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Speaker 1: M M A Wall Street line, shackle change, Oh do

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someome gird it's calling my name. There is no mercy

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and it's been a tentery juice as the huge stream

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game Rainbow three.

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Speaker 2: Come here by me or die.

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Speaker 1: Inside these walls, inside the wild.

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Speaker 2: Hadn't went no girl as I Hey everyone, and welcome

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back to Bloody Angla, a podcast one and forty two

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years in the making, the complete story of America's Bloody

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Is Prison. I'm Jim Chapman, and I am back with

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the second part of this terrible Tommy Thomas Silverstein story.

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For those of you that joined me last week, I

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told you kind of an entire ship nasis of Thomas

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Silverstein's life and then his life inside a prison. And

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we got to the end of that story and I

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mentioned that he had actually filed a lawsuit against the

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United States Bureau of Prisons on being held in solitary

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confinement for many, many years, and he kind of told

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his whole story inside a prison in that filing. And

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so I'm going to pick up where I left off now.

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When I left you last, he had just apologized for

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killing Officer Klutz, and you know, he had apologized for

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the pain that he had caused Officer Klutz family. So

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we're going to pick up there with the side pocket.

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Cell is the next subject he talks about. So if

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you haven't listened to the first episode, you're gonna be

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totally lost. So got to listen to that and then

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pick up with this episode. So we'll continue on and

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he goes on in this lawsuit to say, on November

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two of nineteen eighty three, I was transferred without notice

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to USB Atlanta pending my trial. When I arrived in Atlanta,

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I had no idea what kind of conditions I was

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going to be held in or how long I was

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going to be there. Although I did not know it

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at the time, the Director of the Bureau of Prisons,

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Norman Carlson, issued a memo ordering I being prisoned under

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special security measures. These measures included an order that I

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be placed under no human contact status indefinitely. The officers

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took this order seriously. They never spoke to me unless

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there was no way to avoid it. They spoke only

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to give me orders. When I spoke to them, they

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ignored me. I was confined to a special part of

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the prison known as the side Pocket. The side pocket

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contains three adjacent cells, one of which was a shower.

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I was rotated between these cells. Apparently this was for security,

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though no one else was housed in or even came

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into the side pocket. The side pocket was incredibly isolated.

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I was deep underground and there was no windows in

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the side pocket. The side pocket cells measured approximately six

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feet by seven feet, almost exactly the size of a

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standard king mattress. And I told you all about that

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in the first episode. The cell was so small that

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I could stand in one place and touch both walls simultaneously.

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The ceiling was so low I could reach up and

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touch the hot light fixture. My bed took up the

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length of the cell, and there were no other furniture

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at all. There was no desk, there was no chair.

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There was no place to store clothing or anything at all.

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I could lie down, I could sit on my bed,

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or I could stand. When lying down, I could easily

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touch both ends of the cell, one end with my head,

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the other end with my feet. And the walls were

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solid steel and painted all white. I was permitted to

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wear underwear, but I was given no other clothing. Shortly

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after when I arrived, the prison staff began construction on

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the side pocket sell adding more bars and other security

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measures to that cell while I was within it in

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order to not be burned by sparks and inburs. While

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they welded more iron bars across a cell, I had

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to lie on my bed and cover myself with a sheet.

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It's hard to discover the horror I experienced during this

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construction process. As they built new cell walls around me.

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It felt as if I was being buried alive. It

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was terrifying. During my first year in the side pocket cell,

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I was completely isolated from the outside world and had

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no way to occupy my time. I was not allowed

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to have any social visits, telephone privileges, or reading materials

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except my Bible. I was also not allowed to have

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a television, radio or a tape player. I could speak

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to no one, and there was virtually nothing on which

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to focus my attention. I was not only isolated, but

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I was also disoriented in the side pot. This was

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exasperated by the fact I wasn't allowed to have a

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watch or a clock. In addition, the bright artificial lights

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remained on in my cell, constantly increasing my disorientation and

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making it difficult to sleep. Not only were there constantly

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eliminated lights buzzing incessantly. The buzzing noise was maddening, as

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there often were no other sounds at all. This may

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sound like a small thing, but it was my entire world.

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Due to the unchanging, bright artificial lights and not having

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a wrist watch or a clock, I couldn't tell if

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it were day or night. Frequently I would fall asleep,

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and when I would wake up, I would not know

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if I had slept five minutes or five hours, and

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would have no idea what day or time of day

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it was. I told y'all a little about that in

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the last episode. I tried to measure the passing days

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by counting the food trays. Actually very smart without being

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able to keep track of time. Though sometimes I thought

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the officers had left me and were not coming. I

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thought they were going for days and I was going

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to starve. It's likely they were only going for a

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few hours, but I had no way to know. I

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was so disawarented in Atlanta, I felt like I was

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in an episode at the Twilight Zone. I now know

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that I was house there for about four years, but

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I would have believed it was a decade if that's

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what I was told. It seemed eternal and endless and immeasurable.

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Throughout my time in Atlanta, I was never fed a

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hot meal. There were no air conditioning or heating on

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the side pocket cells. During the summer, the heat was unbearable.

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I will pull water on the ground and lay naked

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on the floor in an attempt to cool myself. The

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bright lights made the heat worse. I felt like I

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was in an oven. The only time I was left

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out of my cell was for outdoor recreation. I was

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allowed one hour a week for outdoor recreation. I could

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not see other inmates or any of the surrounding landscape.

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During the outdoor recreation, there was no exercise equipment and

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nothing to do. I was only allowed one hour of

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inn door recreation within the side pocketself, four times a week.

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My vision deteriorated in the side pocket I think due

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to the constant bright lights, or possibly because of other

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aspects of this harsh environment. Everything began to appear blurry,

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and I became sensitive delight, which burned my eyes and

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gave me headaches. Nearly all of the time, the officers

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refused to speak to me. Despite this, I heard people

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who I believed to be officers whispering in my vents,

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telling me they hated me, and calling me names. To

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this day, I'm not sure if the officers were doing

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this to me or if I was starting to lose

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it and these were hallucinations. In the side pocket cell,

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I lost some ability to distinguish what was real. I

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dreamt I was in a prison. When I woke up,

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I was not sure if which was reality and which

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was a dream. For the first six months before a

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camera was installed in the hallway in front of my cell,

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I was watched by two officers at all time. I

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found this extremely uncomfortable. In y'all, come on, man, you're

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in prison here, you've killed three people. You're supposed to

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be uncomfortable, but it goes on. I felt like a

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physical violation to know that these people watch from close

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proximity every little thing I did, even my bodily functions.

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They would not talk to me, but they talked to

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each other at all hours. This made me agitated and

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I couldn't sleep. He could not stand the fact that

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they would not talk to him. My correspondence was strictly

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limited to my immediate family and my attorneys, however, I

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had fallen out of touch with most of my families.

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Said during this time, I only wrote to my sister.

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I was not allowed paper in my cell and had

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to ask for it when I wanted to write. I

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was limited to five sheets each week and given a

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three inch pencil for my correspondence. Before being transferred to

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marry him. When I was at Levenworth, I become interested

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in art and it taught myself to draw. I used

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art to express myself and also prevent my mind from

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ti However, in the side pocket, I was prohibited for

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the entire first year from having any art supplies at all.

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After the first year in the side pocket, I was

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gradually allowed basic privileges, including a radio and some art supplies.

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When I was finally allowed to have art supplies, the

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relief was enormous. I used the opportunity to order art

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books and taught myself to paint. Finally I had a

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little something to break up the enduring monotony of my days.

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And this is just an amazing look of what it's

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like for the prisoner himself, right inside of this solitary confinement.

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He goes on to say, when I was allowed to

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have a radio. I began listening to religious services every

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Sunday in the afternoon. During my time in Atlanta, I

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had no opportunity to discuss my conditions with anyone, and

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to my knowledge, my placement in solitary confinement was never reviewed.

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This caused me to worry that I will be kept

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in the side pocket itself forever. I never knew what

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I could do to make any of my conditions better.

