2 articles (one corrected) both Reply ID : Blog4HR
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Turge you to publish this EVERYWHERE v. It advocates peace, seeks to prevent violence; I am a Buddhist (secular), with a duty to help & enlighten others. This is wrote & sent in the hope of minimizing the odds of further violence & abuse at CCI.
Chaos, Abuse, Dysfunction at Columbia Correctional Institution
created 4 November 2019
by Nate A. Lindell #303724 CCI P.O. Box 900 2925 Columbia Dr. Portage, WI 53901-0900
In the morning of Wednesday 23 Oct 2019, here at Columbia Correctional Institution (CCI), on Unit Five, Sgt. Fitz/Fritz was beaten bloody by a prisoner (so a prisoner from Unit Five told me). That Sgt. had a reputation for being aggressive & disrespectful towards prisoners. Due to that assault we were on a "partial" lockdown until 28 Oct.; this meant that we were denied rec/exercise, law library, property, regular food (bag meals, cold food instead). phone calls, showers, doctors' appointments, etc.
One day after we were let off that lockdown, in the morning of Tuesday 29 Oct., Sgt. Gander (with a reputation of not doing his job, denying prisoners phone calls & other things we're entitled to, and making disrespectful remarks) was also assaulted on Unit Five, though not severely (he was back at work the next day, with a mildly black eye & minor bruises on his forehead -- he was working on my unit, Nine, & I saw him). So, we were "partially" locked down again, which has lasted until today. (Sgt. Martinez says we're being let off this "partial" lockdown -- staff refuse to call it a lockdown, yet we remain locked in our cells 24/7 etc. -- later today.)
The thing is, nothing's changed, other than that staff scooped up around 20 prisoners throughout the institution who allegedly made threatening or sarcastic remarks about the assaults (according to guards -- one of the disappeared, Dwayne Thomas, was taken from his cell on 30 Oct. at 2AM, two cells away from mine, with no explanation given). The Security Director here (BRIAN GUSTKE --Brian. Gustke@Wisconsin.gov) is the same guy who was the Security Director at Lincoln Hills when the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel ran its series "Descent Into Disorder," about the abuse & dysfunction there; clearly he's brought his magic touch here.
No changes have been made, despite even guards recognizing that tensions between staff & prisoners are high (I heard C.O. Cole, a guard who does his job & is respectful, tell other staff that he knew/felt there were going to be more assaults on staff, as happened a year or so ago....), which is so because:
staff are operating while intoxicated, prone to emotional volatility, especially aggressive, disrespectful behavior, because they must work double, split double, even triple
shifts (due to a shortage of staff), so they're "sleepless in prison," which scientific studies (60 Minutes did an episode on this) security the same effect of being drunk;
prisoners, most of whom are moderately to seriously mentally ill (we're not allowed to keep razors in our cells, unlike prisoners at other WI max security prisons, because to many guys here cut themselves), are subject to conditions/restrictions that amplify rather than decrease stress/tension/anger, such as:
* PHONE CALLS, for each range (18-20 guys), are only allowed between 9AM-10:30AM then 5:39PM-7PM;
* we only get 3 SHOWERS a week, and if we go to rec we must shower there (with other guys scrubbing their asses right next to us, no privacy, & puddles of filthy water slopping over our shower shoes):
staff frequently DENY VISITS, sometimes without telling us for days (multiple guys told me of such, & how pissed it makes them):
*INSUFFICIENT JOBS, 90 for over 700 prisoners (without a job, we spend OVER 22 hrs/day in our cells, which are so small that I can only take four steps when pacing, my cellie & I can't work out or use the desk at the same time, & we can't help but smell each
others gas...);
* there's NO VOCATIONAL CLASSES, nor any adult/higher educational classes;
* we're DENIED DAYROOM, despite there being dayrooms -- we're kept in our cells all day, unless we're at rec/library (to use the law library, we must give up rec for the day) or on a pass;
* seriously MENTALLY ILL prisoners (e.g. guys who frequently cut themselves or talk to themselves or imagined beings) are CELLED UP WITH OTHER PRISONERS, then ignored by psych staff until (& even after) they act out violently -- PSYCH staff have told me that there's NOT ENOUGH of then to effectively treat all of the mentally ill prisoners here, and security staff obstruct their ability to do so, despite security staff's lack of education in psych issues;
* FOOD, portions are puny, quality is disgusting;
* SUPERVISORS, don't enforce work rules, even when staff clearly violated them (e.g. Sgt. BENNINGER's framing me for having a razor, then allowing my cellie to steal & destroy my property, back in July: Cpt. Schultz observing/allowing staff to, on Sept. 11th, beat Jordan Berg (#538668) when Berg and others peacefully asked to speak with a supervisor about being denied rec because they had jobs), which emboldens staff to mistreat prisoners, inevitably resulting in staff (such as "Jesuit," phonetically spelled - a guard whom the radio, today, said was arrested for using excessive force) abusing their authority;
* staff RESTRICT TV CHANNELS, to 13, which they pick & relay from the institution's digital antenna, unlike at every other WI max security prison;
As I've explained to the warden in a letter sent 3 Nov., the federal prison system (see www.bop.gov & www.doc.wi.gov) has less than half of the staff to prisoner ratio (40,000 staff for 224,000 prisoners, compared to Wl's 10,000 staff for 25,000 prisoners) as WI does, yet the BOP doesn't have frequent assaults on staff, because prisoners, even in max security, have constructive activities to do ALL DAY (I was in four different U.S.P.s between 2013-2015, & at
each i could go out to rec, or the library, or the dayroom, until 9-9:30 PM), AND staff are professional, treat prisoners respectfully.
