Image of the mess hall murals taken from the publication, “Wall City”
on tour: harshness and light
Continuing from Part 1……
We cross the yard, which is empty today because there are canine searches going on this week in the condemned units. I hear from officers that they did find 5 man-made weapons thus far.
Usually the yard is brimming with guys playing sports, exercising or gathering to socialize. Today, it’s just the pigeons, geese and seagulls squawking to make themselves known. It’s a scene I see from the 3rd floor every day, but now I’m down on it.
We walk over the basketball court back to the over to the lighter side of things. I’m taken to the classrooms where they hold classes daily from college classes, to AA meetings, to literacy and computer classes. Students can earn an Associate of the Arts (AA) degree.
And then onto the Media Center where I get a warm welcome from the newspaper staff. They all introduce themselves and shake my hand. They are clearly proud of their production, and they should be. It was one of the first things I read online when I was prepping to come here. It made me feel inspired and safer to enter into this environment.
They are also proud that they don’t need to be supervised. It is the one place on the grounds where you won’t find an officer directly in the building. They are given free rein of their space to create. Their mission is to advance social justice. And they’re learning valuable skills in the process–writing, arts, photography, computer programs, etc.
Not only do they have the printed copy, but they’ve also started a recorded prison TV version for those unable to read the printed version and it’s also available online to the public. And not only does it get distributed to this prison, but the publication is read at statewide prisons as well as nationwide and overseas. They have sponsors to help them get their message out.
Pretty amazing. They get letters from readers at other prisons from all over, thanking them for the updates (read these letters to the editor in the paper). This was especially important during the pandemic lockdowns.
➡️ Check it out if you want to read a little bit about life inside HERE.
Past a door and into the next media operation. These youngsters are using film to also advance social justice and change the way that the outside views those on the inside. They showed me one of their recent productions, interviewing one of the residents about his upbringing and experience with suicide. I was about to erupt in tears. I say, “man, it’s hard being human.”
And thus they jokingly said, “because we don’t you to leave all depressed, we have a more humorous video.” It’s got the feel of The Office. And I am left laughing. These guys have skills, as any pro on the outside has. And they’ve learned it all in prison. They’re really learned how to tell a story with visuals and music, as well as the spoken word.
➡️ Check them out their Youtube channel HERE. Or they’re on Instagram if that’s where you hang out. You’ll see little glimpses of the inside and views of where I work and these men live. And stories to help change your view and open your heart. Please subscribe to support them and share if you’re willing.
The media center also houses the Podcasts: Uncuffed and Ear Hustle. As well as the radio show, and prison TV channel.
Back to some harshness and we’ll end with the light. We headed up to the blocks where the canine searches are going on.
She asks if I’ve seen the cells. “Yes.” She asks if I’ve been in a cell. “No.” Nows my chance. The helper guide unlocks a padlock on a cell. And he says, there are only two rules. First rule, don’t touch or take anything. Second rule, remember the first rule.
I step inside, where I am immediately feeling confined. It’s a 4ft wide x 11ft long x 8ft high cell. The space between the wall and the bed is just enough for me to slide my body through. The bunk bed is metal with a thin mattress. The pillow a stack of 3 blankets. There’s a toilet, a sink tucked in the back. And some storage bins squeezed into the space between the sink and the bed. It’s dark back there.
I always envision my patients being able to do a full pushup from the edge of the bed. But no, you can’t even extend your arms all the way. My elbows are still about 135 degrees bent with my full extension from hands to bed, back to wall. If you’re tall or large sized, this space would feel that much smaller.
It’s no wonder my patients have painful backs, shoulders, knee injuries from climbing up and down from the top bunk, and rounded postures from sitting in the bunk to read or watch TV or do their school work. It’s a tight fit for one person. Thinking of another person in there with me is unthinkable
We travel outside through the condemned East Block yard which is basically cages on a large span of asphalt, covered by a tin roof. No sun ever shines in this space. This is for those that won’t ever place nice with others. So their outside time is confined to this caged space where they have a toilet and a plastic crate to sit on. They can get access to radios, so you’ll often hear a myriad of music variety blasting from this space.
And into East Block, the condemned unit and I get to see their yard. But not after we pass by a resident in holding pattern in a very small phone booth sized cage. No doubt his cell is being searched and he’s in waiting. He’s calling to the PIO. I’m not entirely sure she actually knows him.
This other yard is broken down into 4-5 separate areas the size of a half a basketball court. They are brought in here, often separated by race. This space is for those that can play nice. And a little bit of sun actually shines down onto the court.
Back out and through the large iron doors.
And onward to somewhere I’ve wanted to see since hearing about it on the podcast. The mess hall, or chow hall.
And the historical 12 foot murals, three of them to be exact. The painted murals were done by an incarcerated resident, Alfredo Santos (and two others), starting in 1853. He won a contest to create the artwork, having never been an artist before coming to prison. They were painted in all one color: sienna. They didn’t want to to provide any other colors that they could use to die their clothes and try to escape.
I could not imagine the depth and breadth of these murals. Pictures can help you see the specific images….early days of California history through the second World War to the beginning of space age. However, there is nothing like being in the presences of them. It’s awe inspiring to think how they even had the imagination and knowledge of history to bring this together. There are hidden innuendos and humor creatively painted throughout. And a gypsy eye’s that travel with you as you cross the room. I could have sat there all day in front of each part and studied all that was going on.
➡️ These murals are so iconic that the Smithsonian owns them. If/when this prison dies, the art will live on in history. Check out more images and here the story about them on the podcast HERE.
And with that, we head out to the wind tunnel that lies between the buildings, and head back to the courtyard, where we hit the sun again, going from darkness to light.
And that concluded my tour. I see those around me in a new light.
**just to note, I’ll be leaving out the name of the institution that I work at. It’s a state prison for reference. Images are not from the prison as no devices are allowed in.
Prison PT 
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