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During this time, I became very interested in Buddhism and

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Buddhist philosophy. I requested a Bible and enrolled in correspondence

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Bible study courses when I first arrived in Atlanta. However,

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over time I find a greater sense of connection to

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the Buddhist teachings on the radio. I had previously practiced

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yoga when I was at Marion, but in the side

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pocket cell, my yoga practice became a defining aspect of

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my life. It took on a spiritual aspect that I

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had never experienced before. Yoga allowed me to exercise both

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my body and my mind in spite of being confined

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in such a tiny cage. It brought me a feeling

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of peace, at least occasionally. Then he gets into the

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riots in the United States prison at Atlanta, and of

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course told you about that in the last episode, but

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not through his eyes. Listen to this. In nineteen eighty seven,

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Cuban inmate at Atlanta rioted and seized control of the prison,

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taking prison staff hostage. Because I was isolated in the

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side pocket, cell I was unaware of the riot until

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I heard an unusual noise. I had become accustomed to

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the familiar sounds of the officer's footsteps and keys clanging,

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but this was different and much louder. I was initially

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worried for my own safety when I saw the Cuban

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inmates enter the side pocket area. However, the inmates did

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not harm me, but release me from the side pocket.

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Cell I was a static to be out of solitary confinement.

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I freely roamed the yard and slept outside under the

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stars for the only time in the last twenty eight years.

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The riot lasted seven days, and during that time I

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was free to move about the prison and interact with

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other people. A harm no one, and it actually lasted

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eleven days, but he was out for seven of those instead.

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During the riot, I was in contact with several members

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of the prison staff and actively protected two staff members

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from harm. When I saw an elderly correctional officer having

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a heart attack, I persuaded the other writers to let

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him out so he could receive medical attention. I also

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went out of my way to take care of an

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officer I knew, bringing him extra food and making sure

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no one harassed him. The man who made sure I

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received all of my food when I was isolated, while

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items were often missing when the other officers brought my trade,

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I was glad to be able to show him some

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kindness in return. I also checked on Lieutenant Hollington to

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make sure he was safe and being treated respectfully. I'd

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always appreciated how Lieutenant Hollington used to ask if my

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cuffs were too tight or painful when most of the

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other officers refused to speak to me at all. Although

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I was unaware at this time, I later learned the

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FBI in Bureau of Prisons negotiated with the Cuban riders

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to turn me over as a gesture of goodwill. The

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Cuban inmates drugged me, seized me, and carried me out

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of the As they were taking me out, I begged

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them to kill me, so I wouldn't have to return

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to extreme solitary confinement. The Cubans ignore my pleas and

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threw my body over the fence where the Bureau of

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Prison officials were waiting to take control of me. Once

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in Bureau prison custody, correctional officers cuffed my hands behind

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my back, shackled my ankles, and locked me in a cell.

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I was not allowed out of my shackles for any reason,

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even to relieve myself. I was kept in the cell

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all night and begged the officers to uncuff me so

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I could use the toilet. The pain of holding my

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bladder was excruciating. Finally, when I just couldn't hold back

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any longer and it was clear I was not going

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to be let out of the cell or unhandcuffed, avoided

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in my pants. The next day, I was escorted into

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00:14:47,240 --> 00:14:49,600
a van where I was forced to sit in my

243
00:14:49,679 --> 00:14:53,320
own urine. On a trip to Kansas, I kept asking

244
00:14:53,360 --> 00:14:56,159
the officers if I could use the bathroom, and they

245
00:14:56,360 --> 00:14:59,200
just replied that I should quote hold it, even if

246
00:14:59,240 --> 00:15:03,000
they knew this wasn't possible. Throughout the trip, I was

247
00:15:03,039 --> 00:15:05,679
never allowed to use the restroom and so was forced

248
00:15:05,720 --> 00:15:09,480
to urinate on myself again. I felt like an animal

249
00:15:09,559 --> 00:15:12,919
being transported. Being forced to wear the handcuffs and void

250
00:15:13,000 --> 00:15:17,159
on myself was degrading and extremely painful. When the handcuffs

251
00:15:17,200 --> 00:15:20,639
were finally removed, I had extensive bruising. Two of my

252
00:15:20,759 --> 00:15:24,480
toenails fell off, I think from the lack of circulation.

253
00:15:24,720 --> 00:15:28,679
So that was his experience in USP Atlanta. And then

254
00:15:28,720 --> 00:15:33,320
he talks about him being transported back to Levenworth after

255
00:15:33,480 --> 00:15:37,120
being released by those Cubans and being put in a

256
00:15:37,200 --> 00:15:40,120
basement cell, and it says when I finally arrived at

257
00:15:40,120 --> 00:15:43,799
the new prison, I learned I was at USP Leavenworth.

258
00:15:43,919 --> 00:15:46,240
I was not allowed to wash myself until I was

259
00:15:46,320 --> 00:15:50,080
placed in a special unit in the basement. This happened

260
00:15:50,080 --> 00:15:54,120
on December first, nineteen eighty seven. I thought that maybe,

261
00:15:54,159 --> 00:15:56,919
after seeing that I was not violent even when I

262
00:15:56,960 --> 00:15:59,360
had the chance during the riot, the Bureau of Prison

263
00:15:59,399 --> 00:16:02,399
would start to lessen my restrictions. But I was wrong.

264
00:16:02,600 --> 00:16:05,120
I was crushed when I saw my new cell in

265
00:16:05,240 --> 00:16:09,399
the Leavenworth basement. To get to the basement, sell numerous

266
00:16:09,399 --> 00:16:13,559
officers and protective armor escorted me down a small elevator

267
00:16:13,600 --> 00:16:16,279
to the basement and through an underground tunnel in the

268
00:16:16,320 --> 00:16:18,840
eighty five year old building. I felt like I was

269
00:16:18,879 --> 00:16:22,519
going into a dungeon. On the day I arrived at Levenworth,

270
00:16:22,600 --> 00:16:26,320
the assosiate Warden Smith visited myself. Smith had been in

271
00:16:26,360 --> 00:16:30,240
correctional Officer Klutt's friend. He was now in charge of

272
00:16:30,240 --> 00:16:32,639
my confinement. He told me he was going to do

273
00:16:32,799 --> 00:16:35,080
all he could to prevent me from seeing the light

274
00:16:35,120 --> 00:16:39,399
of day, and that I deserved everything I was getting. Indeed,

275
00:16:39,600 --> 00:16:42,039
I didn't see the light of day for a long time.

276
00:16:42,399 --> 00:16:46,039
I did not receive any recreation at all for nearly

277
00:16:46,200 --> 00:16:51,360
a year at Levenworth. Instead, President staff slowly began adding

278
00:16:51,399 --> 00:16:55,799
more bars and constructing an adjacent visiting booth an indoor

279
00:16:55,879 --> 00:16:58,600
wreck area, so I would not have to leave the

280
00:16:58,639 --> 00:17:02,600
basement I'm sure of. The basement cell itself was similar

281
00:17:02,639 --> 00:17:07,039
to the side pocket cell in USB, Atlanta. The cell

282
00:17:07,240 --> 00:17:11,799
was approximately nine feet by sixteen feet and contained a bed, desk,

283
00:17:12,240 --> 00:17:16,359
metal sink, shower, stalled TV showering toilet without a lid.

284
00:17:16,960 --> 00:17:20,759
Soon after I arrived, they installed several cameras in the basement.

285
00:17:21,200 --> 00:17:24,680
After this, I was kept under camera surveillance twenty four

286
00:17:24,720 --> 00:17:27,640
hours a day, seven days a week, Knowing that I

287
00:17:27,799 --> 00:17:30,720
was constantly being watched, even when using the toilet or

288
00:17:30,799 --> 00:17:35,440
taking the shower. Was embarrassing and made me extremely anxious.

289
00:17:36,000 --> 00:17:38,759
One of the cameras was installed right over the toilet.

