1341 11.7.2012

"Shooter, Quake and Sandman: RIP"

Just got a letter from Sandra in Minnesota and she sent me some copies of a bunch of drawings I did years ago. Like 1988 and '89. I've drawn so much crap over the years I've forgotten most of it. I do remember these drawings after seeing them. Especially the "HRP Meeting" flyer. That was back when Shooter was still alive. He died in 1989 on his 25th birthday. I remember me & him telling each other we wouldn't live past 25! I even remember where we were. It was 1984 and we'd both recently been tattooed by Mahoney. Our first REAL tattoos. He got that mohawked skeleton coming thru the "Germs" circle and I got the "Chiefs" logo, kind of modified so the shield was a more traditional iron cross (HRP cross). Anyway, we were downtown LA and we just left a barber shop where they wouldn't shave the sides of our heads. We both had mohawks and I guess the barber didn't like that. Back then EVERYONE hated punk rockers but that was okay because we hated everyone back! So anyway Shooter died on his 25th birthday. Accidentally. I've always felt a little guilty about NOT dying by the age of 25. Like I broke a pact or something, even though it wasn't really a pact. It was just something we felt at the time. And look at all the wonderful things I would have missed! Like being held hostage by a hostile government! He's not the only one on that flyer that's gone. Quake died of living too hard. AKA: liver failure. Luckily I got to spend some time with him before I got struck out, and while I was on the run. (I ran for over 2 years). And Sandman put a bullet in his head because he was facing a 3rd strike. He cheated the state out of a lot of time. I guess that's one way to win!

While we're on THAT subject: a couple of days ago as we were being let out for chow I heard a guard's radio saying "We got a hanger in 4160. Doesn't appear to be breathing". Meaning, obviously, that someone was hanging themselves. Then the "panic alarm" goes off and we had to go into the dayroom since we were standing right by it. Anyway, when the alarm goes off everyone has to "get down" wherever they are and the guards take off running to wherever the alarm is. BUT that's not what happened this time. They all hear the announcement on their radios first so they knew it was someone killing themselves. Did they all go running? Fuck no! They all WALKED to Building 4 where the action was. And even a nurse who happened to be on the yard walked. It's like they all wanted to give whoever it was plenty of time to die. Didn't they realize he was trying to cheat the state out of some time? It's just so hard for me to understand the hate they must have for us to do that. You should have seen these nurses a few months ago when one of these guards sucked on a shotgun. It's so clear that none of these state agents see us as human. And it makes you feel like you're less than human. I don't identify myself as a citizen, obviously, because I'm not. I have a hard time thinking of myself as anything but a hostage. I guess it's good to know that if I ever decide to "self-parole" I'll be successful.

Anyway... I've been waiting for this Doe v. Harris to pass in the state and I found out it's already recognized by the feds! That means if I can file a writ of habeas corpus and get past the state courts without being time-barred, I can get the feds to drop ALL my strikes since all my strikes were from plea bargains! So I guess I better file! This should be considered "new evidence", but the state is full of hate so they may not think so. We'll see. I can't just wait for the state to rule on this case because if they rule AGAINST it I may run out of time. My one year time limit SHOULD start when the feds ruled on Doe v Harris which was at least 7 months ago. I could never trust the state to do the right thing. That rarely happens. What is so frustrating is the state will always try to find a way to shoot you down, whether they are in the wrong or not. All I can do is try, though. It's going to take awhile so I have to get on it. All I need to file is the dates and case numbers of my prior strikes. I have strikes that are ALL from plea bargains and the worst thing about that is I took deals on these crimes when I could have went to trial and walked! I got one strike from a burglary in 1983 I was accused of with no evidence at all. I was talked into taking 6 months in the county with a 6 yr 8 month "joint suspended", which means if I violate my probation I could go to prison for that long. The ONLY reason I took this deal is because I had already done 4 months and I'd be out in 2 weeks, and being in Orange County Jail in 1983 with a mohawk was a nightmare. The guards fucked with me EVERY DAY! Putting me in the Hole and/or the "Rubber Room" every time I shaved my sides. They finally wore me down. Then in 1984 I went with a couple other guys to "recover" some stolen coke from someone and the only thing ALLEGEDLY stolen was a stolen gun that the guy couldn't even prove existed.

They had NO EVIDENCE on that crime. I'm not saying I was totally innocent, but it definitely wasn't *3* armed robberies! That's what they called it because there were 2 other people in the house. That's the case they used to say I had 3 prior strikes even though the police report stated "neither of the other two victims suffered any injury or property loss". How the hell do they get 3 counts of armed robbery out of one person missing something that may not have even existed? (As far as the courts were concerned). Anyway, I apparently pled "no contest" to 3 armed robberies because my lawyer told me that this court in L.A. didn't know about my 6 yr 8 month joint suspended in O.C. and I would get only 3 yrs if I took that deal RIGHT THEN, and they couldn't add the 6.8 to my sentence. 3 yrs sounds a lot better than almost 7 so I bit. So now, surprise, surprise! 15 years later they fuck me with both fists for shit I should never have been convicted of! That's some depressing ass shit! As a matter of fact I'm done thinking about it. C ya.