THE WRETCHED

"KNOW YOUR ENEMIES, FROM YOU FRIENDS"

"The GHETTOS are social, political, educational, and above all ECONOMIC [underlined text begins] COLONIES [underlined text ends]. Their inhabitants are SUBJECT PEOPLE, victims of the greed, cruelty, insensitivity, guilt and FEAR of their MASTERS."

-John H. Clarke

"Amerika's Finest."
I compose this particular series of works with the memories of folks like Daniel Prude, Breonna Taylor--"SAY HER NAME"--George Floyd, Oscar Grant, Michael Brown and the THOUSANDS of plainly INNOCENT VICTIMS-TARGETS OUTRIGHT MURDERED by typically "TRIGGER-HAPPY" Police, Sheriffs, State Troopers, Prison Guards, etc., etc. across this blatantly RACIST-BASED and motivated country, well White Supremacist Empire!
I also need to extend my deepest appreciations to ALL of those "IN-THE-STREETS" whom are making the necessary and sustained SACRIFICES towards compelling Law Enforcement and Politicians to meet the correct, reasonable and viable demands of the "Black Lives Matter" movement, in terms of CEASING their "LOW-INTENSITY WARFARE" approach and attitude towards Black and Brown communities. As the world is able to "see," the fact is without people organizing and committing their time and energy towards FORCING Law Enforcement to fundamentally change how our communities are "policed," the reality is it would continue to be "business as usual."
The Sheriff Dept. of Los Angeles, where the recent MURDER of the brother took place, has a horrid and deeply racist history in which I'm very familiar with since I am a person whom is the product of Watts, Nickerson Gardens Housing Projects, i.e., I've actually observed and heard of different experiences with regards to the "Stony-Boys"--Firestone Sheriffs Dept.--vicious and fascist conduct, just as I've personally experienced and heard of different experiences as far as the brutal conduct of the racist L.A.P.D. They can "hide behind their Shield." but WE KNOW OUR TRUTH AND THEIR TRUE NATURE.
Both the Los Angeles Police Dept's. ad L.A. Sheriff's Dept.'s racist and brutal operational policies and practices are thoroughly recorded and reported, as the FACTS bareout when we consider just how members of each of the "GANGS," I've actually been told by Police, Sheriffs and Prison Guards that "OUR GANG, IS TOUGHER THAN YOUR'S," were arrested and prosecuted upon being found GUILTY of having engaged in CRIMINAL CONDUCT--e.g., assaults, extortions, drug-selling, theft, destruction of evidence, perjury, murders, conspiracies, etc.--as is exactly the reason L.A. County Jail has been under Federal monitoring for years, just as has California's Corcoran and Pelican Bay State Prisons.
We're all very aware of the "Rampart Police Dept.'s" scandal. I've had person experience at the hands of both the L.A.P.D., 77th Street Station, and the Los Angeles County Jail Sheriffs, where, when I was held there (1981-1982), it was a place where the Sheriffs literally used as their "Training Ground," in the sense of purposely and systematically TARGETING Blacks and Mexican-Amerikans for brutal mistreatment, even as on occasion detainees were shoved down the "esculator" and murdered by the Sheriffs, whom swam in their abusively morbid power-trips. on my dear "MOTHER's GRAVE," I actually had several White L.A.P.D. Officers from 77th Street Station drive me to a dark alley near the Station and PUT A 22. CALIBER GUN TO MY FIFTEEN YEAR OLD FOREHEAD AND PULLED THE DAMN TRIGGER, WHILE MY EYES WERE SHUT-TIGHT IN TOTAL TERROR!
They were "nigger-hunting" and just having "fun," evidently, since obviously I am still "alive!" I was pulled out of a cell while in L.A. County Jail, I was in the "Hole," by an Asian Sheriff along with his White partner and literally used as a "GUNIEA PIG," for the purpose of displaying to their "new recruits" how to restrain and control detainees. It was a painful and humiliating experience but it developed in this heart . . . "STEEL!"
The basic and main point for my sharing all of this, is to emphasize that: I WILL NEVER TRUST AND NOR CARE FOR POLICE, SHERIFFS AND/OR LAW ENFORCEMENT GENERALLY AS I REALIZE AND GRASP DEEPLY WHAT EXACTLY IS THEIR TRUE NATURE AND FUNCTION WITH REGARDS TO BEING THE "HIRED GUNS" OF A WHITE SUPREMACIST-MOTIVATED SYSTEM. Do we not REMEMBER what was done to the Black Panther Party for daring to defend and care for the Black Lower-Class, and how our people were brutally attacked and killed by the "law," during the Civil Rights and Black Power Movements? Don't we understand that "S.W.A.T," was actually created as a tactical reactive-force of RACIST and FASCIST white men desiring to "CRUSH" our struggle for true social and political justice?
The "hard-truth," for some it's a "hard-truth," is Law Enforcement operates on the definite basis of an AUTHORITARIAN COMPLEX, and when you factor in RACISM, what you inevitably get is an EXPLOSIVE COMBINATION rooted in profound indifference, hatred, stereotypes, prejudices and a "John Wayne" or "Rambo" approach and attitude. I observe it daily here in Prison, where I've been since 1982! To a large degree, this equally applies to "Black" and "Brown"--Mexican-Amerikans are the majority by far here at Centinela State Prison as far as Prison Guards--Law Enforcement Officers as well, since they "fall-right-in-line" with regards to the brutal and sadistic culture over a period of time in order to both show their "loyalty," as well as to get in on the "fun," as far as dogging POOR FOLKS.
Yep, it's ever "poor-folks"-- i.e., the Lower Class and Working-Class Poor--whom most in Uniform, PLAIN CLOTHES, TOO, are conditioned not to value and respect, just as most of society doesn't value and respect the LOWER-CLASS, here and around the world.

