Letter from SHU Prisoner at Pelican Bay

Liz have you ever wondered or has it crossed your mind
as to why we are locked up all the way in Crescent
City. Why would they built a prison so far away, we
here have always asked.-ONE IMPORTANT POLITICAL EFFECT OF THE FORCED RELOCATIONS OF MILLIONS OF INMATES HAS BEEN LARGELY OVER LOOKED. THE DILUTION OF THE URBAN LATINO AND BLACK VOTE IS TO BENEFIT RURAL WHITE COMMUNITIES.EVERYONE KNOWS THAT THE MAJORITY OF PEOPLE IN PRISON ARE THE MINORITY AND BECAUSE THE CENSUS
BUREAU COUNTS PRISON INMATES AS RESIDENTS OF THE LEGISLATIVE DISTRICT IN WHICH THEY ARE INCARCERATED AT. THE RELOCATION OF INMATES WHO OF ARE NOT ALLOWED TO VOTE IN 48 STATES SKEWS BOTH THE DISTRIBUTION OF GOVERNMENT FUNDS AND A PORTION OF THE LEGISLATIVE
REPRESENTATION.THE DISTORTION IN REPRESENTATION CAUSED BY ENUMERATIONS OF PRISON TENDS TO FAVOR RURAL
COMMUNITIES, LIKE PELICAN BAY PRISON IN CRESCENT CITY, WHO AS WE KNOW FROM THE BUREAU OF CENSUS THAT THE MAJORITY OF INMATES IN PRISON ARE THE MINUIT.AN EXAMPLE THAT TREND KAUFMAN GIVES IN CONNECTICUT, IS THAT IN FOUR STATE HOUSE DISTRICTS INMATES MAKE UP 10% OF
THE POPULATION. EACH OF THE DISTRICTS HAVE A LOW POPULATION AND ITS DISPROPORTIONATELY WHITE, EXCEPT FOR THE INMATES. AND BECAUSE OF THE PRESENCE OF INMATES THESE DISTRICTS EFFECTIVELY GET 10% MORE REPRESENTATIONS THEN THEY SHOULD.THESE COUNTIES GAIN POPULATION BY IMPORTING PRISON INMATES TO
INCREASE CONGRESSIONAL AND STATE LEGISLATIVE
REPRESENTATION.COUNTING INMATES IN THE DISTRICT
IN WHICH THEY ARE INCARCERATED DILUTE THE MINORITY VOTES IN VIOLATION OF THE VOTING ACT, IT
CREATES UNCONSTITUTIONAL INEQUALITIES IN THE NUMBER OF CONSTITUENTS PER DISTRICTS & ALSO VIOLATES THE FOURTEENTH AMENDMENT. UNFORTUNATELY ITS REMINISCENT OF THE "THREE GIFTS COMPROMISE" WHERE SLAVES WERE ALLOCATED AND COUNTED AS THREE FIFTHS OF A PERSON THATS HOW THAT NAME CAME ABOUT. THE HISTORY OF THIS COUNTRY TELLS US THAT SALVES WE NOT ALLOWED TO VOTE BECAUSE OF THE COLOR OF THEIR SKIN. THE OTHER ISSUE I WANTED TO MENTION IS THAT HERE AT PELICAN BAY NOTHING HAS CHANGED. I WANTED TO THANK EVERYONE AGAIN FOR THE INFORMATION I RECEIVED, ONE OF THOSE PAPERS TALKED ABOUT THE SET UP FIGHTS IN THE
EARLY 1990'S AT CORCORAN, ME AND MY CELLE WERE ALSO SET UP.IT WAS OBVIOUS JUST AS THE OTHER INMATES BUT OURS WAS INSIDE THE BUILDING. I WAS LINED AT THE TOP OF THE TIER WITH MY CELLE, WE WERE COMING FROM THE YARD AND ALL OF A SUDDEN THE CONTROL OFFICER OPENED UP THE CELL
IN THE MIDDLE TIER, ALL THE WAY AT THE END KNOWING THAT THERE WOULD BE CONFLICT. THEY CLAIMED THAT IT WAS A MISTAKE BUT HOW CAN ANYONE MAKE A BIG MISTAKE LIKE THAT. THEN EVERYONE CAME OUT AS YOU WELL KNOW ITS ALL
DOCUMENTED THEY HAVE TO AFTER ANY INCIDENT. BUT AS YOU KNOW THIS IS ONE OF MANY ACCIDENTAL MISTAKES THE Co's DID TO US. ITS UNBELIEVABLE THAT PEOPLE DO NOT BELIEVE US. HOW LONG HAVE WE BEEN TRYING TO GET THE MESSAGE THROUGH BUT CERTAIN PEOPLE CAME AT A CERTAIN TIME WHEN
MANY ABUSES WERE EXPOSED AND I THANK ANYONE
WHO ACKNOWLEDGES US BECAUSE LIZ WE ARE HUMAN AND I'M NOT CRYING LIKE THESE Co's WANT TO NAME IT. BUT I DO SAY THE TRUTH WHEN THEY ARE MESSING WITH US EVERYDAY LIZ. WE ARE NOT ALLOWED TO DO ANYTHING HOW CAN THEY SAY WE ARE A THREAT TO THEM WHEN WE ARE ISOLATED. THE
MISTAKES WHERE DONE BY THEM. THE INMATES ARE THE ONES WHO WERE SHOT AT WE WHERE INJURES BECAUSE OF THE GUNS THEY USED ON US. IF I SIT AND TELL PEOPLE WHAT I HAVE SEEN, I THINK THEY WOULD SAY I HAVE THAT SHU SYNDROME SERIOUSLY LIZ YOU KNOW THAT ABOUT LIFE AND DEATH IN HEAR THAT IS NOT A JOKE. WE REALLY VALUE LIFE BECAUSE WE KNOW IT CAN EASILY BE TAKEN YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN JELLY BEAN. I SEE AND HEAR DEATH ALMOST EVERYDAY SOMETIMES I WISH PEOPLE WOULD BE ABLE TO SOMEHOW COME INSIDE THE SHU AND SEE THE TRUTH OF OUR JUSTICE
SYSTEM. I DON'T EVEN THINK YOU CAN HANG! SMILE LIZ. BUT AGAIN LIZ I WANTED TO THANK YOU AND YOUR GROUP FOR ALL THERE HELP IT IS MUCH APPRECIATED. OKAY DIZZY YOU TAKE CARE AND HOPE TO SEE YOU SOON ALSO SEND PJ MY LOVE OK.

CON MUCHO RESPETO Y CARINO,
YOUR BROTHER RAYMOND