290
00:17:39,160 --> 00:17:42,599
I have suffered from serious hemorrhoids for as long as

291
00:17:42,640 --> 00:17:45,680
I can remember. It was humiliating to know the officers

292
00:17:45,680 --> 00:17:48,799
were likely talking about me and mocking me as I

293
00:17:48,839 --> 00:17:52,279
tried to blot the blood flowing from my rear. Below

294
00:17:52,440 --> 00:17:57,319
was an artistic rendering of the camera's placement in relation

295
00:17:57,440 --> 00:18:00,440
to my cell and how I felt being watched. Actually

296
00:18:00,519 --> 00:18:03,319
drew a picture, and I'll post this on the Patreon,

297
00:18:03,480 --> 00:18:07,079
but it's a picture of him using the toilet, and

298
00:18:07,119 --> 00:18:11,279
it shows two officers looking through two small windows of

299
00:18:11,359 --> 00:18:14,920
the cell doors, and it shows a camera that is

300
00:18:15,359 --> 00:18:19,119
like right by his head as he's taking a shit. Basically,

301
00:18:19,599 --> 00:18:22,319
the cell was brightly lit at all times, and I

302
00:18:22,519 --> 00:18:25,480
was told this was in order for the cameras to

303
00:18:25,519 --> 00:18:28,720
show a clear picture. Sometimes a Bureau of Prison would

304
00:18:28,799 --> 00:18:32,319
even put a spotlight and shine it on me directly

305
00:18:32,599 --> 00:18:35,240
blinding me. There was nothing I could do to stop

306
00:18:35,279 --> 00:18:37,759
the light. With the light on all the time, I

307
00:18:37,839 --> 00:18:40,519
never slept more than four or five hours. This was

308
00:18:40,559 --> 00:18:42,880
made even worse by the fact that there was no

309
00:18:43,000 --> 00:18:46,079
window as in the side pocket, my body could not

310
00:18:46,279 --> 00:18:49,759
tell whether it was day or night. Additionally, my vision

311
00:18:49,839 --> 00:18:54,079
continued to deteriorate, and sometimes I would have illucinations where

312
00:18:54,119 --> 00:18:58,200
the bars in the cell moved or I saw different shapes.

313
00:18:58,640 --> 00:19:01,599
The privileges my good behavior had earned me in usb

314
00:19:01,720 --> 00:19:05,720
Atlanta were taken from me in Lovenworth, including my art supplies.

315
00:19:06,160 --> 00:19:09,480
In the absence of human contact, my art had become

316
00:19:09,640 --> 00:19:12,720
central to my identity. It was i most the only

317
00:19:12,720 --> 00:19:15,559
way I knew if I were alive, that I existed.

318
00:19:16,119 --> 00:19:18,119
No one spoke to me, but I felt that I

319
00:19:18,200 --> 00:19:20,440
was able to communicate that I was a living human

320
00:19:20,480 --> 00:19:23,359
being by making art. Without it, I felt like part

321
00:19:23,359 --> 00:19:25,920
of my soul had been taken from me. I was

322
00:19:26,039 --> 00:19:29,119
also not allowed a razor or any means of cutting

323
00:19:29,119 --> 00:19:32,839
my hair for six months. Upon arriving at Lovenworth. When

324
00:19:32,880 --> 00:19:35,799
I was finally permitted to use a raizor, my beard

325
00:19:35,839 --> 00:19:38,119
and hair were so long that it was not of

326
00:19:38,240 --> 00:19:41,200
much use, so it didn't matter. I did not have

327
00:19:41,319 --> 00:19:44,559
access to a mirror. Only years later when I asked

328
00:19:44,559 --> 00:19:46,880
to see a photo of myself, could I even see

329
00:19:46,920 --> 00:19:50,400
what I looked like I didn't recognize the person underneath

330
00:19:50,440 --> 00:19:54,079
the overgrown head of hair and unkempt beard. The basement

331
00:19:54,200 --> 00:19:57,680
cell completely isolated me from other inmates. I never saw

332
00:19:57,759 --> 00:20:01,079
or heard any signs of any other It's hard to

333
00:20:01,119 --> 00:20:04,599
convey how strange it is to be an isolated prison

334
00:20:04,799 --> 00:20:07,880
like this, to see and hear no signs of other prisoners.

335
00:20:08,279 --> 00:20:11,480
Prisons are generally noisy and filled with the sounds of

336
00:20:11,519 --> 00:20:16,200
other prisoners. Proximity with others is typically a defining characteristic

337
00:20:16,279 --> 00:20:19,400
of a prison. Yet in the basement cell, I lived

338
00:20:19,440 --> 00:20:23,799
in what seemed like a post apocalyptic solitary state. I

339
00:20:23,839 --> 00:20:28,880
felt utterly alone. And then he has another picture that

340
00:20:28,960 --> 00:20:30,920
he drew in. I mean, he was a great artist,

341
00:20:30,960 --> 00:20:32,839
I'll give him that, and it just shows a man

342
00:20:33,920 --> 00:20:36,559
like with his head on the ground of his cell,

343
00:20:37,519 --> 00:20:41,799
and just you know, you would derive misery looking at

344
00:20:41,839 --> 00:20:45,599
that picture. The basement cell was infested with vermin. I

345
00:20:45,680 --> 00:20:49,440
often awoke to find rats and cockroaches crawling in my

346
00:20:49,559 --> 00:20:52,920
hair and beard. Despite this, I became careful not to

347
00:20:53,000 --> 00:20:57,240
injure my fellow basement dwellers because they were my only companions.

348
00:20:57,599 --> 00:21:01,079
In addition, because I was learning and studying Judaism, I

349
00:21:01,160 --> 00:21:04,880
began thinking and valuing life in a different way. I

350
00:21:04,920 --> 00:21:07,559
felt like my head was in a constant fog when

351
00:21:07,599 --> 00:21:10,279
I was in the basement cell. I was never tired

352
00:21:10,400 --> 00:21:14,480
enough to sleep, yet lacked energy to do anything else.

353
00:21:14,960 --> 00:21:17,839
During my time in the basement, I never left my cell.

354
00:21:18,000 --> 00:21:22,240
I did not breathe fresh air or glimpse any sunlight.

355
00:21:22,559 --> 00:21:25,000
In that whole time, I did not touch another person,

356
00:21:25,039 --> 00:21:27,720
and no one touched me, not even the officers. As

357
00:21:27,759 --> 00:21:30,759
I was not allowed to leave my cell. I actually

358
00:21:30,759 --> 00:21:33,359
began to feel and think of myself like a leper

359
00:21:33,519 --> 00:21:36,400
or some other untouchable, as if I were not fit

360
00:21:36,480 --> 00:21:39,359
to be around people because I would infect anyone I

361
00:21:39,400 --> 00:21:42,680
came into contact with. The Only time anyone spoke to

362
00:21:42,720 --> 00:21:47,160
me was during occasional rounds made by administrators, religious chaplains

363
00:21:47,200 --> 00:21:51,000
in a monthly visit from the prison psychologists. These interactions

364
00:21:51,039 --> 00:21:54,680
typically lasted only a matter of seconds. I received no

365
00:21:54,799 --> 00:21:58,200
reviews for eighteen months I was held in the basement cell.

366
00:21:58,559 --> 00:22:01,480
On rare occasions, when some one would visit my cell,

367
00:22:01,559 --> 00:22:03,160
I would ask what I could do to get out

368
00:22:03,200 --> 00:22:06,480
of solitary. They always responded they were just checking to

369
00:22:06,519 --> 00:22:10,599
see if I was receiving meals, wreck and appropriate programming

370
00:22:10,960 --> 00:22:13,640
always told them I had no authority to change the

371
00:22:13,680 --> 00:22:17,079
conditions of my confinement and that I needed to speak

372
00:22:17,119 --> 00:22:20,559
with the warden. Then he gets into the Silverstein Suite,

373
00:22:20,640 --> 00:22:23,119
as I told you about in the first episode, after

374
00:22:23,359 --> 00:22:27,640
approximately eighteen months in a basement cell without notice, as

375
00:22:27,720 --> 00:22:30,480
if they were supposed to give him notice, I was

376
00:22:30,599 --> 00:22:33,599
chained and shackled to a wheelchair and escorted to a

377
00:22:33,640 --> 00:22:36,720
new cell. The new cell, previously known as the Whole,

378
00:22:36,960 --> 00:22:40,599
was in the same building as the Levenworth Special Housing Unit.

