This story was told by a person incarcerated at Santa Clara Main Jail.
UCI: Okay, and so could, do you want to just tell me like, what are the COVID situations been like? Like, how’s it going over there.
Caller: Well, this is the second time I just caught COVID about a month and a half ago and I was sick for three weeks, had to go to the hospital. I’m in a locked super-max lockdown facility. And there’s no way that we could have contracted the virus ourselves.
UCI: Right.
Caller: Deputies and the staff here are being irresponsible and not practicing personal protective equipment for Cal OSHA certification regulations to come in here when they come to work. You know, they don’t wash their hands regularly. They’re touching other units. They go to the medical unit and come back and don’t wear gloves when they pass out our food.
So, there’s absolutely no way we could have got it. I’m on the sixth floor of this facility. And there’s three units on this floor and we’re locked down. Our yard is indoors. There’s no way we could contract the virus.
But this is the second time I caught it. The first time I went to court. The first time I went to court and the cells were dirty, and I was in there for about five hours. When I came home I caught COVID, I caught a fever that night, had a fever for about seven days.
But this last one I caught, 15 of us got it within a three-day period. One of us died, one of them. One of my friends died.
UCI: Wow.
Caller: My neighbor who was a good friend of mine. He – he’s in a coma right now currently at Santa Clara Valley Medical Center. He’s been in a coma for about eight weeks now.
UCI: I’m so sorry for that.
Caller: Me too. You know, they’ve been good friends of mine for a long time. My voice, my voice is gone. I don’t really talk that much. I can’t taste food anymore. And these people are sort of responsible.
We have to file grievances. We have an appeal process here. But if our grievances are denied or resolved and they are resolved for bogus issues, they want us to file an appeal. We follow the appeal.
We never get a copy back. They’re never heard. So, I mean, it’s pointless. But man, staff here is irresponsible. Very irresponsible.
We got the lieutenants and sergeants coming in here with no mask. And we’re currently in an HRS facility, which means we’re practicing six feet distances and that out for half hour group programs. But we’re only let out like two days a week. Last month we were only allowed to come out one day for that week.
We were not allowed to shower for six days. So, if you can imagine how that is for us in here.
UCI: Yeah. That’s terrible.
Caller: If you’ve ever seen the ASPCA commercials with real animals are shaking. If you took pictures of us, that’s how we were in here with COVID. And all they gave us was cough syrup and Tylenol. I was in the hospital because I couldn’t breathe properly, my lungs were collapsing.
And they put me in this little room for about five hours by myself. The doctors weren’t coming here and nothing, I was shackled both waist, ankles and wrists. And I was kind of bent in half and I couldn’t, I couldn’t even breathe properly.
I had a sign myself out of the emergency room for them to bring me back. So, I could just torture myself in the room and hope that I didn’t die of COVID.
UCi: That’s so terrible.
Caller: Yeah, the health practices here are not so good.
UCI: I’m sorry to hear that.
Caller: I sent Professor Turney a detailed letter and copies of the grievances that I filed about them needing to practice better COVID-19 and personal protective equipment regulation practices. And I sent you guys copies of those grievances. To Professor Turney.
UCI: Yep.
UCI: Yeah, we should be getting, I’m sure we got those letters and somebody will be looking over those.
Caller: Okay, I sent that. There’s some other poetry and stuff in there. As you guys ask for anything extra you might like to send. There’s a lot of poetry and stuff in there that I sent. For me personally, for you guys. There’s a detailed account about the first deputy that caught COVID here and how they were acting towards us when there was COVID outbreak here.
UCI: Thank you so much for sending that.
Caller: This the seventh – you’re welcome. You’re welcome. This is the seventh time I’ve been in the unit where there’s been COVID outbreak.
UCI: Geez.
Caller: The first time and he almost died-
UCI: So, are they going you any cleaning products like are you able to ’cause I remember. I mean, I just I’ve done before and like they I remember we had cleaning supplies, but I’ve heard that there isn’t anything to clean with right now.
