This story was told by a person incarcerated at Elmwood Correctional Facility.
UCI: Do you want me to ask you questions? Or you also mentioned you had a couple of stories, however you want to go about it.
Caller: When we were in a bungalow almost a month ago, they came and swabbed me in a random – couple other – like the whole unit was 60 guys. And they random swabbed for a couple of younger guys than me. For free. And me, I’m in a category that’s, you know, older gets COPD and age.
They prefer to pick and make sure I’m not already, you know, a sick person. So four of us got picked for random swabs, I guess. And we ended up looking like we got the whole place sick, but we didn’t – they just pulled us out. You know, for random – random checks.
But then the whole place, I was thinking about 1,200 students – 1,200 inmates – were all sick at once. It was interesting because we all got packed between here and another set – on the other side of this knot, or rather they call it the camp. It’s like I don’t know, 4,000 in the whole that’s in the [unintelligible] farm.
So we’re calling it the non-camp side of this place, it’s pretty substantial too. But they have a lot of lockdown – ready for – for separating us for COVID. And they sort of packing us into single cells. One guy into a two-man cell, you know, because they have less total population because of the pandemic than they usually would. Probably like 2,000 something for the whole, you know, 4,500 capacity place.
But that’s a good thing to leave open in case they – we did have another big outbreak. Like we had one in January according to the newspapers and stuff. So this was equal to that. And so we – they transported us in – on vans, and had sterilizing guys.
It was like Ghostbusters outfits on. With you know, big hoses and pumps and tanks on; sterilizing everything everywhere. Trying to make – keep up on their homework.
And quarantine for 10 to 15 days downtown was fine. And then when that was up we got shoveled to another unit all in the same unit – it was the same four guys. Was interesting how the – how CDC was using it – doing what they know how to do, you know.
And so we go shoveled to a different unit, but all the same like one, two, three, four was all the same guys that – like same order they took us. They kept us like that, like lined up next to each other amongst – instead of spreading us out through the whole unit.
And we were – we were in an empty unit – by then, by the time we got done with our quarantine. They – everybody else in the whole place was already gone waiting for theirs to be up. So it was interesting how it was a ghost camp when we came back.
But they – they ran out of room downtown and they had to move one unit. One guy next to me into – make a two-man tank out of one, in one. But so we were – I had bunkee all of a sudden.
I went, “well that’s kinda interesting,” I thought they were trying to keep us in separate – they really wanted to keep certain groups away from certain groups. You know, somehow the process is kind of mysterious. At that point, it’s just interesting you know?
So when our 10 days were up, we came back it ended up being the same – the kid that I was in a cell with, he was going to a THU, traditional housing unit, like I was. And we were both waiting for beds; it was coincidental. Kind of interesting and cool, you know?
So that’s my story for the moment. Anything else you want to know?
UCI: Oh yeah. Thank you for sharing. How has the vaccination situation been like?
Caller: I have a double Moderna shot, and I was still leaking through that. So I’m curious to see what CDC would think of that. So I signed up for a booster – watching the news and trying to keep up with it, you know.
So this weekend probably Saturday morning or maybe even late Friday night, which would be Saturday morning pretty much – I’ll get a booster. But that doesn’t mean they have their homework done for the new variant. It just means that they’re trying to say it helps.
UCI: Yeah, definitely. Do you feel as though the facility has done a good job of explaining to you guys what the vaccine is?
Caller: The facility [unintelligible] explaining it?
UCI: Oh yeah. Or like for individuals who are thinking about getting the vaccine, do you feel like the facility has given them enough information to make that decision?
Caller: I think it’s been like basically they’re assuming we’re been watching the news enough or reading newspapers – there’s newspapers per unit so. If you asked them, person to person – [unintelligible], they do have an opinion but they really – they don’t say, “Hey we want you to get this.”
They kind of just believe – that they got plenty to do than just advise us like that. They assume we’re educated and trying to educate each other between our peoples, you know?
UCI: Yeah. How has the COVID situation at your facility affected your loved ones?
