This letter was written by a person incarcerated at Soledad.
Well back in March all of the self-help group staff that would come into the prison were slowly being denied access onto the yard. I’m on B yard on the North Facility. This was also done on A yard. I’m not clear what was done on the South Facility or on Central Facility. Even religious staff were not allowed into the prison.
Everyone knew from TV and the radio that the coronavirus was slowly spreading across the United States. Instead of walking to the kitchen to eat, we had food brought to the building and fed in our cells by inmate kitchen workers. No one was wearing a mask because everyone had the attitude that the virus was happening outside the prison.
There’s about 1,500 inmates on B yard, there’s a dorm called Toro with about 120 inmates and then there’s two big building, one is named Whitney Hall and the building I’m housed in is called Shasta Hall. Both buildings and the dorm could all go outside together. Panic attacks and anxiety got the best of me for the next two months due to all I saw on TV about coronavirus and its spreading.
By May the buildings no longer were allowed to all come out together. No masks were given out, the kitchen workers were serving food maskless and this drove me crazy. We are now hearing about a big outbreak at San Quentin Prison.
Inmates in the PIA warehouse that makes certain clothes are now making masking out of a thick cotton fabric. Every inmate was issued four masks, but no one was forced to wear it. If a inmate wanted to wear a bandana, t-shirt, or anything else, it was allowed.
By mid-June some guards began to enforce inmates to wear a mask. 40% of the inmates complied. Most did not comply because guards were not wearing masks. Inmates would openly tell guards that only the guards, plumbers and electricians could bring it in to us (COVID-19), so why enforce mask wearing on inmates when half the guards don’t wear a mask?
When I would question certain guards about them not wearing a mask, they looked at me with contempt as if how dare this prisoner question me. Other guards told me they test once a week so they’re fine. I guess when guards see their own supervisors not wearing a mask, why should they? This is a small town area, many guards may feel coronavirus is for bigger cities.
I have no clue what they thought but it was a blatant disregard for masks. Even when guards wore a mask, it was made out of thin material, see through material, or a bandana. Inmates serving us food would wear a see-through hair net over their face as a mask. I spoke to guards, kitchen staff, and even filed a grievance that was denied.
It is now August and I’m pissed that inmates and guards are taking COVID-19 lightly. We were told that a captain was gonna write up staff who didn’t wear masks. Guards would wear a mask when supervisors were present and when they walk across the yard to the buildings, but once in the building, mask were removed, or worn below the noses.
It was the norm to see four or five guards talking, eating or laughing in their office without a mask. When questioned, they would say they don’t have to wear a mask in the office, just like an inmate doesn’t have to wear a mask in his cell. We don’t have phones to take pictures or videos, if we did, I’m certain guards would wear a mask properly and the real PPE mask.
By September an outbreak is occurring on Central Facility. Guards on Central work overtime on B North yard. Guards on B-North yard work lots of overtime on Central. Knowing this I knew it was only a matter of time before an outbreak will take place on B-north yard. On 9-20 I wore a hair net kitchen cap over my nose and mouth as a mask on the yard.
Inmates laughed who knew I had filed two grievances about my dislike of inmate kitchen workers wearing them. When guards and a sergeant saw my stunt, they told me to put on a mask. I was outside. Outside we were told since early August that we didn’t have to wear a mask outside.
How stupid, if California has to wear a mask outside, why doesn’t the prison population in Soledad or its staff? So I’m now telling the sergeant who is pissed and wants me to put a mask on. Why is it inmate kitchen workers can wear this as they yell, laugh, and talk over my food their plating, but I can’t wear it outside?
This same day I went to an eye doctor appointment over at Central. I wore the kitchen hair net over my face and was not allowed to go until I put on a mask that had been issued a couple months ago. I put on a real mask. Over at Central I told the nurse about the hair net I tried to wear and why, she cried and immediately sent a email to her bosses so they would be aware.
When I got back I ran into the captain and the lieutenant and told them about guards who don’t wear mask and why is staff letting inmate kitchen workers wear hair net caps as if they were masks. The following day I told kitchen staff and a kitchen guard about the hair net caps being wore as masks. They said sergeant allows it.
I told them she retired five months ago and may of suggested them because no mask had been or issued. It is now October and the outbreak on Central facility is now in its hundreds. I told nurse [redacted] over here on B-yard about the hair nets being wore as mask and she wrote down my notes. I don’t know who all she told, but two days later kitchen hair nets stopped being wore as mask. Inmates are pleased to see my persistence paid off and that immediately no longer do they have to witness inmate kitchen workers talking all over our food wearing a see-through hair net cap.
The morale has gotten low because the self-help groups have not been here in over eight months, school has been closed, and inmates can’t go to the yard daily, not use the phones as frequently as they’d like. To make matters worse, we’re not allowed to earn time off our sentences because everything is shut down. It is now November and Central facility has over 900 COVID-19 positives.
I’m trying to warn any inmate who will listen to be careful because COVID-19 is going to hit B yard next. Three weeks go by and testing is being done during those three weeks for inmates with medical conditions.
By Thanksgiving there’s positive COVID-19 tests coming back here on B yard. guess who? Inmate kitchen workers! I bet they were infected by kitchen staff or kitchen guards who for months acted remiss as if COVID-19 wasn’t real.
It is now 12-20 and for the past four weeks we’ve been quarantined as inmates in my building test positive. Six months ago guards and all staff entering the building should have been tested daily and not every seven days!
Due to the thousands of inmates here, they should of given staff a rapid daily test. If professional sports stars got them, why not guards who work with thousands of inmates. Daily I have to sit in my cell in fear wondering will I be next. I have to eat the food out of hunger though I fear eating it.
My building hasn’t been allow prison commissary store due to a lack of staff. Staff are either sick from COVID-19 or calling in sick because they don’t want to be here! Daily I still witness guards in the building sitting in their office without a mask. Even when a guard is in the building by himself walking around, doing a count, he’ll remove his mask, especially those on first watch.
