Wednesday
morning a little after 3 am, I stirred to consciousness in a crowded day room. I
was lying awkwardly on the top bunk of a bunk bed too short for my 6’6’’ frame, grumpily, but exercising silent respect for the other 9 dudes that have to be up
at such an ungodly hour. I went to work in the culinary and fried over 1000
eggs through the early A.M. hours to feed the population of N.N.C.C. Not the
best use of my skill set but not a terrible job either.
Later
that day I bullshitted with my dogs, played chess, and waited patiently for the
caseworker to show up so I could complain about my insufferable sleeping
situation. He arrived, listened and gave
me the concerned looks and properly timed head nods like he gave a shit, and
placated my gripes. Even told me he’d handle the bed more on his next work day.
I jumped on the phone to promote #NoLooseEnds and finished my day in a fairly
good mood. About 9:30 pm the unit officer instructed me to roll up all of my
property because I was scheduled for transport the next day. WHAT??? It was
odd, unexpected, and in the midst of all the book stuff unwanted.
I woke
up Friday morning at High Desert State Prison. I was still on the top bunk, but
I only has one person in my immediate space. My accommodations have switched
from a day room to a cell. I was awake at 4 but by 4:30 a.m. the room was
bathed in a bright orange glow, an officer controlled dome light signaled it
was time to wake up for breakfast. A few minutes later a buzz and the slow roll
of metal electrical doors opening urged my cell mate and I as well as a small
group of men in this new place to the exit doors where we’d all stroll together
to a chow hall somewhere for some of Southern Nevada’s early bird cuisine. But
it was not to be.
While
waiting for this hike to combat the overnight hunger a fight breaks out
somewhere out of sight and a strange silence sweeps over the room. Only rough
breathing and the sounds of hand to hand combat can be heard. The melee is
around the corner s I can’t see the combatants but about 10 ft. away from me
another scuffle breaks out and I’m befuddled by this whole scene playing out
before 6 a.m. my first day here.
I don’t
know any of these dudes so I can only think to give them their space to work
out their issues. The time for confusion was short lived. From an elevated
perch inside this building a shotgun blasts shatters the silence with a
commanding BOOM! Followed by angry cop voices screaming “Get Down! Get on the
ground! Get down!”. In the next couple of seconds cordite smoke and confusion
are everywhere. More guards appear, more yelling ensues and my breakfast walk
about is ruined.
In the
end breakfast was postponed, there were a couple of people left bloody and the
entire unit was locked down. My point in relating these unpleasant details is
our situations may be less than ideal but in a heartbeat they can tumble into a
bigger crap sandwich than the one we’re currently stuck in. My advice is
simple; love the good that’s around you. Work to make your present predicament
better, and don’t despair or complain about how bad things are, because trust
me it can ALWAYS get worse.
I’m
despairing right now because my location, phone and family access, move around
freedom and honestly my physical safety arrangements have been obliterated, but
I’m not in the prison infirmary with stab wounds and buck shot from a shotgun
shell in my butt cheeks. This new set of circumstances suck dog balls but at
least it’s not Iraq.
I’m just
saying!
R.
Venner
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