John’s newsletter from Eastham Unit n°40

JOURNEY FROM DEATH ROW
John’s newsletter from Eastham Unit n°40
15th of June 2009

Dear all,
This month’s newsletter is dedicated to the third and last part of John’s article about his transfer last December. I would like to thank the three “As” (Emma, Laura, Barbara!!!) who helphed me translating this document in French.

Tina and Celine, editing committee

How is John doing these days?

John’s transfer request was recently denied for technical reasons. Indeed, the request had to be sent from someone oustide the prison, and not John himself, to be taken into consideration. So John’s stepmother (his father’s wife) had to file the request and provide the evidence that she can’t drive so far from Beaumont to visit John. We hope that this time John will receive a positive answer. We will let you know, and in case John moves again, will keep you informed of his new whereabouts.

What’s new about his judicial procedure?

Nothing new to share with you.

John’s own words

Recent tour of Texas Prisons
12-23-08-12-31-08

Finally, we arrive at Polunsky and they unload us and bring us into building 12 for shakedown. I saw several of the same officers still there from from when I was there. A couple said hello and asked how I had been doing, a few others just glared at me. When it was my turn for shakedown I went inside and they had some new search techniques since I left. First they stripped me down to do the whole song and dance there. They made me sit in the metal detector chair. After I got dressed again they put my little property bag on the x ray machine. It looked just like what I'd seen in magazines from airports where they put your luggage through. It's the first time I'd seen one. I asked one of the officers that was being civil with me how it worked and he let me look at the big screen behind the machine and it was literally and x ray! You could see every single thing in the bag. Anything metal in the bag stands out a bright, solid white color. I guess that is their new cell phone detector.

Anyhow, after having my property x rayed I rejoined the rest of the incoming chain from the van. They had heard some of the officers speaking to me about getting off death row and they knew now I had come from death row. That is when the stereo type kicked in, and only one of them spoke to me after that. I kept my eye on big boy, but he kept his distance. After we were all searched and x-rayed they put us in 'the cage' outside of the main building. This is where incoming chain waits to go to classification and before being assigned a living area, job and such.
As I stood outside in the cage I was looking at everything and thinking about how I use to see all these areas when I was on the row being escorted to visitation down the 'last mile', which is a long sidewalk from 12 building to the visitation room. This 'last mile' is also the sidewalk that a prisoner will walk from the visit room directly to a van at noon on the day of his execution. The van then takes him to the Walls unit to be executed. We waited outside in the cold for several hours. Finally around noon they started running orientation where they give you the rules packet for that unit. When the lady from classification came out I asked her who did I need to speak to about my restrictions for housing and jobs. She somehow already knew who I was and said 'you are Dewberry, right?'. I said yes. She said I could talk to classification when I went in as they were expecting me. I had a bad feeling right away. The next guy asked how long it was going to be and she told him they already had a committee in there but were waiting for Warden Simmons to get there.

The Warden had told the committee to wait on running classification on the incoming chain until he got there. I figured it had something to do with me. That bad feeling did not get any better after hearing that!

30minutes later they called my name saying they wanted to see me first! So in I went. Normally classification is run by only 3 people but when I walked in there were 7 people inside. I knew something was up for sure by now! It was like there were spectators standing around. They pointed to a chair and told me to have a seat. When I sat down I did not say anything just looked at all of them. They stared back at me like I was a ghost. There was a captain sitting across the table from me looking through my file. He asked why I was transferred to 'their' unit. I told him I had no clue but from what I understood it was to make room for the GRAD program at Ellis. I detected a hint of aggression in his voice. The chair I was sitting in was back against the wall, a table in the middle of the room and a door to my left. There was the head warden, the captain, and head of classification sitting behind the table. There was an officer on each side of my chair and two other people standing off to the right side of the room just watching. I asked about my line class, which I was due for since it had been a years since my last write up. I only mentioned it to break the silence. They all looked up at me. The captain replied rudely 'we're not going to give you nothing, that will up to the next unit you go to'. I asked him what he meant by that, the next unit? He said 'frankly we don't want to have nothing to do with you, as a matter of fact, put cuffs on him'. The two officers on both sides of me instantly moved up on me. I said 'hold on man, don't put your hands on me. I am fixing to stand up real slow and put my hands behind my back, just chill out'. I stood up and one of them slapped cuffs on me and then grabbed my arm and literally sat me back down in the chair. I said 'what is up with this, why are y'all treating me like this, is it something I did, I just got here'. The Captain replied, 'Not really you personally but we don't want anything to do with you and there is not going to be any ex death row living on our unit'. He told the officer to take me and lock me up in transit . I asked him where there were going to send me and he said he did not know but I would be on the first thing smoking!! The classification guy asked the Captain if I had any gang affiliations and he said not that he could see in my file, he replied with 'too bad I thought we could seg him real quick'. Damn!! The Warden finally spoke up and asked me how I got off death row. I told him the USSC commuted my sentence. He said 'oh'. Then they took me to transit and put me in one of those cells by myself.