"LAWS and GOVERNMENTS may be considered in this and EVERY CASE as a combination of the RICH to OPPRESS THE POOR, and to preserve to THEMSELVES the INEQUALITY of the GODS..."

-Adam Smith
(The Wealth of Nations)

Since the spread of the "Coronavirus," I've actually heard it reported on the news that the NYPD, well, some "ex-cops," communicated to the WEALTHY CLASS of their State, that due to there existing a great degree of "fear" amongst them, as far as feeling as though they'll be targeted by the "HAVE-NOTS," that they, the "ex-cops," are willing and ready to "Protect & Serve" . . . THEM!
No, not the LOWER-CLASS or WORKING-CLASS POOR whom the rich (e.g., industrialists, bankers, corporate owners-executives, etc.) exploit, but the "BILLIONAIRE BOY CLUB." Now, the reason I point this out, is it goes to show or along way towards providing evidence with regards to showing the TRUE NATURE and IDEOLOGICAL FUNCTION of Law Enforcement, to include the Prison System, FBI, CIA, Pentagon-Military Industrial Complex and indeed across the globe, as we see on a constant level, JUST WHO or WHAT CLASS are the MAIN TARGETS for REPRESSION.

"ALL AROUND THE WORLD, SAME SONG"

Yes, on an ultimate level Law Enforcement exist to UPHOLD and ENFORCE those LAWS which are designed and geared towards defending the rights and material-interests of the White Male ruling class, just as in fact actually is inscribed in and the intent of the "Founding Fathers" Constitutional Framework, which, of course, White Supremacist wrote.
Until we get this reality forever "stuck in our heads," we'll go on struggling "blindly," and thus, continue being ineffective since too many have the very naive and dangerous notion, really SUFFER AN ILLUSION, that the Police, Sheriffs, State Troopers, FBI, DEA, ATF, Prison Guards, etc., whom are mainly White men, are somehow "innocent" or "neutral" people just "doin' their job," to "keep us safe!" Yep, the same LIE people are conditioned to believe as far as the United States' military troops exist and function to "fight to protect our freedoms," even as history PROVES that every WAR that this government engaged in, had everything to do not with supposedly "defending our freedoms," but dominating other people so as to exploit their resources--PERIOD!
This is the naive "thinking," even though when the "law" is deployed, it is EVER DIRECTED TOWARDS THOSE STRUGGLING FOR JUSTICE and HUMAN or CIVIL RIGHTS, WHOM LAW ENFORCEMENT AIM THEIR RESPRESSIVE TACTICS AND WEAPONS OF VIOLENCE TOWARDS ACROSS THE DAMN PLANET. That's a glaring reality, even as so many reside on "FANTASY ISLAND."
Do I concede that there are "good" or "decent-caring" people employed in the various types of Law Enforcement capacities? Of course there are those... I've actually encountered a few caring Prison Guards, although they preferred to keep how they thought and felt, "under the cover," and Police Officers whom simply desired to try and make a positive difference by playing it fair, across the board, i.e., whom were not working in the system to fuck-over people. However, the truth is folks like them are often goin' up against the strong winds of a deeply entrenched CULTURE, a culture, that for the most part, is based on an "US vs. THEM," mentality and outlook. To my mind, the number one thing which would compel the vast majority of those in Law Enforcement whom are TRIGGER-HAPPY" and operate on the basis of an "US vs. THEM," mentality and outlook, is to make it possible for THEIR PERSONAL PAY CHECKS TO BE DEDUCTED FROM WHEN AND IF THEY VIOLATE THE LAW, JUST AS THOSE CONVICTED ARE MADE TO PAY RESTITUTION FOR THOSE VIOLATIONS.

"MONEY, TALKS!"

Whether or not there are "good" or "decent-caring" Law Enforcement Officers, actually misses the fundamental and main point which I am here emphasizing and that is this: IT IS A SYSTEM-DESIGN GEARED TOWARDS ASSURING THAT THE WHITE MALE RULING CLASS MAINTAINS THEIR PREDOMINANCE AS TO THE EXISTING STATUS-QUO, A STATUS-QUO WHICH IS DEEPLY ROOTED IN AND MOTIVATED BY OPPRESSIVE AND EXPLOITATIVE AGENDAS AND PROGRAMS--I.E., POLICIES--FROM HERE TO ACROSS THE GLOBE, IN WHICH IS THE REAL PROBLEM AND WHICH ALL LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS ARE ELEMENTS OF TO MAKE IT OPERATE.

"LAW is an invention of the STRONG to CHAIN and RULE the WEAK."

-Rousseau

"LAW is the WILL of (ONE) CLASS made into the LAW for ALL."

(The Rule of Law)

To be continued...

Joe L. (A'Jene) Valentine
C47779
Centinela State Prison
P.O. Box 921 (A3-224)
Imperial, CA 92251