379
00:22:41,039 --> 00:22:45,920
The officers ironically named this cell the Silvertine Suite. Even

380
00:22:45,960 --> 00:22:48,920
though it was technically in the shoe, I could not

381
00:22:49,119 --> 00:22:52,720
see or hear any other prisoners. The area where I

382
00:22:52,839 --> 00:22:56,359
was held was accessed by a separate entrance. Even when

383
00:22:56,359 --> 00:22:59,640
I listened at the event, I could not hear anything. Yet,

384
00:22:59,720 --> 00:23:03,000
some times pepper gas would come through my vents and

385
00:23:03,079 --> 00:23:05,640
would burn my eyes and throat. For a long time,

386
00:23:05,720 --> 00:23:08,359
I thought the officer sprayed the gas in the vent

387
00:23:08,640 --> 00:23:11,400
just to cause me pain. Later, however, I figured out

388
00:23:11,480 --> 00:23:14,079
the gas was coming through when it was used on

389
00:23:14,119 --> 00:23:17,640
the prisoners in the Shoe. The Special housing in it

390
00:23:18,000 --> 00:23:21,279
In the Silver Suite, I remained on the no human

391
00:23:21,359 --> 00:23:25,599
contact status and continued to be isolated. The Silvertein suite

392
00:23:25,640 --> 00:23:28,839
consisted of a cell area, an area devoted to conducting

393
00:23:28,920 --> 00:23:33,480
strip searches, and recreation areas, one outdoor and one indoor.

394
00:23:33,799 --> 00:23:37,279
The indoor wreck area was also used as a visiting area.

395
00:23:37,400 --> 00:23:40,880
The areas were separated by solid steel doors, and to

396
00:23:41,039 --> 00:23:44,960
move between the areas, prison staff will remotely open these

397
00:23:45,000 --> 00:23:48,039
to allow me to pass through. The outdoor wreck area

398
00:23:48,119 --> 00:23:52,240
was approximately seventeen feet by fourteen feet six inches and

399
00:23:52,319 --> 00:23:56,400
surrounded by twenty foot high concrete walls. The sky above

400
00:23:56,440 --> 00:23:59,160
the walls was blocked by a roof built out of

401
00:23:59,240 --> 00:24:02,400
two sets of wire bars and mesh. I could see

402
00:24:02,440 --> 00:24:06,039
nothing of the surrounding landscape or even the sky from

403
00:24:06,119 --> 00:24:10,279
the outdoor recreation area. In the Silverstein Suite, I was

404
00:24:10,279 --> 00:24:13,279
allowed to exercise one hour day, five days a week

405
00:24:13,440 --> 00:24:16,519
in the outdoor wreck area. Sometimes I was left in

406
00:24:16,559 --> 00:24:19,880
the outdoor wreck area for extended periods of time during

407
00:24:19,920 --> 00:24:23,960
the winter in the bitter cold, snow or rain. The

408
00:24:23,960 --> 00:24:27,559
indoor wreck area was opposite of the outdoor wreck area

409
00:24:27,720 --> 00:24:31,400
in strip search areas. It was approximately nine feet by

410
00:24:31,440 --> 00:24:37,079
sixteen feet and contained a broken stationary bike, a concrete stool, intercom,

411
00:24:37,160 --> 00:24:39,960
and a glass bar window that looked out into a

412
00:24:40,039 --> 00:24:43,920
visiting booth. Two surveillance cameras watch everything I did in

413
00:24:43,960 --> 00:24:47,000
the Silverstein Suite twenty four hours a day some days week.

414
00:24:47,039 --> 00:24:50,200
Many hated be and watched. I imagined the eyes on

415
00:24:50,319 --> 00:24:52,519
me all the time. As I moved around the cell,

416
00:24:52,640 --> 00:24:55,640
the camera would make a buzzing noise as they readjusted

417
00:24:55,720 --> 00:24:58,400
to see me again. It was humiliating to have to

418
00:24:58,440 --> 00:25:01,240
go to the bathroom or treat my hemorrhoids knowing the

419
00:25:01,279 --> 00:25:04,319
camera was always on me. During my time in the

420
00:25:04,359 --> 00:25:08,279
Silverstein Suite, I was always alone. I exercised alone and

421
00:25:08,319 --> 00:25:11,759
took all my meals alone. Lights remained on twenty four

422
00:25:11,799 --> 00:25:14,960
hours a day, seven days a week in the Silverstein Suite.

423
00:25:15,000 --> 00:25:18,279
A year or two before I was transferred from Levenworth

424
00:25:18,359 --> 00:25:21,440
to eighty X, the prison installed a switch that allowed

425
00:25:21,480 --> 00:25:24,279
me to turn off the light in my cell. However,

426
00:25:24,400 --> 00:25:26,960
I could still not make it fully dark, as the

427
00:25:27,039 --> 00:25:31,319
light in my hall remained on twenty four hours a day. Initially,

428
00:25:31,359 --> 00:25:34,440
I was only allowed one phone call per month. My

429
00:25:34,559 --> 00:25:38,920
phone privileges increased over time. And by twenty eleven I

430
00:25:39,039 --> 00:25:42,319
was allowed about three hundred minutes per month. Below was

431
00:25:42,359 --> 00:25:45,160
a drawing I made while in the Silverstein Suite that

432
00:25:45,279 --> 00:25:50,240
depicts how I made telephone calls, and it basically shows

433
00:25:51,039 --> 00:25:54,160
shows him and he's kneeling on the floor kind of

434
00:25:54,200 --> 00:25:58,000
in front of the slot in his prison door, and

435
00:25:58,039 --> 00:26:01,559
he's on a phone that they had passed through that slot,

436
00:26:01,640 --> 00:26:04,519
and it shows I guess these are two correstionional officers

437
00:26:04,640 --> 00:26:07,640
watching him while he's on the phone. You can tell, man,

438
00:26:07,759 --> 00:26:11,000
this guy did not like being watched all the time.

439
00:26:11,119 --> 00:26:13,880
Goes on to say, during my time in the Silverstein Suite,

440
00:26:14,000 --> 00:26:18,799
prison psychology staff conducted quote drive by visits, pausing only

441
00:26:18,920 --> 00:26:24,200
briefly at myself before moving on. When my psychologist, doctor Denny,

442
00:26:24,319 --> 00:26:27,440
came to speak to me, it would generally be just

443
00:26:27,519 --> 00:26:30,480
for a few minutes, and these conversations would always happen

444
00:26:30,559 --> 00:26:33,880
through a steel door. Often he didn't come at all,

445
00:26:34,160 --> 00:26:38,359
and I later learned that he conducted his psychological review

446
00:26:38,759 --> 00:26:42,400
by watching me on camera that constantly filmed me often

447
00:26:42,440 --> 00:26:47,000
express hopelessness and depression to the psychologists. I desperately tried

448
00:26:47,039 --> 00:26:50,599
to explain that my poor emotional state grew directly from

449
00:26:50,599 --> 00:26:54,119
my solitary confinement. I told doctor Denny about how I

450
00:26:54,119 --> 00:26:56,759
could not sleep and how I was leasing my memory.

451
00:26:56,920 --> 00:26:59,480
I asked him to help me, and I asked him

452
00:26:59,519 --> 00:27:03,720
to test me. However, doctor Denny refused to take any action.

