This letter was written by a person incarcerated at Stockton.
On January of 2020 I remember watching the news on tv and hearing about something called COVID-19. Watching what the Chinese people were going through and saying to myself, “man I wonder how long before it gets to the US.” On February 2020 I heard of a boat that had docked somewhere in San Francisco and the captain and staff were not aware of people on the boat being sick with COVID-19.
Around March 2020 we got the news that the prison is getting on quarantine. Now I’m in my bunk were I sleep saying to myself “it’s here.” All of a sudden the little time we had to go outside was no more.
By May 2020 I’m watching the news, how people were dying and getting sick, what the symptoms were but no one really new. This whole time correctional officers were not wearing masks, not gloves so I’m thinking this will pass over.
On June 2020 a lot of people got sick and thought it was the flu. I felt weak, my body ached, but the one thing that scared me was that I could not breath.
Now thinking, “man do I got COVID-19?” But no one really knew because there were no COVID tests.
Before entering the hospital, they put me in a full hazmat suit. Thinking to myself “why are they putting all this on me?” So I ask, but before I could, I am passing through about 10 doors and just seeing people in plastic tubes. I asked “who are those people?” to the nurse, and she replied “they’re all inmates from San Quentin and they’re dying.” I looked at her with a serious look.
I get to my room where there is a doctor. I get IV antibiotics stayed for one hour, and then I headed back. So now I’m on my way back, thinking how the next level quarantine is. So basically they put you in a room for two weeks with no one to talk to. No books, no sounds. Thinking to myself “wow it could get worse.”
December 2020, I started getting symptoms of COVID-19 again. People started getting sick but this time there were COVID-19 tests. We all took them and came back positive. It was really bad this time because my taste left and I felt really sick. And when we told the medical staff how we felt they said “drink lots of water and you’ll be okay.”
Inmates were going man down. This one guy went down and all they did was check his temp and said you’re okay. Five minutes after, I tell him “he’s okay,” he replied “I don’t think I’m gonna make it.” I’m thinking “okay maybe he’s just overthinking it”.
Well a week later he passed away and all I could think is he had only eight months left to go home.
