Mark is an Italian Jew. Not that the skinheads, who often wear swastika tattoos without understanding their grim import, could have figured that out. Skinheads, in my experience, just hate people who are not obviously white or who are weaker than they are. There's no pride because they're not doing anything to be proud of. They're the scum of the gangbangers, the white trash of the prison system.
But I digress. This guy Breaker (not his real name), a skinhead with a few friends in Todd Road, figured out that Mark was a jail virgin and that someone on the outside was depositing money into his commissary account. So Breaker visited Mark and told Mark that he wanted Mark's entire commissary to divide among his friends. Mark fought Breaker over it and got his ass kicked.
Now, prevailing jail wisdom ("The Old Pimp Law") says that should have been the end of it, that Mark had proved his mettle by fighting. But not where skinheads are involved. Breaker and his skinhead buddies came back and kicked Mark's ass time and time again, forced him to order the maximum commissary, and, for insurance, went through his mail and got his sister's address. That's why I can't use Mark's real name.
"They tried to make me their bitch" is the way Mark puts it. You figure it out.
One of the Latinos figured out what was happening (the guards are often clueless). He confronted Breaker, as almost any brave vato would have. There was a fight. That should have ended it.
The next day, a gang of skinheads attacked the Latino with razors and cut him to shreds. The guards carried him away on a stretcher.
The skinheads were never punished. The predators victimized Mark until his release. He still fears for his sister's safety.
I'm not making this up. I hope Breaker rots in hell.
PARTING SHOT
I tell you, I'm getting too old for this shit. I ain't pimpin' for no one, ain't takin' no hit. When my date rolls around, I'll be right out the door. Better check me out good; you won't see me no more.
A lot of guys in jail think that the system is stacked against them, that the justice system is designed to keep everyone coming back, that it's racist.
The truth is, life is stacked against you, and you must struggle to do positive things with each waking breath. If you let your guard down, bad things could happen to you, and jail is one of those things.
If you want my opinion on what's happening in our jails and prisons, I believe it's getting tougher all the time. The once-liberal baby boomers are old fogies, and they're more reactionary than the parents they reviled. A megabillion-dollar industry of political-interest groups—including guards, cops, attorneys, public defenders, district attorneys, police, clerks and jerks, judges and jailers—is dependent on crime. The result is that society's definition of "crime" is getting looser. Sentences are getting longer. Three Strikes isn't three violent felonies; it could be a residential burglary and two stupid, ill-timed misdemeanors, like 11-550s (under the influence).
A pot smoker or even a grower shouldn't go to jail or prison, but they do. It's an easy bust. Imagine getting paid for bringing some loopy stoner, some latter-day Jeff Spicoli, to "justice." There are harder things in life.
Of course, everybody in jail is innocent, dude. After a while, you have to fight to suppress a yawn while listening to another con's story about how some snitch or bitch turned him. I'm not going to take that route. I deserved what I got. Most of the guys and gals in jail know the rules.
You can make a positive experience out of jail. In fact, if you don't want to go back, that's about the only attitude you can take. You will probably never again in your life have such an opportunity to reflect on where you've been and where you're going, to examine your values and to really turn your life around. You can read and write to your heart's content, and if you're a creative person, you might find yourself completely energized by the experience. If you drink, smoke or do drugs, you'll get a chance to clean out your system.
You've got to make something positive out of it or you'll be back, except for a longer time. It's as simple as that.
JAIL ETIQUETTE, PART IV
Don't gloat when you're "short" —when you're close to release. Hide your jubilation. Others won't share your joy.
Wave goodbye politely when you leave. Don't give everyone the finger. You may need those guys again someday.