453
00:27:04,240 --> 00:27:07,559
He told me my feelings and symptoms were normal for

454
00:27:07,640 --> 00:27:10,599
someone in these conditions, but I had the impression that

455
00:27:10,640 --> 00:27:13,279
he thought he would lose his job if he intervened

456
00:27:13,559 --> 00:27:16,839
or recommended that I be removed from solitary confinement. He

457
00:27:16,880 --> 00:27:20,279
would tell me, quote, I have a family to feed. Later,

458
00:27:20,359 --> 00:27:22,880
when I saw the reports, I discovered he didn't even

459
00:27:22,880 --> 00:27:26,240
write down much of what I told him. After numerous

460
00:27:26,279 --> 00:27:29,079
failed attempts to get doctor Denny to help me, I

461
00:27:29,160 --> 00:27:32,839
concluded it was pointless to continue, so I stopped talking

462
00:27:32,920 --> 00:27:36,680
to most of the psychological staff altogether. It was frustrating

463
00:27:36,759 --> 00:27:40,160
to express my vulnerability to someone who would not change

464
00:27:40,160 --> 00:27:44,000
his response no matter how I was doing. On rare occasions,

465
00:27:44,039 --> 00:27:47,200
about twice a year, I had reviews with people other

466
00:27:47,319 --> 00:27:51,720
than doctor Denny. I saw Miss Ashman more frequently, but

467
00:27:51,960 --> 00:27:55,440
definitely not more than a few times every couple months

468
00:27:55,599 --> 00:27:58,599
or so. In order to attend these reviews, I was

469
00:27:58,680 --> 00:28:02,200
chained to a wheelchair and escorted to the meetings, which

470
00:28:02,240 --> 00:28:05,640
were held only a few feet from my cell. During

471
00:28:05,680 --> 00:28:08,640
these reviews, I always inquired about what I needed to

472
00:28:08,680 --> 00:28:13,039
do to get out of solitary confinement. In response, administrators,

473
00:28:13,079 --> 00:28:16,319
including the case manager the region, were up and the

474
00:28:16,359 --> 00:28:19,319
warden informed me that they were not there to make

475
00:28:19,359 --> 00:28:23,319
decisions about my confinement replacement, but simply to see that

476
00:28:23,400 --> 00:28:27,400
I was getting meals, recreation, and mail, and discouraged me

477
00:28:27,480 --> 00:28:32,119
from continuing to ask questions about my confinement. After many

478
00:28:32,200 --> 00:28:35,519
years of these reviews without any change in my conditions,

479
00:28:35,559 --> 00:28:38,400
I saw no point in attending, and so I began

480
00:28:38,720 --> 00:28:43,359
refusing to attend. At this point, administrators began coming to

481
00:28:43,440 --> 00:28:46,960
my cell door to conduct these interviews, which continued to

482
00:28:47,000 --> 00:28:49,680
be meaningless for me. During the years I was in

483
00:28:49,720 --> 00:28:52,799
the Silverstein Suite, I was almost never taken out of

484
00:28:52,799 --> 00:28:55,720
my cell. On the rare occasion I was taken out,

485
00:28:55,759 --> 00:28:59,680
I was escorted by many correctional officers in riot gear.

486
00:29:00,079 --> 00:29:03,559
Low is an artistic rendering of my being taken to

487
00:29:03,599 --> 00:29:08,000
the prison hospital for a dental checkup, and it shows

488
00:29:08,519 --> 00:29:13,799
him shackled around the waist. He's got his he's got handcuffs,

489
00:29:13,839 --> 00:29:17,079
mind his back, He's shackled on his ankles, and there

490
00:29:17,160 --> 00:29:21,079
are like five officers in front of him and five

491
00:29:21,279 --> 00:29:25,400
officers behind him. And it says escort to prison hospital

492
00:29:25,400 --> 00:29:28,160
one hundred yards from Sell for dental checkup. And it

493
00:29:28,200 --> 00:29:31,839
says underneath that I've left the cell about four times

494
00:29:31,960 --> 00:29:35,839
in the eighteen years in counting. Goes on to say,

495
00:29:35,839 --> 00:29:38,720
Buddhism and yoga has helped me deal with my conditions

496
00:29:38,759 --> 00:29:42,240
and simultaneously helped me change as a person. I learned

497
00:29:42,240 --> 00:29:45,240
that all I can control is my reaction to what happens,

498
00:29:45,279 --> 00:29:47,559
and that no matter how hard to try, I can't

499
00:29:47,559 --> 00:29:51,519
control other people. Though I still suffer when the Bureau

500
00:29:51,519 --> 00:29:54,880
of Prisons failed to move me to less restrictive conditions

501
00:29:55,119 --> 00:29:58,519
year after year despite my good behavior, I've tried to

502
00:29:58,559 --> 00:30:03,240
control my reaction. This inaction. In addition, practicing yoga helps

503
00:30:03,279 --> 00:30:06,079
me call my anxiety and helped me to develop a

504
00:30:06,160 --> 00:30:09,759
great sense of inner peace. I spent the next fifteen

505
00:30:09,880 --> 00:30:13,319
years in the Silverstein suite, with two short stints back

506
00:30:13,359 --> 00:30:15,559
in the basement cell when the suite need to be

507
00:30:15,680 --> 00:30:19,319
painted or otherwise maintained. This is a picture I drew

508
00:30:19,319 --> 00:30:23,640
in nineteen ninety four, after eleven days in solitary confinement,

509
00:30:23,759 --> 00:30:28,039
and it shows him and he looks like he's naked,

510
00:30:28,279 --> 00:30:31,559
and he's bowing down in front of the cell door

511
00:30:31,599 --> 00:30:34,319
and he's got his hands raised in the air. Then

512
00:30:34,319 --> 00:30:37,960
it gets into eighty X and it says on July fifteenth,

513
00:30:38,039 --> 00:30:41,880
two thousand and five, without any notice or explanation. Man

514
00:30:41,920 --> 00:30:45,519
he is apparently pisses this guy off that he doesn't

515
00:30:45,559 --> 00:30:49,359
get noticed when he's getting moved. I was transferred to

516
00:30:49,440 --> 00:30:54,400
the Administrative Maximum Penitentiary in Florence, Colorado. No one ever

517
00:30:54,480 --> 00:30:57,599
talked to me about transferring to ADX, so I was

518
00:30:57,680 --> 00:31:00,839
unaware this was going to happen until the very morning

519
00:31:00,920 --> 00:31:04,319
the transfer took place. The day at my transfer, I

520
00:31:04,359 --> 00:31:06,599
awoke at five in the morning to a bunch of

521
00:31:06,599 --> 00:31:10,599
officers in full protective gear outside of my cell. I

522
00:31:10,640 --> 00:31:13,319
figured out quickly this meant I was going to move.

523
00:31:13,960 --> 00:31:16,319
I was taken to a van where I was shuffled

524
00:31:16,319 --> 00:31:19,599
from one cage to the next. The entire way I

525
00:31:19,759 --> 00:31:23,000
was hoping this transfer meant changed for the better. I

526
00:31:23,079 --> 00:31:26,559
soon realized it was not. When we arrived at ADX,

527
00:31:26,599 --> 00:31:29,279
I was immediately taken to the hospital in X raid.

528
00:31:29,720 --> 00:31:33,799
I was then hustled through long, sterile corridors with floors

529
00:31:33,839 --> 00:31:37,359
that gleamed. We passed through door after door until finally

530
00:31:37,599 --> 00:31:43,279
arriving at Range thirteen. Range thirteen is located on Z Unit,

531
00:31:43,319 --> 00:31:46,440
which is part of the shoe at ADX. I continue

532
00:31:46,480 --> 00:31:50,680
to be held on no human contact status on Range thirteen,

533
00:31:51,160 --> 00:31:54,759
the most restrictive housing unit in the most restrictive federal

534
00:31:54,759 --> 00:31:57,440
penitentiary in the country. I would not have thought this

535
00:31:57,640 --> 00:32:00,920
was possible, but in Range thirteen the conditions were even

536
00:32:01,039 --> 00:32:04,200
worse than Loving Worth. My cell was even smaller, and

537
00:32:04,240 --> 00:32:06,839
I lost many of the privileges that helped me endure

538
00:32:06,880 --> 00:32:10,519
the isolation, like art supplies and phone calls. There are

539
00:32:10,559 --> 00:32:13,960
four cells on Range thirteen, and I was rotated between

540
00:32:14,079 --> 00:32:17,960
two cells every three months. There was only one other

541
00:32:18,079 --> 00:32:21,720
person held on Range thirteen. After twenty two years of

542
00:32:21,839 --> 00:32:24,599
not being able to speak to another inmate, I was

543
00:32:24,640 --> 00:32:28,559
excited to have the opportunity to speak to anyone. Though

544
00:32:28,599 --> 00:32:30,480
we had to shout at each other and it was

545
00:32:30,519 --> 00:32:33,240
difficult to hear what the other person set back, it

546
00:32:33,279 --> 00:32:35,200
was still nice to be able to hear your own

547
00:32:35,279 --> 00:32:40,039
voice in conversation and a friendly voice replying However, the

548
00:32:40,079 --> 00:32:42,640
officers ordered us not to talk to each other and

549
00:32:42,680 --> 00:32:46,759
even threatened us with disciplinary report if we did talk.

