By Jason Renard Walker, Minister of Labor NABPP 

4/21/20

Clements unit guard, Jonathan Goodman was discovered to have been infected with the Coronavirus following his death, April 21 2020, merely two weeks after the prison was put on quarantine lock-down. 

Goodman was found unresponsive on his homes floor several days ago by a member of his family. He was listed as having suffered a stroke and being brain dead upon his arrival to the hospital. Post mortem tests confirmed the Coronavirus was a key factor. 

Goodman’s wife, Kimberly Goodman also works at the prison as a unit case-worker; whether she’s infected remains unknown. 

Guards at the prison weren’t aware that Goodman was infected and in the hospital until head administrative bodies from Huntsville, Texas stopped by the prison to investigate the murder of a hispanic prisoner, who was found dead in his close custody cell, April 13, 2020. 21 staff members were questioned, concerning a failure to conduct bedbook counts, bi-daily cell inspections, placing mail and medication in a prisoners cell while they are asleep and supervisory oversight towards these policy violations.

Despite guards deliberately avoiding COVID-19 tests, out of fear of being placed on sick leave and losing pay, prisoners here are suffering the most. The entire length of the (supposedly 14 day quarantine) lockdown, meals have consisted of: two slices of bread, a teaspoon of PBJ mixed, 1 boiled egg for breakfast,1 bologna sandwich,1 PBJ sandwich for lunch; the same for dinner. Raisins and dry flakes are sometimes swapped out for the boiled egg,while a toddler sized cold (all bean) burrito, fish bi-product square,or chicken pattie is swapped out for the cold cuts. Generally cold cuts are served. 

While staff can access the prison’s commissary and purchase food and snacks, prisoners have no such luxury and are forced to tough out the hunger pangs, lack of sufficient protein, calories and vitamins. In fact, Huntsville officials ordered the warden to give us a commissary purchase, during their stop-by. 

The ambiguity in a “commissary purchase” gave staff the discretion to narrow our purchases to $10 worth of correspondence supplies; absent pencils, type writer ink ribbons, art paper, colored pencils, greetings cards and water paint. Hygiene was narrowed down to the purchase of 1 deodorant; 1 toothpaste; 1 shampoo; 1 comb; 5 motel sized bars of soap; 1 tooth brush; absent of the allowance of baby powder, hair brushes, vitamin supplements, allergy meds, lotion, hair grease, orange juice, food items, shaving cream/razors etc. 

Staff have actually treated the quarantine as a punitive lockdown, thus the restriction of items that can boost our immune systems and give us an adequate protein/caloric substitute. Our next commissary purchase is in 30 days. 

Each time a staff member is suspected of being infected, regardless of who they may or may not have come in contact with, the 14 day quarantine starts over until the prison has 14 consecutive days without a fevering guard. In fact, the quarantine has been reset three times, April 22, 2020 was supposed to be the quarantine lift date. Coughing, sick guards are able to temporarily avoid scrutiny by using their face masks to muffle coughs and facial signs of sickness.

Phonecalls are still suspended, though the one call we did make, we were forced to make a collect call, despite the 2 key option that specifically allowed a free call. All under the scam of being given a 5 min call that charged for 15 min. All scrutinizing prisoners were shown a posting made the same day, explaining that all calls are collect.

Without any testing policies or infected person targeting, quarantine measures like the punitive lockdown pose a risk to TDCJ prisoners’ health, mental health, welfare and safety.

Dare to struggle, dare to win! All power to the people!

Jason Renard Walker #1532092

Clements Unit

9601 Spur 591

Amarillo, TX 79107