YOGI'S 1969
LETTER FROM SOLEDAD PRISON
"EXHIBIT
A
Statement
of Facts
Soledad
Central, CA
I swear on
my life and on those who have perished unmercifully under the cruel hands of
these racial anti-Black officials, that what you are about to read is the pure,
honest truth and nothing but:
To All
(Blacks) Concerned:
(1969) On
October the 27th, Eugene Grady, Eddie Whiteside and myself (Hugo Pinell), were
transferred to Soledad Correctional Instiutuion Facility, from Folsom Prison.
We were place in the Max Row section of O-Wing. Immediately entering the
Sallyport area of the section, I could hear inmates shouting and making remarks
such as; "Nigger is a scum low down dog, etc." I couldn't believe my
ears at first because I know if I could hear these things, the officers beside
me could too and I started wondering what was going on (?). Then, I fixed my
eyes on the Wing Sergeant and I began to see the clear picture of why those
inmates didn't care if the officials heard them instigating racial conflict.
The
Sergeant was and still is Mr. M., a known prejudice character towards Blacks
because of previous unforgettable experiences with Blacks. I was placed in cell
#139 and since that moment up until now I have had no peace of mind. The white
inmates made it a 24 hour job of cursing Black Inmates just for kicks and the
officials harassed us with consistency also. On October the 28th, my personal
property was handed to me and I only received one third of what I had in
Folsom, plus it was torn along with half of the photographs they allowed me to
have. But, I still kept collectively at ease.
Soon, on
November the 12th, they had the first shake down since I was there. The
officials went straight to Whiteside's cell and I didn't believe my eyes at how
they operated. They only went in the cell for seconds while Whiteside was
hand-cuffed in another cell. They came out and without a cause, took Whiteside
to the other side of O-Wing which is considered Isolation. I asked the officers
where they were taking Whiteside and one of them told me to shut-up. About two
minutes they came back and shook my cell down and I figured they would take me
to the other side also, but they didn't!! They only accused me of having a torn
sheet in my cell and they charged me $1.26 for it. In their records shows that
the set of sheets on my bed were untouched, so I asked them how they came about
with a torn sheet and again I was told to shut-up and was given ten (10) days
cell exercise which means I don't come out of my cell for ten days! I still
didn't say anything.
The next
day, I got a visit in a visiting room and when I came back, inmate Meneweather
(a Black) told me that the police had attacked W.L. Nolen (a Black) while being
hand-cuffed and he had been taken to Isolation! Now, this was a little too much
to accept, so Edwards (a Black), Meneweather and myself protested accordingly
to their ways; we threw some liquid on officer D. since he was the cause of
W.L. Nolen getting attacked. We didn't have any meanings of defense. No one
knew how we were doing down here, so, we could only respond in protection of
each other! They came back and threw gas in our cells until we almost
died-seriously-I had to wave a towel since I was choking from the gas.
They told
me that they wouldn't open the door until I undressed, back up to the door and
stick my arms out. I did just that, they hand-cuffed me and dragged me to the
other side, naked. Meneweather and Edwards received the same treatment. We were
placed in the so called strip-cells in the back of the tier. The next day the
doctor came by, not specially to see us, but mainly making his once a week
routine. he asked me if i was okay and i told him, "yeah," I'm
alright. I wanted to say "No sir, my eyes and skin are burning from the
gas," but I couldn't do it because I didn't have any hopes of getting help
from anyone except my own people. Then, we were given 29 days isolation,
including 15 days R.D. (Restricted Diet). This R.D. is served twice a day and
believe me, even a dog wouldn't eat it, perhaps not even a pig!
In that
dark cell I did a lot of thinking on what all this harassment would lead to
because surely, the officials could see how well together we were and we didn't
let the White inmate's fat-mouthing affect us in the least. Then, my visits
were restricted to the Captain's Office and I kept cool because all my brothers
were being mistreated, some worse than me. For instance; W.L. Nolen was
disliked by all the officials and what angers me is that, these officials don't
hide it, they just come out in the open and let you know, you are not
appreciated in O-Wing if you are Black.
After our
29 days were over we returned to Max Row but before that they had brought
inmate Grady to Isolation trying to frame him also-I asked him why they
(officials) did so many petty things and he said he couldn't understand it
either but in our eyes we could see the answer-we were Black and we weren't
fooling ourselves, we merely try to give each other encouragement.