550
00:32:46,960 --> 00:32:50,319
Pretty quickly after my arrival, a solid steel door was

551
00:32:50,400 --> 00:32:53,599
built in the hallway to further separate us and prevent

552
00:32:53,720 --> 00:32:56,359
us from even being able to shout to each other.

553
00:32:56,599 --> 00:32:59,519
In some ways, knowing someone else was nearby and some

554
00:32:59,640 --> 00:33:02,680
more additions made me feel better. Just knowing there was

555
00:33:02,720 --> 00:33:05,319
someone else who understood a little bit of what I

556
00:33:05,359 --> 00:33:09,400
went through each day made me feel better somehow. The

557
00:33:09,559 --> 00:33:13,400
cells on Range thirteen were about eight foot six foot

558
00:33:13,440 --> 00:33:17,160
six inches by ten feet, almost half the size of

559
00:33:17,200 --> 00:33:20,920
my cell in Leavenworth. Each contained a cement bab with

560
00:33:21,079 --> 00:33:25,480
metal restraint rings, a cement dish, sink, toilet, and shower.

561
00:33:25,960 --> 00:33:28,720
In one cell, the walls were cement and I had

562
00:33:28,759 --> 00:33:32,599
a mirror in a small horizontal window near the ceiling

563
00:33:32,680 --> 00:33:34,640
that I could look out of. If I stood on

564
00:33:34,720 --> 00:33:37,960
my desk, I can only see the concrete barriers of

565
00:33:38,039 --> 00:33:41,079
the outdoor workout area. I couldn't even see the sky.

566
00:33:41,359 --> 00:33:43,799
In the other cell, the walls were made of steel

567
00:33:43,920 --> 00:33:46,599
and there was no mirror. There was a window, However,

568
00:33:46,640 --> 00:33:48,799
I couldn't see out of the window because it was

569
00:33:48,839 --> 00:33:51,759
covered in mesh that had been painted over, making it

570
00:33:51,839 --> 00:33:55,480
difficult even for light to shine in. Even though I

571
00:33:55,519 --> 00:33:57,960
could dim my cell light, I could never turn it

572
00:33:58,000 --> 00:34:01,880
completely off. In addition of lights in the sally ports

573
00:34:01,920 --> 00:34:04,839
of both cells were on twenty four hours a day,

574
00:34:05,440 --> 00:34:10,000
I was still continuously monitored by video surveillance cameras. Being

575
00:34:10,159 --> 00:34:13,280
watched all the time made me feel like I lived

576
00:34:13,320 --> 00:34:16,519
in a Petrie dish, like I'm a bacteria under the

577
00:34:16,559 --> 00:34:20,880
BP's microscope. That's a pure prisons. I used to be

578
00:34:20,960 --> 00:34:24,599
extremely apprehensive whenever I heard the officers thrust the grill

579
00:34:24,679 --> 00:34:28,599
gate key into the lock to interrange thirteen. The noise

580
00:34:28,719 --> 00:34:31,679
from unlocking the gate isn't very loud, but I have

581
00:34:31,880 --> 00:34:36,519
become extremely sensitive to noises. Many of the privileges that

582
00:34:36,639 --> 00:34:39,559
I had been given over time at Lovenworth were denied

583
00:34:39,599 --> 00:34:43,440
at ADX. For example, my phone time was decreased from

584
00:34:43,480 --> 00:34:46,760
three hundred minutes a month to two fifteen minute phone

585
00:34:46,800 --> 00:34:49,480
calls per month, and I was no longer allowed to

586
00:34:49,519 --> 00:34:52,639
send art to many people who I had corresponded with

587
00:34:52,679 --> 00:34:56,119
by mail. I was not given any explanation for why

588
00:34:56,159 --> 00:35:01,119
my limited ability to communicate with people was being further restricted.

589
00:35:01,519 --> 00:35:04,519
I was also deprived of all my art supplies except

590
00:35:04,559 --> 00:35:07,599
a pencil and paper. I take my art very serious

591
00:35:07,679 --> 00:35:10,519
and being an artist is what defines me, so it

592
00:35:10,559 --> 00:35:14,440
was extremely difficult to find myself suddenly without art supplies.

593
00:35:14,920 --> 00:35:18,559
I felt as if a significant piece of meat went missing.

594
00:35:19,119 --> 00:35:21,360
In December of two thousand and seven, after him as

595
00:35:21,400 --> 00:35:24,239
two and a half years, a very limited amount of

596
00:35:24,360 --> 00:35:26,880
art supplies were returned to me, for which I am

597
00:35:27,039 --> 00:35:30,800
very thankful. However, even to this day, I am limited

598
00:35:30,840 --> 00:35:34,320
to only six watercolors and I'm not allowed any other

599
00:35:34,400 --> 00:35:37,719
type of paint which I had access to at Leavenworth

600
00:35:37,960 --> 00:35:40,599
on Range thirteen, I was allowed to use one of

601
00:35:40,679 --> 00:35:44,599
two outdoor wreck areas, which were connected to the cells

602
00:35:44,679 --> 00:35:48,519
via remote operated doors. The outdoor wreck area was a

603
00:35:48,559 --> 00:35:53,000
concrete pit surrounded by high, featureless walls on all sides.

604
00:35:53,079 --> 00:35:56,400
It felt like being inside of a deep, empty swimming pool.

605
00:35:56,440 --> 00:35:58,760
I couldn't see any of the mountains, even though I

606
00:35:58,800 --> 00:36:01,920
knew they had to be closed. Also couldn't see a

607
00:36:01,960 --> 00:36:05,159
single tree, a blade of grass, or any sign of nature.

608
00:36:05,400 --> 00:36:07,800
I was also allowed to use an indoor wreck ara,

609
00:36:07,880 --> 00:36:11,480
which was connected to the cells via remote operated doors.

610
00:36:11,960 --> 00:36:15,559
I generally received one hour of wreck time five days

611
00:36:15,599 --> 00:36:18,719
a week. The recreation area was so small that I

612
00:36:18,719 --> 00:36:21,519
could walk no more than ten steps in either direction

613
00:36:22,000 --> 00:36:25,199
and thirty steps in a circle. There was no equipment

614
00:36:25,360 --> 00:36:28,599
in the wreck area during the time. I was combined

615
00:36:28,599 --> 00:36:31,239
at Range thirteen to eight every meal or one in

616
00:36:31,280 --> 00:36:34,960
my cell and exercised by myself. My meals were usually

617
00:36:35,079 --> 00:36:40,199
late and almost always cold. Every thirty days, the psychological

618
00:36:40,320 --> 00:36:44,159
staff would conduct a mental health interview, which usually only

619
00:36:44,239 --> 00:36:47,760
lasted minutes. This meaning took place by talking through a

620
00:36:47,800 --> 00:36:51,800
solid steel door. Sometimes staffould walk into the sally port,

621
00:36:51,880 --> 00:36:55,920
but they were always accompanied by armed correctional officers. These

622
00:36:56,000 --> 00:36:58,960
meetings did not last more than a few minutes. The

623
00:36:59,039 --> 00:37:01,760
psychology staff would ask me how I was feeling, and

624
00:37:01,800 --> 00:37:04,159
I would try to answer honestly, but it seemed like

625
00:37:04,239 --> 00:37:07,119
they were not really listening and just waiting for a

626
00:37:07,159 --> 00:37:10,320
few minutes to pass before they could leave. While I

627
00:37:10,400 --> 00:37:13,239
was on Range thirteen, I left my celf for only

628
00:37:13,320 --> 00:37:17,679
infrequent haircuts and semi annual reviews. When I was taken

629
00:37:17,719 --> 00:37:20,519
out of my cell, I was subject to invasive strip

630
00:37:20,599 --> 00:37:24,079
searches and handcuffed and shackled to a black box. Suspended

631
00:37:24,119 --> 00:37:28,039
by chains around my waist. My ankles were also shackled

632
00:37:28,239 --> 00:37:31,840
every time I was escorted by at least three officers.

