Christmas Day – December 25, 2005
Today is Christmas.
It’s about 3 a.m. and I’ve been up all night writing. I’m really amazed by the awesome response we’ve been getting from everyone on the outside. Let me explain how things go with my web site. First, only one person operates my site and that’s my webmaster-genius friend Miles. He runs like 25 other sites all by himself. It would be simply impossible for him to type up everything that goes on my site. Plus, he lives in England and it takes around two weeks for our letters to get to each other.
So everything has to be typed up beforehand, then e-mailed to him. I only have one person who does typing for me and she’s an absolutely amazing woman who is extremely active in the anti-death penalty movement. You know how they have Extreme Snowboarding and other Extreme Sports Championship awards? Well, if there was an Extreme Abolitionist award, she would surely be a top contender. I don’t see how she gets so much done for the anti-death penalty movement on top of working and dealing with a house full of kids. Really, she’s amazing and we’re lucky to have her as an ally in the Struggle.
Read MoreAn Attempted Suicid - December 23, 2005
Time For Change Is Now
Friday, Midday
I just got back from visitation. After my visit finished, I was walking down the hallway just about as happy as I could be. I came to the gate leading to A and B pods, went through, turned down the A-pod hallway and froze.
Two officers and the Sgt. were pulling a guy off B-pod, bloody and only in his boxers. I stopped and yelled down the hall to the Sgt., “What the hell happened?” One of the officers told me that the guy slit his wrists but the officers found him while doing their security check. It is someone I never met, and I don’t know who he is. There are 455 men here on Texas death row, and even though I’ve been here for four years, there are guys I’ve never been housed around.
You know, I can’t believe that pro-death penalty people actually have the audacity to propagate that the conditions here are too good. In the past year (actually about the last 14 months), there have been 3 suicides and like 5 suicide attempts in this building. Why would people be murdering themselves if they were living in luxury?
There have also been 3 people who cancelled their appeals this past year, which is essentially state-assisted suicide.
Imagine not wanting to live anymore! Imagine being pushed so far that you can’t even take everyday existence any longer. We have to step this system. We absolutely have to put an end to Capital Punishment. Thirty minutes ago I saw a man in the hallway who just slit his wrists. He was being pulled off of B-pod in nothing but blood soaked boxers. I can’t get that image out of my head . . .
The time for change is now:
Rob Will
Why I Protest – December, 2005
In letter I’m often asked why I protest. This simple question surprises me every time I hear it. When faced with Injustice to me the obvious response is to fight against that Injustice. Really, it is the only acceptable response. Martin Luther King Jr. once stated that “inaction in the face of injustice is direct consent.” I most emphatically agree. I’ve always been a very free thinking individual. What one might call a “Free Spirit.” I reject all standards put forth by society and I define my own morality. I essentially create my own culture. Any time a person tries to force his values and standards upon me I instinctively think about his – or in this case, T.D.C.J.’s – objectives and motives. This system methodically attempts to instill the “value” of complacency above all others in the minds of inmates. I realized this long ago and asked myself why? The answers: the power of this corrupt system rests on the complacency of the oppressed. To sit idly by is to validate an invalid industry. How can I not protest? I recognize the need for change. I’m immune to the psychological tactic of forced mental complacency and inaction on my part would only give justification to this oppressive system. So, why do I protest? Why have I spent the majority of my time here on disciplinary status because of my actions in opposition to the oppressive conditions we live under? The answer is simple: because in being True to myself, I couldn’t exist any other way.
Robert Will
Read MoreA Day In Honour Of The Sun – December 11, 2005
Wow! This past week I’ve received a bunch of mail, mainly from people and or organization sending wishes of strength and solidarity. Very cool.
I even got one letter from a death penalty activist offering support for our protest. Very inspiring! Some of the mail I received was 3 weeks old. As everyone knows, tampering with the mail is one of their favorite tactics. Speaking of oppressive tactics – sometimes I’m amazed by how well these simple-minded officers play “prison politic” games . . .
Being that me and Tony Ford are housed on A-pod and everyone eels participating in the protest is housed on E-pod, it is very hard for us to communicate with each other. The staff knows this, so they attempt to divide and conquer by spreading false information. This, of course, doesn’t work with us, but I still want to give some examples.
First, because there isn’t a large number of us protesting, it’s impossible to conduct demonstrations on a daily basis.
Read MoreI´m On Disciplinary Pod – December 9, 2005
I`m on the disciplinary pod of Texas Death Row living in a constant state of protest hoping that we can get a mass movement together.
Heres whats been going on:
On first shift, 12-09-05, several of us were given ridiculous disciplinary cases for having paper in our windows. Another repressive new policy! Very well, myself, (Steven) Mike Wood and a few others decided to flood in protest. It took them about 4 hours to clean up all the water.
The next day around 11am we flooded massively again in protest of the majors sadistic new policies.
At approx 7.45pm on Thurs 12-11-05, all of the officers on the pod were in uproar because “someone threw hot oil on Sgt. Horton. About 30 minutes later they brought a guy I know named Ruben to my section with the incident camera rolling.
Ruben’s an intelligent and laid-back person so I knew right away that something very out of the ordinary provoked his actions. I asked him if it was cool to post the incident on the net. He said yes and told me what happened: Officer Tatem wrote him a case for having a “fishing line”. A fishing line is a long self-made line we use to pass things back and forth from cell to cell.
Now, I’ve been here two years and have never seen or heard of anyone catching a case for a line.
Read MoreTony Ford Got A 90 Day Reprieve – November 29, 2005
Painting of Tony Egbuna Ford
Tuesday
Jaime just hollered down the run and told us that Tony Egbuna Ford got a 90-day reprieve! We’ve all been talking about it for the last 30 minutes. Everyone is over here wired up and happy. Or, like we say down in H-Town (Houston), we’re all “crunk”!
KDOL, the radio station out of Livingston that broadcasts the shout-out show, broadcast the info about Egbuno’s reprieve. Only 8 days away from his execution date and he got a 90-day reprieve. Wow, I know he feels good. Actually, hold up a sec, let me holler down at Egbuno to get a quote on how he feels….
“I feel like I can breathe, I’m happy and I’m more determined than ever.” Cool. Well, well, well! –Just as I finished writing that last sentence Sgt. Jones knocked on my door: “Will, you’re on the shakedown list.” The officers had been sitting in the picket for about 2 hours, completely done with their work for the night and now I’m suddenly on the random shakedown list? Yeah right!
It was only Sgt. Jones and the two officers so I figured I might as well come out without any excessive dialogue so I could hurry up and get back to writing.
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