The question, as I asked the warden in that letter, is are staff going to be allowed to focus on punishing/degrading prisoners, expecting prisoners to just accept this, or are they willing to instead focus on habilitating prisoners, treating us with dignity. TRYING to restore us to society. Which philosophy do you think will be most effective, most likely to create a peaceful environment?
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Please publish this EVERYWHERE
Wisconsin's Attorney General Seeks To Dismiss My Suit About Green Bay Correctional Institution Staff Strip Searching & Moving Me Into A Shit-Smeared Cell (Because I Helped Other Prisoners Write Complaints & Wrote Articles, Posted Online, About Abuse In Seg.) Because I Can't Pay The $400 Filing Fee Up Front.
created 1 November 2019 by Nate A. Lindell #303724
Columbia Correctional Institution P.O. Box 900 2925 Columbia Dr. Portage, WI 53901-0900
In a motion filed 24 Oct. 2019, A.A.G. Eliot M. Held (heldem@doj.state.wi.us) filed motions to stay & dismiss my suit
-- E.D. Wis. Case #19-CV-255, Lindell v. Pollard, et alia. -- arguing that because I had three prior lawsuits/appeals dismissed for lacking merit that I should not have been allowed to proceed in this case without first paying the 400$ filing fee. (The judge allowed me to proceed as a poor person sin forma pauperis), pay the fee when I can -- but the judge may revoke that, if he agrees with AAG Held.)
You can look the case up using www.pacer.gov, look up the motions, and the response that I will file on 4 or 5 November, which will explain that:
- AAG Held's motions were filed SIX MONTHS after the case was approved, after answering my lawsuit & responding to my discovery requests, thus they are filed in bad faith, a desperate attempt to dismiss a case that AAG Held now knows is strong, as defendants partially admitted (look up Docket entry #27. Defendants' Answer, p.3 119, which admits to 119 of my suit [Dkt. #1]) that they moved me to a different cell because I was writing complaints about how a mentally ill prisoner was being treated), and emails that they sent to each other (I obtained them on discovery -- they're attached to the Declaration I'm filing as Exhibits 9, 10, 12, 47 & 49)
confirm that staff were obsessed with what I posted on my blog & Facebook about conditions in GBCl's Seg unit.
I can't say whether or not the judge -- Lynn Adelman, Ph. #414-297-3372 or 920-884-3720, c/o jenifer_dudzik@wied.uscourts.gov -- will accept AAG Held's arguments, or mine. The judge might take the easy way out, dismiss my case (until the 400$ denying...) so he doesn't have to deal with the trial that I'm entitled to (assuming AAG Held refuses to settle my claims on reasonable terms, which appears will be the case). But I know for sure that if 40 people sent 10$ each to
Clerk, E.D. Wisconsin, U.S. District Court ATTN: Filing fee for Case #19-CV-255, Lindell v. Pollard 517 E. Wisconsin Ave., Room 362
Milwaukee, WI 53202 then AAG Held's motion must be dismissed & I can sue GBCI staff for strip searching me & then moving me into a cell that had feces smeared all over its door & window & denying me cleaning supplies & refusing to have it cleaned.
Please share this with these attorneys, so they'll consider representing me in this case: mgbahoora@michaelbest.com;
adumas@pinesbach.com john.remington@quarles.com dk-law@tds.net flanaganlawoffice@yahoo.com aprilfaithslaker@gmail.com danstaett@perkinscoie.com sef@haleskemp.com sesarskas@michaelbest.com reedcornia@cornialaw.com meyeroff633@sbcglobal.net hstraka@axley.com peter@earle-law.com jason@hirschberglaw.com sallen@foley.com henaklaw@sbcglobal.net mjc@pledlcohn.com tburns@perkinscoie.com robin@theshellowgroup.com jraihala@myjustice.com mstein@saferandstein.com rgoldlaw@aol.com
mfox@foxquick.com If each of them contributed 20$, or one of them decides to take my case, the problem's solved, and prison staff would be careful not to harass prisoners who try to help those who lack the sanity or education to advocate for themselves.
DO NOT SEND ME $$. I owe a little over 6,000$, & any $ sent to me will be taken for those debts, until they're paid off. (Money can be sent to me, though, at: 1-866-345-1884 or using Access Corrections.com)

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