633
00:37:32,320 --> 00:37:35,400
I hated having my haircut because it meant someone would

634
00:37:35,440 --> 00:37:39,039
be standing behind me touching me. Even though these only

635
00:37:39,159 --> 00:37:42,079
lasted ten minutes, it made me so anxious I would

636
00:37:42,119 --> 00:37:46,320
start to shake uncontrollably. Getting my haircut still affects me

637
00:37:46,559 --> 00:37:49,519
to this day. As much as I am happy to

638
00:37:49,519 --> 00:37:51,880
be out of my cell, even to walk somewhere in

639
00:37:51,920 --> 00:37:55,679
the prison for a haircut, the shackles injure my hands.

640
00:37:56,280 --> 00:37:59,800
The black box in particular prevents movement by cutting into

641
00:37:59,800 --> 00:38:03,559
my risk, and I sometimes request to see medical staff

642
00:38:03,599 --> 00:38:07,599
because of my wrist and their bleeding. Following these trips,

643
00:38:07,960 --> 00:38:10,360
when I returned to my cell on Range thirteen, I

644
00:38:10,480 --> 00:38:14,880
was once again strip search. These evasive, humiliating strip searches

645
00:38:14,880 --> 00:38:18,960
and infrequent haircuts were the only physical human contact I

646
00:38:19,039 --> 00:38:22,599
had on Range thirteen. In two thousand and six, I

647
00:38:22,679 --> 00:38:27,760
began receiving semi annual reviews Ward Willie, the NCR director

648
00:38:27,920 --> 00:38:32,239
in CPD assistant. I never received notice of these reviews,

649
00:38:32,800 --> 00:38:36,280
so I've never had an opportunity to prepare arguments or

650
00:38:36,440 --> 00:38:40,159
evidence I never knew what kind of criteria was going

651
00:38:40,239 --> 00:38:42,480
to be used to evaluate me, or even if there

652
00:38:42,480 --> 00:38:46,280
were any standards used. I repeatedly asked what I needed

653
00:38:46,320 --> 00:38:49,719
to do to be moved out of Range thirteen. In response,

654
00:38:49,760 --> 00:38:52,400
I was just told to quote, keep doing what you're doing.

655
00:38:52,960 --> 00:38:55,960
These reviews only lasted a few minutes, just long enough

656
00:38:56,000 --> 00:38:59,079
for them to ask me a few questions. These reviews

657
00:38:59,119 --> 00:39:02,760
were held in per so, however, the reviewers still always

658
00:39:02,800 --> 00:39:06,239
told me they couldn't move me, but were checking on me.

659
00:39:06,639 --> 00:39:10,880
Then he gets into what's known as the ADX D unit,

660
00:39:11,360 --> 00:39:14,039
and he says, on April seventh of two thousand and eight,

661
00:39:14,079 --> 00:39:16,719
without notice, I was moved to the D unit, where

662
00:39:16,760 --> 00:39:20,360
I'm currently housed. I truly believe I was moved to

663
00:39:20,440 --> 00:39:23,599
the D unit not because of these reviews, but because

664
00:39:23,639 --> 00:39:27,679
I filed a lawsuit challenging my conditions of confinement. The

665
00:39:27,760 --> 00:39:32,360
BP describes D unit as a general population unit. However,

666
00:39:32,400 --> 00:39:36,480
at ADX, prisoners in general population still live in isolation.

667
00:39:37,159 --> 00:39:40,119
Like all prisoners at ADX, except for those in the

668
00:39:40,159 --> 00:39:43,559
step down program, I'm confined and he cell that is

669
00:39:43,599 --> 00:39:46,480
bright all the time, since the light in the hallways

670
00:39:46,519 --> 00:39:49,599
never go off surrounded by walls on four sides of

671
00:39:49,679 --> 00:39:53,280
most all the time, including showers and meals from my cell,

672
00:39:53,360 --> 00:39:56,320
I cannot see or talk to another person. Although I

673
00:39:56,360 --> 00:40:00,039
can communicate a little by yelling through the vents. I

674
00:40:00,159 --> 00:40:03,280
never see another inmate face to face without a barrier

675
00:40:03,440 --> 00:40:06,960
of some kind separating us. When I was first transferred

676
00:40:07,000 --> 00:40:09,039
to d in It, I was placed on a range

677
00:40:09,039 --> 00:40:11,800
where there were no other prisoners. I was the only

678
00:40:11,880 --> 00:40:15,280
prisoner on the range for several months and d in It.

679
00:40:15,360 --> 00:40:19,320
I was surprised at how noisy everything seemed. After spending

680
00:40:19,480 --> 00:40:22,760
decades in silence without hearing a normal day to day

681
00:40:22,800 --> 00:40:26,000
activity of other people, The sign of a toilet flushing

682
00:40:26,079 --> 00:40:28,840
or a shower running seems so loud and always caught

683
00:40:28,880 --> 00:40:32,119
me by surprise. Even though I have earplugs daily life

684
00:40:32,119 --> 00:40:35,880
still feels very loud and overwhelming. Sometimes I have trouble

685
00:40:36,000 --> 00:40:38,920
sleeping when I can hear others around me. After years

686
00:40:38,920 --> 00:40:42,079
of being by myself, the small sounds can be distressing

687
00:40:42,159 --> 00:40:44,840
and keep me up at night. It is spooky how

688
00:40:44,920 --> 00:40:48,079
isolated you can be while still being in such close

689
00:40:48,199 --> 00:40:51,639
physical proximity to someone. I know. There are other men

690
00:40:51,800 --> 00:40:55,679
nearby on my range. I just can't see them. Although

691
00:40:55,719 --> 00:40:58,639
I prefer to have people in physical proximity to me

692
00:40:58,840 --> 00:41:02,400
rather than being gig rightically isolated as I have been

693
00:41:02,480 --> 00:41:05,559
in the past, it can be disturbing to be subjected

694
00:41:05,599 --> 00:41:09,239
to yelling or screaming of the prisoners who were mentally ill,

695
00:41:09,400 --> 00:41:12,000
and it's hard to concentrate or sleep when mentally ill

696
00:41:12,119 --> 00:41:15,360
inmates are placed in the same range. And sometimes it's

697
00:41:15,400 --> 00:41:19,079
hard to even hear myself think because people yell, scream,

698
00:41:19,239 --> 00:41:22,679
or act out both sides of a conversation in a cell,

699
00:41:23,360 --> 00:41:26,920
basically talking to themselves. For the first few months, indeed,

700
00:41:26,960 --> 00:41:30,159
Unit I was only allowed indoor wreck on a specific

701
00:41:30,360 --> 00:41:33,599
range that no other prisoners use, so I cannot see

702
00:41:33,840 --> 00:41:38,360
or hear other prisoners even during recreation. Because I had

703
00:41:38,400 --> 00:41:41,519
to be escorted to recreation by a lieutenant, I was

704
00:41:41,599 --> 00:41:44,760
often forced to skip wreck if there was not a

705
00:41:44,800 --> 00:41:48,719
lieutenant available, and I only went to wreck approximately once

706
00:41:48,760 --> 00:41:52,480
a week. My cell is approximately eighty seven square feet

707
00:41:52,480 --> 00:41:56,239
and contained a concrete bed, desk, shower, sink, and toilet.