When we
came back to Max Row (Edwards, Meneweather, and myself) Whiteside and Nolen
were already back. Again we layed back and accepted the insults from White
Inmates. These officials didn't allow no one to exercize except inmates of
their own race in group of three at one time-so that no mexican, white or black
inmate came in contact with one another at any time. They violated this rule by
letting whites and mexicans exercise together and get haircuts on the same day
so that this way it made it obvious what they meant to plant in people's mind
by segregating Blacks from everybody else.
So, it was
no secret that racial tension existed on Max Row and Blacks were housing as
follows; Nolen (#134), Satcher (#144), Whiteside (#140), Myself, Pinell (#139),
Randolph (#137), Meneweather (#134), Edwards (#132), Miller (#130), and
Anderson (#126). Anderson was harassed the next day (around the 16th of Dec.)
and taken to Isolation. On the 18th day, Nance (a Black) was brought in from
Isolation and placed in cell #128. That same day I was informed by officials
that I was to go to Sacramento County Jail, the next day. I couldn't figure out
what would be the reason for me going to Sacramento. So, on the 19th, before I
left, Grady was returned to Max Row and house in #127.
Now, we
were all wondering why all of the sudden so many Blacks were being moved on our
side, because, really, when I first came on this tier, there were only four (4)
Blacks (Nolen, Meneweather, Edwards and Anderson) and they have been there for
quite a while putting up with officials, as well as inmates' insults. The only
thing we had going for us, was ourselves, and we behaved so civilized that it
enraged everyone to try more mischievous plots against us hoping we would react
savagely as they did, but without triumph! Anyway, on the 19th I left for
Sacramento, it was a Friday and I didn't return until Tuesday the 23rd. I was
put in the same cell #139. It was the same environment-the air stayed stuffed
with "Nigger here”, and “Nigger there."
On the 28th
of Dec., a list was passed out announcing the opening of the Max Row yard on
the 29th. But it didn't open because there was still some work yet to be done.
But I did notice that white inmates and officials were awfully cheerful for
some reason or another and they continuously didn't forget to remind us of the
yard opening soon. Nolen kept telling me that these officials were up to no
good and the white inmates would pass my cell asking me, "are you coming
out when the yard opens?"-most of the time I would laugh at them and
sometimes I would just sigh and roll on my other side trying to sleep.
Days went
by and on Monday the 12th, I left for Sacramento County Jail again. It was
raining like hell up that way so I figured the weather was the same at Soledad.
Tuesday morning I was taken to Court, but someone said it was a mistake, that I
was supposed to appear that afternoon, so I was taken back to County Jail where
I met other friends of mine. Well, me and my friends (not from Soledad) went to
court that afternoon, when we returned, we happened to hear the news on the
radio where it announced the killing of three inmates at Soledad Institution
while scuffling in the yard. Damn, for some reason I knew what yard that man on
the radio was referring to, because I fell to my knees against my will, and
tears rolled out of my eyes. Believe me, I'm a man in every respect, but if you
felt the tension we live under, you could easily understand a grown man crying.
I was sad, glad, angry, and hateful; Gordon (a Black) also cried and he wasn't
even at Soledad and yet we know how it is for Blacks in prison.
Everybody
stopped and stared at me not understanding. I cursed people out for no reason
because, after all, it wasn't their fault. I returned here the next day and I
could smell death in the air. The tier was like a tomb-I was put in my, what
used to be, personal friend's cell; W.L. Nolen. I asked what happened and they
told me (Blacks) that W.L. Nolen, Cleveland Edwards and Alvin Milller were shot
down like ducks in a pond. Pay full attention to what I have said, because even
today we live under the same conditions and that murder out in the yard could
have easily been me or the rest of the Blacks down here. Or maybe we get it
next time? All I do is ask myself, "Is this the price a man has to pay for
wanting to be Black and respected as such, as he respects others?" I tell
you, it is cold blooded!
I speak on
behalf of all Blacks who know and understand the meaning of being Black and in
Prison. If it wasn't for those killings of W.L. Nolen, Edwards, and Miller, I
would have never sat down to write this, but if my people keep on getting
killed in this fashion, what is the sense in me living when their heart is also
my beat?!
Cordially,
Hugo A.
Pinell
A-88401
0-147
Witnessed
by,
Thomas
Lopez Meneweather
A-84502"
