DannyBoyinExile

A while back, we got a new commissary manager who decided that he was going to change just about everything in there, and fix the disorganized mess he inherited. That’s an admirable goal, of course – and one that nearly every new manager has begun with. Until reality (and resistance) sets in, and they realize what a massive undertaking it is. Management comes and goes, but chaos seems to be here to stay.
One day I walk by the commissary, and see a handwritten sign proclaiming that NO coming to the window to ask a question will be tolerated – and you WILL be written a case for it. I had to laugh. I mean, is THAT what he thinks is wrong with our commissary? That too many pesky inmates are asking questions about what they’re out of, or when their wing will go, since they’re so far behind that the schedule is meaningless?
Rumor has it that our Assistant Warden even stepped in, and told the guy (the manager, I mean, not the inmate at the window asking a question) that he can’t just make up new rules and post them himself. Because we can’t be expected to follow a rule that isn’t even a rule. And if a rule IS legitimate, it should be posted officially, in the bulletin board designed for that purpose. Besides, a manager with any experience should know that a handwritten sign consisting of a complaint on paper that has been taped on the wall will only last a matter of minutes. (A particularly unruly inmate would probably just ball it up and toss it right back in the window, like a hand grenade!)
Fast forward a few months, and I can’t see how our commissary has changed – and that includes asking questions at the window. Besides, unless the manager himself is willing to come to the wings and pass out the slips we have to write our orders on, how else can we get them, other than asking for them at the window?
That new rule was abandoned, but I encounter others from time to time. Just the other day, I’m hard at work in the laundry (don’t laugh!) – where we have a huge roll-up screen (rather like an automatic garage door, except not automatic) that we roll up to allow sunshine and fresh air to come into the laundry. There’s also a fence there, separating us from the welding class, which is right on the other side. They too are always coming to the fence with questions – which isn’t unusual, considering that we wash and return their work clothes every day.This is normal, and expected, so I was surprised when an African CO from the welding side yelled at me to get away from the fence, because I was “out of place”. Before I could even protest (or call him an idiot, which wouldn’t have been inaccurate), he demanded my ID card, because he’s writing me a case for being “out of place”.
It’s my policy to not argue with COs, because it’s usually pointless – most of the time. But this time I KNEW I was in the right. I’m like, ” I’m NOT out of place. I’m allowed to be anywhere in this laundry. Who told you we can’t be near the fence?” This wasn’t the FRONT gate, which we couldn’t be within FEET of without running the risk of being shot. This was just a fence which served as a boundary between the laundry and the welding class – where we took orders for clothing sizes (and then delivered them) every single day. TWICE a day, to be exact, because there’s an AM and a PM class. For him to tell me I can’t be near the gate is almost… stupid.
Speaking of almost stupid, we turn in our ID cards to the laundry personnel when we come to work each morning, where they’re stored in a wooden box and returned to us when we leave. So I simply didn’t HAVE my ID to give him – which he should have known.
So this guy leaves his duty post and comes all the way inside the laundry, determined to write me up for not just out of place but also for refusing to obey an order. Unfortunately (for him, but fortunately for me) my bosses inside the laundry told him that it was not illegal for me to be standing there. MANY people stand there at different parts of the day, to rest for a few minutes, or just enjoy a cool breeze. (Which reminds me of a joke: Why does air always blow into, but never out of, a prison? Because jail sucks!) =~}
The guy was so mad that he couldn’t write me up for that (but determined to write me up for SOMETHING) that he decided to accuse me of cussing him out! No, sir. When my bosses asked me about the new allegation, I responded with cold logic. “Ma’am, I KNEW that I was in the right, and I wouldn’t get a case for being out of place. So what sense would it make for me to cuss him out – which I WOULD get a case for?” That would be stupid – on MY part, I mean, which is a no-no. I still make mistakes on occasion, but I try my best to never make blunders, which is far worse.
Today’s TDCJ is festooned with security cameras, and each CO wears a body cam on his chest. As long as we can keep calm, even when we feel persecuted, there will always be evidence on file somewhere, to document just about any situation.
I made it through this ordeal unscathed, because I hadn’t done anything wrong. I argued with the guy (which I probably shouldn’t have), but I didn’t cuss him out – and I WOULDN’T, simply because it doesn’t accomplish anything. But I still make it a point to stay away from the fence. There’s no telling WHAT he may try to write me up for next, so it’s best to just stay out of his way.
No matter how many rules, orders, or idiots I encounter in TDCJ, I try to always let my own conscience be my guide. It doesn’t tell me what to do, but it always tells me what NOT to do, if I’ll just take the time to listen. And that’s far more reliable to me than anyone else’s rules, orders, or opinions. So says DannyBoy.