Caller: Well, now they give us cleaning supplies. But the thing is, is that we used to clean the unit with bleach when, when the COVID outbreak first came, we stopped the outbreak, there weren’t no more than three people that caught it that time, because we’re given bleach, but they give us these other variants of disinfected, they don’t kill nothing. They don’t kill anything.
UCI: Mm-hmm.
Caller: We got to clean up toilets within our sinks and stuff. But they’re not. If you look at the units that some of the video footage here, if you guys can somehow find or file a petition with the courts to get some of the camera footage here, you would see how the deputies acted towards us when we got COVID. The lieutenants and sergeants coming in here with no masks. And they’re the ones that are making it susceptible to catching this virus.
UCI: Right. Mm-hmm. No, I know. I was gonna say, have you, like, have you had any visits? Have you been able to see any family have you been in contact with anybody outside?
Caller: My mother died, was unable to come because she got COVID. And she died while I was in here. And I had COVID. My sister came from Los Angeles and visited me twice. But I’ve tried to have my girl and a couple other people cleared for visiting.
But there’s some asshole woman down there working to keep denying these people’s visits, and they’ve been approved before. But now they got this new online application that they have to fill out. And if they don’t remember, or if they’ve lost their passwords or their old emails or have new email, they won’t they won’t grant the visiting rights to come visit us.
So right now, there’s probably about one person a week to get visits. Because nobody’s been able to get approved for visiting because the lady that’s working down there right now. And I don’t know why people have to come to work and act like that. They have to come here and be assholes.
It’s not, it’s not necessary. We’re suffering enough here. I’ve been down for almost four and a half years straight. There’re people that have been here for nine years that want to see their family and they can’t.
UCI: Yeah.
Caller: They’re not being able to get cleared. You know, if you have an ID you don’t have no warrant that should be sufficient.
UCI: Mm-hmm.
Caller: They have these policies and practices that they are enforcing that they’re just not right.
UCI: What’s the vaccination status, like over there? Has anybody had been vaccinated like it?
Caller: You know what, nobody’s one been one to take the vaccines here because we kind of feel like they were created a little bit too soon. 10 months, some of them coming from Poland and Russia. Didn’t we have war with them a long time ago?
Who’s to say there’s not something in there that could cause some other damage to us, like the United States did in 1955 when they first started making carcinogens that killed 356 people on a yacht and they got it to where the using just minuscule pieces of carcinogens that are slowly killing people.
UCI: Mm-hmm.
Caller: But, yeah I took the Moderna after the second time I caught COVID because I really didn’t want to die.
UCI: Yeah.
Caller: I took the Moderna – I took the Moderna shot two weeks ago, I got sick for about eight days. And about all the symptoms back and I was I woke up in cold sweats in here and the staff wouldn’t even come check on me. So, I got to take the second one on the 30th. But they make them available.
UCI: I’m glad you told me, you know, like, I mean, I, you know, I’m vaccinated some stuff too. And, you know, I just, I’m glad you made it through and that you know what I mean that you, I know you, hopefully you won’t have too bad of long haul of symptoms where you’re, you know, having to deal with it for a long time. But yeah, I’m sorry to hear about your family, too.
Caller: You know what I want to thank you and your entire class or everybody that’s involved in this project, I sent a detailed request, asking that you guys really dig deep into this pandemic, issue, man, really get out there to spread the word to these people, and get as much information as you can, because this is going to be an historical archive. Like what you read to me when I first got on the phone, you know.
UCI: Yes, exactly.
Caller: You guys, just open this to everybody, because people’s feelings are important.
UCI: 100 percent. Yup.
Caller: People’s lives are important. And if you guys do this job, to the best of your ability, and log everything, you guys will be famous, and you guys will be remembered for life, for an eternity, you guys are going to go down in history, you know, and I appreciate you guys very, a lot man, very much.
UCI: Well, thank you. I appreciate those kind words. You know, I mean, really, it’s, you know, it’s not about it. For us, it’s not necessarily about, you know, like, just our names. It’s more about, like, you know, making sure that people are taken care of, you know what I mean?
