INDIRIZZO OTTENUTO DALLA COALIT (www.coalit.org)
March 21, 2001
Donna Brorby-Attorney at Law
660 Market Street, Suite 300
San Francisco, Calif. 94104
Dear Miss Brorby,
I have not written you in a long time, but feel this issue is something you
need to be aware of. I started to file a lawsuit over the conditions of the
Terrell prison Texas death row was moved to with all the RUIZ guarantees set
aside, but found that the Courts had shot down anything and everything I
was trying to raise
as constitutional Meredith Rountree tried to help me with
with this, but I soon saw there was little, if anything, to fight with after
she sent me an extensive report out of Washington on whether SUPERMAX
PRISONS were legal, where it showed that all my issues had already
been raised and ruled against. Meredith and I discussed that these type
isolation, deprivation cells would allow men to be
dying in their cells without any guards detecting it until it was too late.
It finally happened just like she and I said it would. Tonight, a death row inmate,
Eddie Rowton, # 999343 died over these uncaring asshole's lack of doing their
job.
Not just the guards, but the sorry medical workers used by TDCJ are to blame
for the
agonizing death Eddie suffered. I am in 12 building,
Pod, 11 cell and Eddie
was in 14 cell on the same row as me. I want his loved ones to know I will be
more than
willing to testify against the state for their refusal to do anything for him
as he continued
to BEG for help and the guards did not even come to check on him
until after it was too late.
The whole prison had been on lockdown for over a week and it was before lockdown
that Eddie was complaining of severe chest pains. I think it was either
the 8th or the 9th of March when Eddie first started asking for
help. Robert Ramos # 999062, in 13 cell, yelled for the picket to come
check on Eddie because Eddie FELL DOWN while standing at his
door with Ramos standing there talking to him. Ramos said he was trying
to pass Eddie a newspaper and Eddie just fell to the floor; grabbing his
chest and saying how bad it was hurting. Ramos started yelling to the picket.
It was ten minutes before they even answered Ramos. The guard in the picket made
his cute little statement to Ramos: HOW DO YOU KNOW HE FELL DOWN WHEN YOU ARE
IN 13 CELL AND HE IS IN 14 CELL? Then the guards REFUSED TO COME CHECK ON
EDDIE. All of us guys on two
row started yelling to Eddie to see if he was OK. He did not respond and
so almost everyone in
this whole section started screaming to the picket. I am rather outspoken
and yelled the loudest
trying to shame them in coming to check on Eddie. I yelled:IF HE DIES IT WILL BE YOUR PUNKASS JOB" and "IF IT WAS A GUARD
WITH HIS CHEST HURTING YOU WOULDN'T BE WAITING TO CHECK HIM.
Even doing that, it was still ten or fifteen minutes that went by before a guard
came back on the speaker and asked; IS IT STILL HURTING! Only after
Eddie said YES did two guards come slowly walking up to Eddie's
cell.
They took Eddie to the doctor and he came back within ten (10 ) minutes shaking
His head saying they told him it was nothing to worry about and that they would
not give him anything but aspirin for the intense pain. He said it was
still hurting extremely bad. The next day, I was in the recreation room
in front of our cells and asked Eddie how he was doing. He said it hurt
all the time. I suggested he continue to insist they take him
to a hospital to be checked out by someone that is a real doctor. Eddie
did start telling every
shift guard his chest was still hurting. Eddie said he kept asking them
to take him to a hospital
and they refused to do anything for him.
They did take him over to a QUACK DOCTOR (Porras), that won't ever do anything
to help anyone, and Eddie said Porras would not send Eddie to the hospital and
would not spend the time to even do any type thorough examination. Eddie said
that he kept asking if they would do some test because the pain would not go
away. They refused to do anything for him other than offer him aspirin.
Tonight Eddie was complaining about how badly his chest hurt each time a guard
was near. One of the guards ( Wells) finally took the time to call someone
to come get him.
They came and got him and two guards were back in a hour to clean out his cell
saying he had died. With the sick jokes some of these guards make, I waited
until third shift to ask if Eddie had really died and had it confirmed about a hour
ago.
Something needs to be done. I hope you or your office will use this information
to file something pointing out the danger of these isolation cells. Like
the guard said: How do you know he fell down? I can only see
out an inch of space to one neighbor on side and we are locked in here at least
23 hours a day. Terrell
is always going on lockdown every month or so where we are locked up 24 hours a
day with the
guards only coming around every few hours, if that. This deadly type
situation will happen
again and again unless something is done. The doctor, if you can call him
that, will never
even allow guards to even take off the handcuffs when he checks you.
For example: Some rookie kid guard broke something in my hand the
first month we were moved here and he would only say: It will heal
itself! I stayed handcuffed behind my back and Porrass refused to take
the cuffs off to x-ray or closely examine my hand. I filed grievances and
letters with the
internal affairs and nothing was ever done. Now this type uncaring
and unprofessional medical help allows Eddie to die in agonizing pain needlessly.
It would be to late by the time you received this letter to stop TDCJ from
hiding the evidence of their malice and neglect. You know TDCJ will cremate
Eddie as fast as possible to avoid any autopsy that could show
their neglect. TDCJ cremates inmates quickly to hid their responsibility
to where they are not held liable. Mark my words, Eddie is headed for the
crematorium as I type this.
If you want to work on this case, Please contact me and at least let me know the
names of Eddie's Loved ones where I can help them sue TDCJ for damages.
I am writing Meredith Rountree also to see if it is to late to stop TDCJ from cremating
Eddie. This type neglect will continue to happen in these isolation, deprivation
cells designed to punish, not house, inmates. I thought my
punishment was my death sentence!
Sincerely,
Roy Pippin