Emergency Lockdown

The following was mailed from Dragonfly to Survivor on 3-14-2014.

Survivor,

I’m lying on my bed, with all my roommates doing the same, at 3:30pm. We were just told to stand for emergency count. We had full inmate recall at 2pm and they did a staff recall at 2:30pm. I’ve never heard them do a staff recall. Looking out my window, there are several emergency vehicles, staff in hazmat robes, and several inmates being looked after under the outside pavilion. Word is that the mail room opened an envelope that has powder in it. In a place like this, I would think it’s much more likely to be drugs, than anthrax, but we are on lockdown. I say, “word is,” because I never believe anything unless I hear it from staff. Never the less, people in place like this are so immature, faking medical concerns, just to get laughs. This place makes me think of junior high more and more. I hope they don’t just keep us in the dark to make up stories. I pray they will tell us the truth about what’s happening. There is a possibility that we could be on lockdown for hours, or even days. Not sure what to expect. I’ve only experienced being on lockdown for hours, except for when the ice storm hit, but we still ate and did email in the main building. The medical staff are here now, doing a second count, which I’ve never seen before, either. Okay, now we’ve been counted 6x, a normal count is just 2x, something is really different.

The inmates that were being held and medically checked under the pavilion were just escorted back into the main building. One, a friend of mine, who is currently in a wheelchair, lives in my unit. Only reasons they’d be going that way would be to go to the clinic, or even, isolation. With all the rumors, anything is possible. I pray this is just a “scare” and not anything real. Don’t’ worry, I was not near the area of the main building where this supposedly happened today.

Another recount, really?!? This is the reality of prison, just do what you are being told to do, don’t ask why…. same count on my floor. We are told to stay in our rooms, but people just go off to the bathroom without permission. Come on, it’s an emergency. I just saw an officer run into the high-rise with an oxygen mask, not my unit. It has truly been the oddest week, since I stopped working.

When they called this recall, I was in the clinic, waiting for my Embryl injection. At first they told us to go, but then they rushed us through. The nurse put the alcohol pad on my stomach to clean the area, but then put the needle in at a different spot. I guess that’s better than one of the nurses, here, who uses the alcohol pad to clean the skin surface AFTER pricking me with the needle. Umm, Duh!

Oh, the inmates that were being held were just brought back to their units, yay! I’ll be able to get the scoop from someone now/soon, I hope. I’ll keep writing this until I know the story, I’m sure you’re curious now.

Most the medical staff have left, but they just announced for us to stand up for another count, really?!? Inmates are yelling, “stop counting.” Like they think that’ll do any good except piss off staff. The first couple counts everyone was so quiet, but now they are jabbering with roommates and some aren’t even standing (yet).

Now we are being told to just stay in our rooms. People can go one at a time to use the restroom, that doesn’t work so well at a place like this. Good thing I don’t have to go. People are disoriented, “I need to pick up my meds at the pharmacy,” “what about dinner?” “can we do our laundry?” People are unable to just accept that for right now (it’s 4:15pm now) we are in our rooms. My roommates are quiet and on their bunks, this is why I like my new room! Someone asked if we can know what’s going on but silence on that topic so far. Oh, they turned off our phones at the recall, so we couldn’t call out, email was on, but of course it’s monitored and takes hours to be processed before it gets to our recipient. I’ve also never seen them turn off phones during a recall before. Well, I’m well stocked in my room, so no matter what, I’ll be fine. I’ve got food, beverages, craft projects, books and plenty of people to write. I finally picked up a pen and paper earlier this week to start writing folks back, I’ve been so bad lately at writing. A friend had sent me some extra stationary when she wrote, so I was able to keep some of the letters concise, like to G.A. members. I barely know on who just signed a card.

One of my roommates, the young longwinded one, decided to make herself something to eat, pig skins with hot water, Vienna sausages. Well, let me just say, it stinks! I’ve never had a pork skin, and I don’t anticipate ever trying it. She just asked what I’m writing. I told her my bff and that I could write you an entire notepad and never run out of things to say. A new officer just came by with a clipboard and our names, my roommate had started napping but she said she had to “see her face,” so we woke her. She checked off each of our names and moved on to the next room, is someone missing? Why so many counts? Are all the housing units going through the same thing? Perhaps I’ll get the story tomorrow or rather stories, as so many rumors are bound to persist.

