Yeah, I heard that you sustained quite a few injuries after sticking up for weaker inmates.
As well as being shanked and hit with rocks, I’ve hurt my hands a lot. I’ve been hit hard and had to take it easy for weeks until my body healed from blows and hits to the back of my head. I have several large scars, including one on my shoulder, where I was sliced open. I’ve hurt my feet, knees, elbows, fingers, and toes. I’ve had contract killings put out on me for being outspoken about issues that are common in the joint. I’ve been asked to leave yards. I’ve been locked down because certain people didn’t want me around. I’ve found notes in my cell saying my life is in danger.
How did you end up in prison in the first place?
When I got out of the Marines, I set myself up as a bodyguard, and the cash started rolling in. I invested in the cocaine business and got addicted to it. I’ve lost over 20 years of my life due to the dumb decisions I made on drugs. I’ve hurt my wife and children by putting myself in here. Every time I’ve been released, I’ve come straight back. I’m not making excuses for myself, but most prisoners have drug problems, and the prisons offer no help, drug counseling, or rehabilitation. The system is designed so that prisoners come right back, because it keeps the prison in business. That’s part of the reason why there are more black guys in prison throughout the entire USA than are in college and more than were held under slavery before slavery was abolished.
[Editor’s Note: Ivory Toldson, a professor at Howard University, says the conventional idea that there are more black men in prison than in college is a myth. According to his research, there are 1.4 million black men in college and 840,000 black men in prison.]