It was almost 1pm by this time. I was exhausted from being up all night and day, as soon as I got in there I went to sleep. I slept through last chow and breakfast. I woke up to banging on my cell door. I got up and went to my door and there were 4 officers at my door that were regular officers back when I was on death row, a few of the decent ones. Two of them had made rank and other two still had no rank. They had seen my name on the chain list in the count room and came by to see how I was doing and how I'd been. In every prison, no matter if it is death row or general population, you always have your different type of officers. There are the human beings, the assholes, the control freaks and the sadistic ones. The ones standing in front of my door were ones I was okay with while I was still on the row. They stayed for about an hour, just asking asking how I was and how population was treating me, telling me the latest gossip and told me I was on the chain list for that morning and wished me well and left. The nest morning at 6:30am there was a knock on my door telling me the chain bus was there and I was on it. Wow, that was a new record for me, less than 24 hours on a unit and I was literally kicked off by the administration. It just goes to show their utter hatred for death row and ex death row. I was actually glad I was leaving the unit after that experience! With all this unit bouncing around that they have been doing to me since I left death row in June of 2005, there has only been 2 units that were hostile towards me. Wynne, where I was only in population for 11 days and was in lock up for 21 days before shipped. And Polunsky, less than 24 hours!! I guess they cannot stand it that they did not get to pump my body full of poison and murder me! Hateful people!

Back on the bus I went the morning of the 30th. Headed back to the Walls unit, again. I got there and went through the song and dance of strip searches, shakedowns and finally got a cell. Of course I had to take a tour of Texas by bus for 5 hours before arriving there. I got to see some freedom for a while. Once I got a cell at the Walls I laid down and was wondering where on earth I would go next. That night they told me I was on the chain again. Around midnight they pulled all outgoing chain out and back to the chain link dog kennel cages again.When I got outside I found out where I was going, Eastham unit. I was not too happy about that because it's so far away from where I am from. Last time I was there is when I first got off death row. That is the first unit I was sent to. I ended up getting a hardship transfer from there after 5 months and ended up at the Wynne unit where my brother was. The hardship transfer was so my Mother would not have to drive from one unit to another to visit us, she had back surgery and it hurt to drive long distances. It still hurts her to this day! When I got to Eastham I was not met with any hostilities, it was a regular classification, they even gave me my line class upgrade. I was assigned housing and a job in the fields. This unit does not have any college classes on it, Ellis unit did and I was on the waiting list to enroll and start. I don't plan on staying here long, it is just too far from where I am from. I have to go through the whole hardship transfer again. It took me 5 months last time to obtain a hardship. Don't know how long it will take this time or if it will even be possible. I have to try though! I hardly ever got to see my family before when I was here. I don't see them at any unit really but being this far, I will never see any of them! This unit is located right between Dallas and Houston. It is a two hour drive either way, From Beaumont, where my family is, it is 4 hours! No way my family can do that, they are poor, the economy is bad and I'll never see them if I don't get closer to Beaumont! That is my mission for 2009! For now I am in Lovelady, Texas, please note my address here at Eastham. This unit is not that bad, it's just too far away.

Anyhow, that is just a little update about my latest tour around Texas courtesy of TDCJ bluebird express bus! SMILE! I did not have such a good holiday season but weighing the pros and cons, I guess it was not that bad. Being able to ride around on that bus and see all that freedom, people, places and things. With the exception of the prisoners that are afraid of a shower and toothbrush, it was really not such a bad trip. I can't wait until the day arrives that I can travel at will and enjoy the simple freedom of life without the trips being a thing of seemingly punishment. I know and believe that this day will come! Speaking of, I still have not heard anything from the federal court on my appeal. Right now just working to pay off the lawyer on the case and waiting on a favorable ruling. Whatever happens, one thing is for sure there is a good lawyer on the case and she is not going to let them just screw me over as the past court appointed lawyers have!

I am going to end here for this time. Everyone that reads this please take care and have a wonderful new year!! I send everyone my love and respect and I thank everyone from the bottom of my heart for not forgetting about me in this hell and for your love and support. I don't think I could have made it this far without it! THANK YOU! Until next time...

In this struggle fighting for justice,

John Dewberry
Eastham #1306204
2665 Prison Rd. #1
Lovelady, Tx 75851