Caller: My mom had it. She said it kind of dinged her memory a little bit. Was not much else – she serves homeless people leftovers from restaurants and does a collection. She’s kind of a neat person for an 82 year old.
She tells me, keeps me in touch with you, you know? Anyway, so that’s her – that’s her two cents on it. A guy dropped his cane, so that’s what just happened.
UCI: Oh okay.
Caller: Hello? A guy dropped his cane on my ankle, it didn’t bug me but it made me stop.
UCI: Oh just now they dropped their cane on your ankle?
Caller: Yeah the guy next to me dropped his cane on my ankle, so I had to pause for that. Sorry about that. Anyway.
UCI: Oh no. No worries. I didn’t even notice you took a pause. You were – yeah, you didn’t take a pause. Okay. How has been it been for you to have reduced visitation and programming?
Caller: How has it been what?
UCI: Do you feel like there has been reduced visitation and programming at your facility?
Caller: The visitation with loved ones from the outside visiting?
UCI: Yeah, yeah. Has there been less of that? And how has that affected you?
Caller: They put a table, like two tables between me and my sister when she came. It was like – almost like saying “Hi” from far enough away where we almost had to raise our voices. It was pretty safe of them. Yeah. Pretty safe of them. They were being very cautious.
UCI: Oh okay. That’s good. At any point did they stop visitations for you guys at all?
Caller: No, my mom’s too old to come down much. So, I really – don’t have enough – like if I had anybody in this town, myself, close enough – my sister and mother have to drive down together in order to come down and visit me and my sister’s homeschools her grandkids at this point.
Yeah, pretty interesting life she has. She’s already done a generation of homeschooling, and another now because her youngest are in high school believe it or not. Yeah.
UCI: That’s awesome. Okay, how have you been coping with the COVID crisis?
Caller: I don’t have – I didn’t have any symptoms when they pulled us out but I’m not sure what – what my body would be like without having – you know– the shots. I have no idea. I don’t know. I don’t know how it would respond, you know?
UCI: Yeah definitely.
Caller: And then I already have COPD and the thing is, I live outside normally. And my immune system is – it’s one of a million dollar immune systems, I guess. So I’ve been outside without catching a cold, even.
So almost a year and – how long has it been since it started? Anyway, all that time outside without knowing if I caught it or not, and not really no symptoms I could tell. Like no known difference to just go to a doctor about, but I’m not the kind of person who always goes to the doctor.
So anyway, being a person that’s residentially challenged, you know? Catch my sense of humor?
UCI: Yeah.
Caller: All right.
UCI: Okay. Do you think there’s anything the facility could have done to make the situation better?
Caller: What should they improve, you think?
UCI: Yeah.
Caller: I was on a [redacted] as a job description, and got a little ID card and get an extra meal as my pay, kind of thing. Just spraying up the phones, picking up the garbage cans that were already done next to the gates of every unit. But that, the outbreak killed all the jobs.
So, they’re kinda starting all over again. I think they’re – they’re in touch with the CDC with every, everything they’re doing everyday. Getting what they can do, what they can’t do, learning every shift almost, you know? So they’re pretty aware, pretty up to it.
UCI: Awesome.
Caller: San Jose has a pretty high mark for how much they’re actually paying attention to what CDC wants, you know?
UCI: Okay. Before I let the call end, is there anything else you want people to know about your experience?
Caller: Touch with elbows and keep your masks on because the new variant is gonna be a challenge we can’t even figure out when they’re gonna have an updated booster for. So, basically how much you care about your own body.
I’ll call back though. Not tonight though, maybe tomorrow night.
UCI: Okay sounds good. Thank you so much for calling today.
Caller: What’s your name?
UCI: My name is [redacted]. Yeah.
Caller: Okay. I’ll try to see if you’re available to start up again, maybe it’ll help, maybe not.
UCI: Okay. If not, anybody would be able to take your call and they’re also very into listening to your stories and everything. Thank you so much for calling again.
Caller: Sure.