Like, like people like yourself, and people that don’t have to, you know what I mean, because your life’s at risk. And there’s no reason, you know, so many times, we’ve heard lots of stories where guys are saying, you know, I have a life sentence, but I don’t have a death sentence.
You know, I mean, like, I didn’t sign this. I wasn’t supposed to be here and die here. You know what I mean? Like, and I know that it’s probably the same situation with your yourself as well, you know, and, you know, it’s just not, it’s a horrible situation, and people are taking advantage of it. I have just a couple more questions for you, if you if you don’t mind.
Caller: Sure.
UCI: So, have you been like so? Do you guys have any programs, you said you have like minimal programming a couple days out of the week?
Caller: Well, you know, what they’ve been kind of playing dibs on this program, the title California Code of Regulations, title 15. states that if we are on the disciplinary status, at the minimum, we get 10 to 14 hours a week. We’ve been getting like maybe two and a half hours to four hours a week.
And sometimes there’s like six-day periods, were we’re not giving no program. We have washed ourselves in the sinks and toilets here.
UCI: Ugh.
Caller: So, you know, that’s not too healthy. So?
UCI: Yeah. And so, I mean, just you personally, like, what have you been doing to cope with the crisis? Like, like, what do you do to I mean, to make yourself feel better to get through the day to I mean, to, you know, what I mean, like you read books do you write like, what?
Caller: I read books, I read a lot of poetry and story. And I’m a little bit different than a lot of other people that work on every kind of program that they have here for me, because I tried to advance my knowledge as much as I can in every aspect of life. I really like the fact the fountain Muslim magazines, I’ve read the Quran, I read the Bible.
But they’ve given us tablets here now, with a lot of educational service programs on them and apps and stuff that we can use of radio apps, TV apps. We have a phone app, or we can call a family while we’re locked down.
But that’s another reason why they did it. Like they told me the other day, I was like, “Hey, man, we haven’t had program for fucking three days, can we get programs?” And they were like “You know what, you have your tablet.” And what kind of response is that?
UCI: Yeah.
Caller: Look and that doesn’t mean I want to be locked down in my cell. I’d like to take a shower, a hot shower, because there’s no hot water in our cells. It’s not hot, because it’s other units that are showering during the day.
UCI: Yeah, I mean, I am a program provider in prison. And, you know, like, that’s one of the things we were worried about is that, you know, after people get their tablets, that they’re gonna, you know, CDCR and just, all the counties are going to start trying to stop visitation and stop classes and all that stuff, just because they can, you know, but, you know, we’re really pushing to make sure that everything’s still in person. Like, because there’s no there’s no substitute for being in person and teaching people and, and working programs together, you know, like in person.
Caller: Socializing? Yeah, we need to socialize, you know? Being locked down in those cells is not good. Not healthy.
UCI: Yup. Definitely. And so, these other questions, like, you kind of touched on them a little bit already, like, you know, is there anything because you’re saying the staff is kind of just the issue here? Is there anything besides the staff that would make your situations the facility any better? Like, is there I mean, you know, you could just mention whatever you think?
Caller: The commands – the command staff needs to be more responsible for the mistreatment by the staff towards us inmates and you know what, I’ve gotten to where I’ve used vulgarities in my grievances. And now they want to reprimand me and take away my grievance privileges, just because I’m using vulgarities but they don’t realize even though I mention, I go “Hey man, it’s your staff and the issues that you guys are avoiding that are causing us to use vulgarity.”
UCI: Right.
Caller: I got 30 seconds left to call you another day or call this number another day? Yeah
UCI: Yes, please call another time and tell everybody you know other people there they if you want, they can call in as well. I really, really appreciate your time of calling in the letters in the poetry can’t wait to read it. Thank you for calling PrisonPandemic. Feel free to tell your friends about it and have them call in. Thank you so much.
Caller: Thanks.
UCI: Talk to you soon.
Caller: Bye.
