Thread by @ORprisonreport

Oregon Prison Report: Voices from the Inside

Part II

"Don't tell me, Kate Brown, that you're trying to protect Oregonians from Covid by your decisions. Her decisions' criteria is excluding me from being considered for early release to help protect my life from Covid-19...”

“...If people really want to protest, speak out about life or death issues. This is it, speak out for me, and others who can be early released!"

#ODOCKills #KateBrownKills #FreeThemAll

(Testimony from Critical Resistance PDX's (@CR_PDX) Write Them All Campaign)

Snake River Correctional Institution (SRCI) / November 30th, 2020.

They should have kept OSCI inmates separate from the other prisons while at OSP. But they didn't. Every time the nurses came by to hand out medications, I'd tell them I need my inhaler reinstated. My lungs burn, I'm short of breath, I've been asthmatic all of my life.

They told me to be patient, we're in an emergency situation. All 6 days there, I didn't get to shower until the night before we left to come back. Once back at OSCI, the prison was still smoky like a bar room. I kyted to get the inhaler.

They said, "Our files don't show you're asthmatic." I wrote back, "You have to check my file from Snake River, it won't be my current file, it's probably in the basement in storage!" I know this because I built their storage racks for storing the older files in the basement...

... when I worked for the carpenter's shop. (I found out later, they were too lazy to check, they were going off the computer of listed meds I've been given in the past, and the inhaler wasn't on there, wasn't forwarded.)

I begged like a dog, kyte after kyte, for help.

Then I was scheduled to see a provider, Dr. Bristol, not my provider, but at least we were getting somewhere I thought. But that appointment was cancelled and rescheduled. Go figure! Next one was 4 days later. It was cancelled and rescheduled.

3 days later, again, cancelled, rescheduled. I was so upset! Then Covid hit my housing unit like a freight train. 86 men out of 210 test positive from Covid. They brought it back from OSP! Though the DOC denied it. It wasn't here at all when we left.

Only by the grace of God, my cellie and I tested negative for Covid-19 My cellie is one of the people the governor is currently offering a medical commutation to, to let him out 4 1/2 years early. He's non-person-person crime. So because we went on a tier 4 level...

... full of lockdown of our housing unit because of Covid, no provider appointments were scheduled! Emergency only.

I guess my being asmthatic needing an inhaler wasn't enough to be seen. I knew all a provider would do is have me blow in the spirometer to get a reading...

... of how much air I blow out to determine if I'm asthmatic. Takes 15 seconds! But we are on full lockdown for 2 weeks! The nurses daily took temperature checks, daily I'd complain. They tell me, "We'll look into it!" I even told one them, "Walk down to the basement...

... of medical, my Snake River file will be there, look and see, the doctor tested me, I'm asthmatic, have been all of my life, had inhalers at Snake River, all I need is it reinstated! Can't you see how short of breath I am?"

She looked at me in disgust like I was an animal, said "I'll look into it" with attitude. She didn't. 2 days before my asthma attack, Rosalinda Vizina, the nurse manager herself was making rounds during the temperature checks. I told her about it...

... how I needed the inhaler reinstated. She told me, "Be patient, we are in a tier 4, emergency only situation."

Then 2 days later I have the severe asthma attack! I believe if I had an inhaler, perhaps the attack wouldn't have happened.

I begged them to listen, I could feel my chest getting tighter for days! The seizure, the concussion, or the trauma of feeling like I was going to suffocate to death, would have happened if I was only given a simple inhaler. See how incompetent DOC medical is?

My son was 8 when I came to prison. He's waited 23 years to have me back in his life on the streets. He's listened to my advice, went to college, got a good career, buying a home at 31, got 2 sons. He is stressed out really bad worrying for my health in here after my attack.

After having a 51 year old man die of Covid, who was here at OSCI, Nick was his name! It's such a joke! Governor Brown is all over the news saying the decisions she's making are to protect Oregonian's lives! What about my life?

It's a fact, no one in a prison environment can correctly socially distance! My cellie sleeps on the top bunk 3 feet away! In an 8' x 10' cell. If he gets infected, I get infected. For me it could be a death sentence since I'm asthmatic! With other underlying conditions.

It's too late for Nick or the other 19 people in prison who died! Kate Brown didn't do one thing to help protect them from the virus! All she's helping is the non-person-to-person crime people, a lot who are not as vulnerable to the virus as I am.

