“Outbreak” Featuring Dustin Hoffman!
That is the image that came to my mind as I sat on the edge of my bunk waiting for the nurse to call my name and take my temperature.
On September 7th, my entire unit was under siege, thanks to one very careless officer! This was the only officer that I had ever seen gallivanting around with a Mohawk hairstyle while in uniform. His rebellious fashion statement would certainly support a cavalier “Trump-esque” attitude, trivializing the covid virus and vehemently contesting wearing a mask like any responsible “citizen”.
In fact, one might say that his less than empathetic attitude towards his job, left the bulk of 70 plus men infected by his carelessness, and wondering, whether or not this officer had adopted a “suicide bomber’s ethos, fostered by the “herd” philosophy! Prison is already the real life version of “the walking dead”, added to the mindless meandering of an environment where true social distancing is an impossibility; a deadly pandemic, what remains are modern day concentration camps!
I was one of the few men who escaped the potential “death sentence” injected into unit 2 here at Newberry. Although I was relieved to know that I had escaped said sentence, I knew that my fate was sealed!
Contracting covid-19 in a Petri dish filled with covid-19, was a foregone conclusion. Covid had breached the perimeter and I knew that it would just be a matter of time…to many chef’s trying to run the kitchen!
Every officer had their own thoughts about the matter, none of which factored in the well-being of the offenders because the MDOC is still grossly saturated in the spirit of retribution!
Dazed and psychologically distraught, I realized that my only option was to wait for the inevitable, if you consider that to be an option. I understood that there were no protocols for this outbreak and that the measures being taken were done so out of desperation.
There was absolutely no comfort in that bleak reality.
At first, I truly believed that the random acts of desperation were acts of hope…the hope of containment. But that belief quickly dissolved into the thought that, the erudite’s behind this conglomeration, had no concern for protecting the offenders or staff for that matter, as there were just as many complaints voiced by them. I soon discovered that all such complaints would be warranted.
Near the beginning of October, a memo had gone out to all of the prison that the facility was only two weeks away from being covid free! At that time, Newberry had somehow successfully contained the virus to only a few hundred men. The warden came out looking pretty sharp at that time. But then, either she or some other really “smart-ass” person, decided to open up the doors to 300 plus “close contact” offenders from the Marquette Branch facility. I’m guessing that someone felt that Newberry completely understood the nature of covid thus, becoming an “authority” on the matter. Such was not the case.
Gross negligence was now upon us! And “mental/psychological abuse was the new sentence.”
The growing thoughts of contracting a deadly virus at the age of 52, with less than three years left on a 23 yr. minimum sentence, weighed heavily on my mind. What seemed to make matters worse, was the constant moving. Those of us who remained negative, were constantly reassigned to different units, new bunks and new roommates, one after another. It was virtually impossible to calm one’s mind.
I was never informed as to whether or not I had tested positive while being moved, I was simply left to wonder what the virus might do to me if I tested positive this time. “Would I ever see my family and loved ones again?”
That stress, masked in extreme anxiety, brought about attacks that might be the closest thing that a man may be able to call menopause. Cold sweats and rapid heartbeat, all this psychological stress before even testing positive! If the virus did not kill me, the stress from the lack of transparency and insensitivity would!
Do I believe that there is some negligence here, insofar as how covid was and continues to be handled? Yes! Allow me to explain:
Cross contamination! Officers are the only individuals who can bring the virus into the facility. They are said to be tested regularly. If this be the case, then how can a unit of all negative men, set apart from all the other units, suddenly contract the virus? Simple!
There was no monitoring or containment of officers working quarantined units. Though in PPE, they travel freely throughout the compound, from positive units to negative units simply because the facility is understaffed. These members should have been treated as “close contact” personnel, restricted to quarantined areas ONLY! The failure to implement this protocol, can be construed as being a blatant act of “Reckless Endangerment!”
The lives of those who remained negative, were not placed above the staffing issues of the facility. I understand that it is not reasonable to think that the social distancing issue could be rectified within months or years for that matter, that’s an infrastructure issue. However, the safety of each and every life, especially in a low level facility, should have been placed over all other issues! There should have been a contingency plan in place, to immediately release men within 2-3 years of their ERD!
The question does not come down to “violent” or “nonviolent”. All of the offenders who had been waived to these level 1 facilities have earned their lower levels.
The upper echelon e.g., (Lansing) has a lot of explaining to do!
These men, both violent and nonviolent, deserve a chance, especially when there is a pandemic upon us!
I was found guilty of a violent crime however; I was not sentenced to death! But the covid pandemic has made me think otherwise.
The Humanitarian spirit…is it just a myth?