September 1, 2020

 

American Friends Serivce Committee

Attn: Jacquline Williams

124 Pearl Street, Ste 607

Ypsilanti, MI 48197

Re: Open MI Door Campaign 

Greetings Ms. Jacquline Williams: 

My name is Bantu (Dion Dawson #317608), and I am the president of the NAACP Macomb Prison-Branch. I heard about the great work you're doing with the campaign to address solitary confinement within prisons, and I wanted to extend my deepest thanks for directing attention at this most injustice, and sometimes brutal condition of confinement. 

So I was curious whether AFSC produce any newsletters? If yes, I would definitely be interested in being a recipient. Also, what's your operationel position title at AFSC? Said insight would help relative to knowing what info I should direct to you or some other Individual, and/or inviting you to take part in NAACP programming and related events. I am very active in the social justice advocacy field, and could be of assistance in a multitude of ways. It may also be advisable to create a Jpay account with me. Oh, and please extend my regards to brother Demtrius Titus. I'm a co-mentor of the Good Neighbor Project he coordinates. 

So, during my near twenty years of imprisonment within the MDOC, I have spent time in seven segregations (Gus Harrison, Adrian; I-Max, Ionia; Macomb; St.Louis Corr. Fac.; Oako Carr. Fac.; Kinroas Corr. Fac.; Lakeland Corr. Fac., Coldwater), three of which are of significant notice, namely I-Max (level 5), St. Louis (level 4), and Oaks (level 4). However, I strongly suggest you write to prisoner James Miller #168439. He's housed at I-Max and has been in administrative (long-term/indefinito) segregation since 1987. I was once his neighbor at I-Max back in 2005-2006. He will remember me by Benzino or Benzino Dawson, I-Max is and has been the most brutal, immoral, unjust solitary in the state, and he has a wealth of info to offer. Please, Jacq, write to him. 

Not even two years into my prison bid, I was placed in solitary accused of a nearly deadly stabbing I never did. Housed in Adrian's level 4, an emergency transfer was sent me to I-Max, a prison that had just transitioned five months earlier from Michigan's sole super maximum (level 6) security prison, to a maximum level 5 security prison. I remember upon arriving at 1 Max the receiving officers question: "You ain't here for assaulting no officer, are you?" At I-Max, any prisoner that comes to their hole (segregation; solitary confinement) for assault on staff, they treat them with brutality. 

During my time at I-Max, I seen officers beat prisoners to near death. I've heard them beating prisoners who would scream for help and hopes that his life would be spared. I've seen officer starve prisoners, not feeding them for weeks on in (unless he got lucky and a sympahtetic officer good him food). I've seen officers spit in prisoners food. I am aware of officers confining prisoners to a slab of concrete, chained at what's called four point restraints (both legs, both wrist, spread eagle). I've seen them place prisoners on every restriction you can think of: paper restriction, water restriction, clothing restriction, food restriction, medication restriction, property restriction, you name it. 

James Miller had to have several officers and a supervisor (sergeant, etc.) as escorts whenever removed from his cell. Oh, I failed to mention that officers ritually killed prisoners there. While I was there, I remember two cases where prisoners was dead in their cells with towels stuff down their throats. The deaths was classified as suicides, but who you know commits suicide like that? 

I spent most of my hole time at I-Max illegally. I was not sent to I-Max for any misconduct report/ticket. Instead, I was sent until the Michigan State Police conducted an investigation into a fighting incident I was involved in. To be sure, two violent incidents popped off simultaneously, one I was not involved in resulting in a Mexican being badly stabbed in the neck and nearly dying. I was accused by Adrian officers as the culprit, however, the MSP had no avidence and dropped investigation into me. Howaver, I-Max kept me in the hole anyone as punishment claiming, as they felt, I was getting away with the stabbing. 

I spent 13 months in St. Louis hole. The officers there was also violant. To subvert camera recording, they often took prisoners through the back door where no cameras could see and assaulted guys. They also habitually ran in guys celle jumping on them, and have beat guys to death. 

These holes, meaning all the ones I've been in, disregards the health and pain issues of prisoners. They would complete ignore you, say you're lying and lie and say they'll call health care but never do. 

In administrative seg in MDOC, we're allowed 1 hour outside time five days a week per policy. However, at St. Louis, officers didn't want to give us yard, so they used tactics to deprive guys of yard. Like searching and totally destroying a guys cell during their 1 hour out (at I-Max, they'11 just decide they're not giving yard on a given day). Or, et St.Louis, they'll subject us to strip searches knowing we hate enduring it. This led to guys not going out. But it never discouraged me, even when I didn't want to go out due to extreme cold. But they had plan for me. 

One day, during a search before taking my hour out, I was subjected to sexual harassment by two white men officers: “Look at that brown eye." "Niggers sure got nice assess. I filed a grievance on these officers which angered them and enlisted an ARUS (Assigned Resident Unit Supervisor) to take up their fight. She wrote me a false sexual misconduct on me on their behalf since I wrote a sexual harassment grievance. I beat the misconduct after the hearing officer caught her in lles. 

St. Louis administrators was also racist. For instance, I went to the hole for fighting my bunkie who was white. After having a verbal disagreement inside the cell, guys convinced him I was going to stab him so he hit me in the head with a lock in the dayroom. The officers saw it, but did not write it up like that. Instead, they wrote it up that they found me on top of him hitting him. In the hole, before you can be released, you have to be interviewed by SCC (Security Classification Committee) which is made up of the warden, deputy wardens, RUM (Resident Unit Manager). They released my white bunkle from segregation but kept me and I was the victim of an assault. 

Guys wanted out of St. Louis so desperately, they often want of food strikes for days in hopes of being transferred. I did it myself for three days without success. They only decided to transfer me after the whole sexual debacle with the officers and ARUS. And even then that ARUS stayed over and had the property officer deprive me of all my personal property, and ultimately destroyed it saying I agreed to have my property destroyed. I sued this ARUS and won a settlement. St. Louis sent me to Oaks hole.

In Oaks hole, In ad-seg, we're allowed to have our televisions per policy. However, hole officers wouldn't provide cable cards in order to watch the tv, so they was undermining policy in this way. Despite all the time I spant in the hole at St. Louis before transfer to Oaks, Oaks SCC triad telling me none of my hole time at St.Louis counted to them, that I had to start over. Only after lodging grievances was I released, but not before assistant deputy warden Pratt tell me: "If you come back to the hole while I'm here, I'll hold you in here until you die!" 

In Kinroos hole (the old Kinross), six men was in one cell. In cell hole fighting was a daily occurrence. Officers had to open the cell door to allow guys to use the bathroom. Officers frequently forgot to secure one hole cell door before opening another, so enemies frequently was able to get in the bathroom at the same time and fight. 

The crazy thing is how officers and administrators get away with these abuses with impunity. There is simply no accountability. Prisons are like slave plantations in that we're property of the state and the state can do what they wish to/with their property. 

Honestly, I-Max, as a facility, needs to be shout down! I'm surprised its been allowed to stay open as long as it has. Please, you really need to write to Mr. James Miller. 

I look forward to hearing back from you at your earliest convenience and/or sening your name added to my Jpay. 

Stay safe during these pandemic times. 

Yours truly,

Bantu