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October 11, 2004
Letter from Club Fed 10-5 (1/2)
Michael has read your emails and responded!
10/5/04
Hey all!
First, let me say thanks… many thanks to those of you who read my posting “A day in the life of…” And a special thanks to those who wrote back via Cary’s email.
individual messages here
It’s been hell on earth here since Monday, 9/13. As you’re probably aware, that was 2 days before Ivan was due to hit the Panhandle. It started out as a pretty average day. At about 9:00am, the world fell apart. We were all told to return to our Dorms and pack for evacuation. 18 BOP buses had pulled onto the compound and were waiting for us to board. We were allowed toothbrush, toothpaste, soap, 1 change of underwear and one change of clothing. We dragged our mattresses out of the Dorms and loaded them onto 18-wheelers. At the last minute, we were told to bring bedrolls—1 sheet, 1 blanket and pillow. At this point, we expected we were being evacuated to the bunkers on the Air Force Base. It wasn’t until all 815 of us were boarded that we were told we were going to Yazoo City, Mississippi.
Yazoo City, Miss???
I’d never heard of it before. It’s about 7 hours northwest of Pensacola. There is a Low Security Federal Prison located just outside of the city. In addition, there is a newly built, unfinished and, until we arrived unoccupied Medium Security located in the same area. Talk about culture shock! I know I have written about the relatively bucolic setting at “Club Fed…” Well landscaped, open space, moss-covered oak trees, view of the Gulf of Mexico, complete freedom within the compound… more like a summer camp for wayward boys.
Yazoo City Medium is P R I S O N in every sense of the word. A 15-foot high fence surrounds the compound. 12 feet outside that fence is another 15’ high fence. Both are topped by rolled razor wire. In between are 6 runs of razor wire stacked in a 3-2-1 formation. There are 3 4-story grey concrete slab buildings which serve as dorms, an A and B side to each building. Each side of the building contains 2 triangular dorms of 2 levels. In other words, there is a mezzanine level, and a 2nd level setup something like a balcony. There are about 30 2-man cells to each level. They measure about 10’ x 7’, with a 12” x 24” window, stainless steel toilet (no seat) and sink.
There was enough room for 2 mattresses (on the floor) side by side with about 8” between. The buildings were unfinished, post-construction, and covered with concrete dust. There was no flooring, no sound baffling, NO TOILET PAPER, and absolutely no ambiance. This became our home for the next 5 days. No TV, no radio, no cards, no books for the first 2 days. It was a spur of the moment evacuation with absolutely no preparation. Having been a guest of the Federal Government for the last 15 months, I really can’t say I was surprised by the lack of preparation. Let it suffice to say that the living conditions left much to be desired!
We're only $45 of our $65 away from those brand new tennis shoes! Keep the money coming!
Don't forget, you can also email Michael by sending an email to mike at this website address (leave off the www!).
Posted by Bastique at October 11, 2004 11:54 PM