January 11, 2020 @ OSCI

Hi everyone!

I hope your New Year is going well!

I just got some amazing news! Just had a court hearing this morning on my criminal case and was awarded 423 days worth of credit. I only have 205 days left so as soon as the amended JOC gets here and the re-computation is done I'll be headed for the streets! It's 6-hrs later and I'm still getting heart palpitations. Think I should get that looked at? Ha!

This is frickin' wild. So many thoughts going thru my head about release. Trying hard to get organized and keep things together at the same time. I was slowly getting heated up for release but everything just got kicked into overdrive.

A quick COVID/overcrowding lawsuit update to start. I had a minor hiccup in staff refusing to file the declarations by claiming that I couldn't file declarations that other individuals had filed out. OSCI uses the electronic filing system so I have to use the library to send most of my filings. Their justification was that it was the other persons legal work. I wrote a strongly worded letter to the attorney general saying that if I wasn't allowed to file then I'd ask the Court to hold the defendants in contempt for interference with another party's (my) ability to file legal documents. Needless to say, the last batch of declarations was filed without a hitch.

I want to send out a great big thank you to the Community for helping to distribute declarations and having a professional version made up. Thus far, I've received over a dozen declarations using their version. Thank you !!!

Right now we're waiting on the initial screening, class certification, and a temporary restraining order & injunction. I already paid the initial partial filing fee and hope the Court will get the ball rolling soon.

I did a mass mailing to all the litigators throughout the DOC that were listed by IWOC. Just trying to get the word out a bit more and get some blank declarations in their hands. I figure they're the guys in the best position to get an accurate feel for what's going on at their institutions. I've already started to get positive responses.

Oh, almost forgot that things are opening around here. Dayrooms are open with games allowed (still only 2 to a table), outdoor rec tables are open under the same restrictions, most workers are back to work. More stuff is scheduled soon including school and programs reopening, limited to 10 ppl at a time. Best part? The Main Kitchen is getting back to regular meals (only slightly reduced calories as opposed to slashed to nothing).

Well, I'll go for now. I do plan on continuing to post here or another site if it's not allowed.

Please stay safe and sane!
Tony