My roommate says she ‘thinks’ she saw a news van leaving the premises. We are on a military base, the news couldn’t get here, that’s the kind of rumors that spread.

It’s 4:30pm and usually our insulin lines are released now and people also start heading (by unit) to dinner. If dinner happens tonight, which I’m sure it will, my unit will be eating super late. Of the 8 units, we are last because we failed inspection last week. I’m guessing dinner for us will be sometime between 7-8pm. Those that have to do the 2-hour pill-line wait will likely be out til after 10pm. This place is all about order, and when something goes wrong, the routine goes haywire, causing inmates to get restless and agitated, best thing for me is to stay in my room all night.

I’m currently reading “The Goldfinch” and it’s an excellent book, but 250 + pages in, I’m not even halfway through it, so that will keep me good company, and of course, there’s this letter to you.

People are allowed to do their laundry, it’ll be hours off schedule, but that is indicative of some normalcy coming back. Please keep this letter, I will probably want to give it to Hazel [here it is going on Hazel!] in the future! Of course, we have no idea how it will end.

Nearly 7 months next week. Each day an eternity, but not so bad looking back. Just 3 ½ months left at a maximum. I got a message back from the Warden today that he’ll check with medical, but ultimately my release is dependent on their paperwork, that should have been completed in December. Two of my roommates are in the exact same boat as are hundreds on this yard.  We are forced to max out because paperwork is not completed on time.

I was just thinking, if this happened in the mailroom, they may not provide us with any of our mail, we will never know who wrote, what was sent, etc. That would really suck! It’s 4:50pm now, still no word on anything. People are freely using the restrooms, although I don’t think anyone would dare risk a shower.

I’ve been doing a lot of thinking about school. I’m not prepared to give up on it, yet. I need to follow through and try to “reapply” and perhaps look at some additional programs to consider. 

Staff that was supposed to switch over an hour ago are still here, working alongside the folks who came on duty at 4pm. Once again, something that does not usually happen.

5:25pm. Still on lockdown. Ate some fake Doritos and read from my book. There are two officers outside talking with an inmate who is crying. No idea if it has anything to do with the emergency, but they are the only one’s out on the compound. Now there are 3 officers with her and she’s being walked into the main building. No idea why. New rumors flowing, but no real new news, everyone is still locked down.

Back from a restroom/gossip break. 5:40pm. Everyone hears about the white powder. Even if they have to treat it like anthrax, we think it was probably coke or something like it. Could the woman who was taken into the main building be the person it was addressed to, perhaps? Even those locked up for years say they’ve never heard a “staff recall” and/or had so many people doing counts. Lucky me for still being locked up so I can experience this, not!

Oh, “insulin line” officially called, they ‘may’ be reopening the compound, we still are not allowed to roam our unit (no “clear”), but it’s progress, nearly 4 hours since this “emergency” started. 

I need to decide if I’m going to dinner. Lola and I planned to meet up and eat together, but our units may not be called for hours. Plus, it’s enchilada casserole which is really disgusting, here. There are a few meals I like, but most are pretty gross.

“Clear!” we are finally allowed to roam our unit. I’m off to talk to [my friend] in a wheelchair, who most likely knows what happened! Stay tuned…

6pm, okay, here’s the story. A woman in the mail room opened a package and a white substance came out out and the worker immediately broke out on both of her arms. The ventilation system was turned off, everyone was watched to see if contamination occurred and someone was carted off to the main building, probably the “recipient” of said package.

We may never know what substance it is/was, but my friend who was getting her tooth pulled at the time, was there, held back for monitoring, and I know she spoke the truth. I’m glad she’s okay.

We did not receive our mail today, and something tells me we will never receive anything that arrived today. We receive no mail on Saturdays. Hope I had nothing important today, I still usually get mail every day.

Well, thanks for waiting out this ‘emergency’ with me. I’m glad we are no longer on lockdown. Crisis averted, I suppose. I’ll always wonder though, what was the white substance and what was the crying woman’s connection to it all… Unlike a CSI episode, this mystery may never be solved.

I love you!

Dragonfly J