Anyone can see I'm proven 100% rehabilitated, and not a risk to the public to be let out 1 year 11 months early in an attempt to help save my life from the Covid-19 virus, by letting me out so I can correctly social distance! 3 times a day I risk my life.

3 times a day we eat in the chow hall. 4 to a table, 2 feet apart, tables 3 feet apart. Masks have to be lowered to eat. 3 times a day if I want to eat, I put my health, my life at risk to be exposed to the Covid-19 virus. No choice.

I don't have money like a lot of others to buy canteen items to survive off of to avoid the chow hall altogether during the pandemic. If I did I definitely would! I failed my son.

For 23 years he's been waiting for the day I can be in his life again!

Now he wants me in his sons' lives also! It's a very high chance I get Covid-19 in here, because I can't correctly social distance, i could die. Having asthma, I'm at a higher risk than a lot of others Brown is considering for early release.

I need people to speak out for my life. My life matters just as much as non-person-to-person crimes people do. For the 20 people who have already died in Oregon prisons, it's too late. My son deserves his dad being in his life. With one word from Governor Kate Brown...

... I can be allowed to protect my life, by allowing me to correctly social distance on the streets because I'm medically vulnerable with underling health conditions to the Covid-19 virus that helped kill 20 other inmates already in Oregon prisons.

Protestors are protesting Black Lives Matter. They do. But we are talking about life and death. My life matters also!

2020 has been a year that traumatized me because I was treated like an animal, not a human! No one who loved their animals left them to breathe in...

... toxic fire smoke for 15 hours outside! No one who loved their animals would deny them medications they need. No one who loved their animals would put them in a position exposing them to a virus that could kill them. If I wasn't 52, had asthma...

... and other underlying health issues, I wouldn't be so worried about dying of Covid! But I see how easily Nick died from the virus. All because he couldn't correctly social distance in prison. I pray everyone will speak out for me before it's too late for me...

... like it was for Nick. To be discriminated against like this is wrong! No different than being racist!

Where's the fear of early releasing me 1 year 11 months early in an attempt to protect my life from the Covid-19 virus? Or is my life not worth saving?

I wrote Tara Herivel, a Portland lawyer, who was in that Oregonian article on Covid-19. Asked for help. She hasn't responded back. Wrote her on 11-15-20. I'l be honest, I've never been as terrified of anything as I've been of Covid-19.

Covid could very easily be a death sentence for me, 1 year 11 months before my release. Imagine, for 23 years I've waited, worked on myself to change for the better, so I could be back in my son's life, to be the dad to him I should have been 23 years ago!

To try to heal what I broke, 23 years I've lived with regret, shame, a broken heart, waiting to try to spend my life with my son on the streets, and Kate Brown and Covid-19 could make it so it doesn't happen. After all these years!

Don't tell me, Kate Brown, that you're trying to protect Oregonians from Covid by your decisions. Her decisions' criteria is excluding me from being considered for early release to help protect my life from Covid-19.

If people really want to protest, speak out about life or death issues, this is it, speak out for me, and others who can be early released! Notice how the parole board hid behind "we have limited resources." Declare it a state of emergency!

Get more help and try to protect those like me locked up who can't correctly social distance, who get Covid and could easily die! What will they do to blame their limited resources, after I die of Covid, when it's too late?

My life means nothing to the state of Oregon, to Kate Brown! She's left it in the hands of the incompetent DOC medical to identify those most vulnerable! Look at what they did to me over an inhaler!

Society has no idea how grossly wasted their tax dollars are in the justice system! Kate Brown is choosing to endanger my life by her criteria. By her discrimination. Who's a higher risk to the safety of the public to be released early?

Me or people who committed only non-person-to-person crimes but were imprisoned multiple times for doing it over and over? I've proven who I am now by my conduct of 23 years. 100% rehabilitated. Not 1 non-person-to-person crime person she's releasing early...

... has a 23 year perfect conduct record, to prove who they are! Not 1 prisoner in Oregon has this but me. It's who I am! I don't break rules anymore!

What's scary is this letter very easily could be my last letter ever written. I could go to chow, be exposed, and die...

... because I had no choice but to lower my mask to eat in a non-social distancing environment, and be dead in a week. Like Nick, it's a very real reality. A lot more than out there. Out there I could very easily correctly social distance to protect myself.

Please tell every group, everybody you can to speak out to the Governor for me on my behalf.

My life may depend on those who can speak out for me and those in here who could be released to save their lives.

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