Dangerous contraband

For some reason, last night I couldn’t go to sleep in my cell. I was tossing and turning, but I just couldn’t sleep. Well anyway, at 1 a.m. or so, the guards came walking by searching the halls for contraband. They walked by my cell and kept going. They got to the end of the hall and I heard one of them say, “What’s this?”

I heard more talking, but the only word I could really understand was “shank.” I looked out my cell as they walked back and one of them was holding a prison shank made out of what looked like a piece of metal from a bunk.

It’s a scary thought what some of these guys are planning. It couldn’t have been hidden too long because the guard found it pretty easy. So most likely it belonged to somebody who’s here with me. I’m just glad nobody got stabbed with it, even though it wouldn’t be too hard to make a new one.

This post was also written about three weeks ago at RMC-Main in Lake Butler

Attempted murder at RMC-Main

Ted’s alluded to severe fights in the various prisons before. He once told me how one guy was stabbed 23 times during his last week at Brevard. But this week at RMC in Lake Butler, Ted personally witnessed a bad incident.

I posted Ted’s description of his cellblock yesterday. There are two rows of cells (on top of each other) and an aisle with a wall of windows facing the cells. Ted observed the entire fight in the reflection of the glass.

Two inmates – one black and one white – began to fight. It was pretty severe and went on for several minutes – with no CO in sight.

Finally, the white guy turned to flee. The black guy grabbed a hold of the back of the white guy’s shirt, picked him up and threw him face first down an entire flight of stairs. A CO finally appeared afterward.

Ted also heard on another occasion a CO say to someone in another cell, “What’s this? Oh, this is cocaine, huh?” So apparently a stash of cocaine was found. Ted also mentioned a shank was discovered on the cellblock this week.

Photo: The inside of Lake Butler in 1976 from the FL DOC website. Notice the extra beds in the aisle. Click photo to enlarge.

A bad week for someone else too

Here at the Orlando Reception Center, I’m not the only one watching his back this week. (See previous entry.)

In my pod, there is one guy that supposedly snitched on a gang member at another camp. As it turns out, somebody recognized him.

Ever since certain people found out, they’ve been discussing what they should do. After a day of contemplating, they decided to poke him up (stab him). They made a shank and all.

I’m not sure when they’re going to do this, but supposedly it’s a for sure thing. The only fact I know for certain is they made a shank for just that purpose.

All I can do for him is pray. He thinks he might leave on the same bus as me and for his sake, I do too.

A lot of people have 10 years or more and wouldn’t mind doing the job.

Please pray for him also.

It turns out the young man did not leave on the same bus as Ted. At this time, it’s not known what happened to him.

Photo: A collection of confiscated prison shanks (Click photo to enlarge.)