708
00:41:56,360 --> 00:41:59,280
My cell is separated from the hallway by two doors,

709
00:41:59,639 --> 00:42:03,480
one of which is solid steel. There's very little natural

710
00:42:03,559 --> 00:42:06,880
light in my cell. I'm usually confined to my cell

711
00:42:07,119 --> 00:42:09,719
for twenty two hours a day five days a week,

712
00:42:09,840 --> 00:42:12,119
and twenty four hours a day the other two days

713
00:42:12,159 --> 00:42:14,679
a week. I take all of my meals alone in

714
00:42:14,760 --> 00:42:17,559
my cell. I'm supposed to have an outside wreck two

715
00:42:17,679 --> 00:42:20,599
or three times a week. Outside recreation on the D

716
00:42:20,760 --> 00:42:23,440
Unit takes place in a small metal cage at the

717
00:42:23,440 --> 00:42:27,360
bottom of a poured concrete pit. Inside the cages, there's

718
00:42:27,519 --> 00:42:29,960
not enough room to take more than a few steps

719
00:42:30,000 --> 00:42:34,719
in any direction. There is no recreation equipment in the cages,

720
00:42:35,079 --> 00:42:37,639
and I'm not allowed to bring anything with me to wreck.

721
00:42:38,039 --> 00:42:41,679
My telephone privileges remain limited to two point fifteen minute

722
00:42:41,719 --> 00:42:44,719
calls per month, even after the move to D Unit.

723
00:42:45,119 --> 00:42:47,559
From the time I was first moved to D Unit

724
00:42:47,719 --> 00:42:51,480
until January two thousand and nine, two correctional officers and

725
00:42:51,519 --> 00:42:55,159
a lieutenant escorted me from my cell. Now only two

726
00:42:55,239 --> 00:42:59,039
correctional officers escort me. When I was first moved D Unit,

727
00:42:59,079 --> 00:43:02,320
I was only allowed social and legal visits on Monday,

728
00:43:02,440 --> 00:43:05,440
Tuesdays and Wednesdays, and only when there were no other

729
00:43:05,480 --> 00:43:08,440
prisoners in the visiting booths. I'm now allowed to have

730
00:43:08,519 --> 00:43:13,639
social and legal visits on Tuesdays, Friday, Saturdays and Sundays. However,

731
00:43:13,719 --> 00:43:16,920
it's difficult for my family to travel to Colorado, and

732
00:43:17,000 --> 00:43:20,519
therefore I only had two social visits in five and

733
00:43:20,519 --> 00:43:24,960
a half years since being transferred to ADX. My interactions

734
00:43:25,000 --> 00:43:29,760
with staff are minimal and are devoid of any personal connection. Recently,

735
00:43:29,800 --> 00:43:32,920
I started keeping a journal detailing who I see in

736
00:43:33,000 --> 00:43:35,960
talk to during the day. For the month of December,

737
00:43:36,039 --> 00:43:39,039
I recorded each and every contact I have with staff

738
00:43:39,079 --> 00:43:42,440
members at the ADX. I logged who I spoke to

739
00:43:42,639 --> 00:43:46,280
in what the conversation was about. I used a watch

740
00:43:46,400 --> 00:43:50,000
to know the number of seconds each interaction lasted and

741
00:43:50,079 --> 00:43:53,920
recorded this information promptly into a log. A true and

742
00:43:54,000 --> 00:43:57,639
correct copy of the logs is attached in this declaration.

743
00:43:57,960 --> 00:44:01,760
Even during my six month program, I did not spend

744
00:44:01,920 --> 00:44:04,760
much time interacting with staff. I never know when the

745
00:44:04,800 --> 00:44:07,719
program reviews are going to happen, and the forms for

746
00:44:07,840 --> 00:44:10,599
my team reviews are already filled in and dated by

747
00:44:10,639 --> 00:44:13,519
the time I see them. It feels like I don't

748
00:44:13,519 --> 00:44:15,360
even get a chance to try and prove I'm a

749
00:44:15,360 --> 00:44:20,360
different person. My past just fills my future. My involvement

750
00:44:20,400 --> 00:44:23,440
in the reviews is usually just my presence and the

751
00:44:23,480 --> 00:44:25,920
time it takes me to sign the forms. However, it's

752
00:44:26,000 --> 00:44:29,760
not uncommon for prison staff to slide my program review

753
00:44:29,840 --> 00:44:32,599
form under my door when I'm at wreck and expect

754
00:44:32,679 --> 00:44:35,079
me to sign them without speaking to me at all.

755
00:44:35,480 --> 00:44:38,280
Sometimes I ask questions, but no one has ever had

756
00:44:38,400 --> 00:44:41,760
the answer, and nothing is really ever explained to me.

757
00:44:41,960 --> 00:44:44,760
When my case manager brings me the papers to sign,

758
00:44:44,880 --> 00:44:47,159
she always tells me the same thing, that she is

759
00:44:47,199 --> 00:44:49,719
not part of the committee that decides if I leave

760
00:44:49,760 --> 00:44:53,480
her stay. She only determines whether I'm eligible for consideration

761
00:44:53,639 --> 00:44:55,920
by the committee, and I need to talk to someone

762
00:44:55,960 --> 00:44:59,199
else about my problems with my conditions of confinement. We

763
00:44:59,360 --> 00:45:02,400
usually just talk about what television shows I need to

764
00:45:02,440 --> 00:45:05,199
watch for my programming. When I was transferred to d

765
00:45:05,360 --> 00:45:08,079
in It, I felt hopeful about progressing through the step

766
00:45:08,119 --> 00:45:11,039
Down program. However, I'm never told what I must do

767
00:45:11,159 --> 00:45:13,599
to move forward, and even though I am eligible for

768
00:45:13,880 --> 00:45:17,400
entering into the program, I'm always denied. I request more

769
00:45:17,440 --> 00:45:22,159
information and always appeal my denials into the step Down program.

770
00:45:22,199 --> 00:45:25,519
Reading the Step Down program denials is frustrating because they

771
00:45:25,519 --> 00:45:28,920
are vague and never really explain what I should be doing. Differently,

772
00:45:29,000 --> 00:45:31,760
I would appreciate more guidance about what I need to

773
00:45:31,760 --> 00:45:34,519
do to mitigate my crimes of placement or prove my

774
00:45:34,599 --> 00:45:38,159
good behavior isn't merely because of the security measures that

775
00:45:38,239 --> 00:45:41,079
are imposed on me. Sometimes I am told the Bureau

776
00:45:41,119 --> 00:45:43,960
of Prisons needs more time to assess my behavior, But

777
00:45:44,119 --> 00:45:47,280
after twenty two years of clean time, how much more

778
00:45:47,320 --> 00:45:50,119
time do they need. I'm not allowed to be present

779
00:45:50,159 --> 00:45:52,599
when the step Down committee reviews me, and I'm not

780
00:45:52,639 --> 00:45:55,960
allowed to submit any evidence or testimony about why I

781
00:45:56,000 --> 00:45:59,199
should be allowed to enter the program, or rebute any

782
00:45:59,360 --> 00:46:04,599
incorrect evidence that the committee may be relying on. Every

783
00:46:04,599 --> 00:46:07,400
denial feels like I just have run a marathon and

784
00:46:07,440 --> 00:46:09,719
been told to run it all over again and again.

785
00:46:10,199 --> 00:46:13,440
It is one step forward and two steps back. I

786
00:46:13,559 --> 00:46:17,199
always fill out an administrative remedy request, but it doesn't

787
00:46:17,239 --> 00:46:20,400
really ever do me any good because no change is

788
00:46:20,519 --> 00:46:23,880
ever come from it. Everything is just approved and endorsed

789
00:46:23,880 --> 00:46:27,960
from above. My eligibility for the step Down program is

790
00:46:27,960 --> 00:46:30,679
not in doubt. I have over twenty two years of

791
00:46:30,800 --> 00:46:34,480
incident free behavior to my credit, including more than a

792
00:46:34,559 --> 00:46:38,280
year of clear conduct in d in it. Additionally, I

793
00:46:38,320 --> 00:46:41,719
continue to meet and exceed programming recommendations made by my

794
00:46:41,920 --> 00:46:48,159
unit team, demonstrate positive institutional adjustment, and maintain appropriate interactions

795
00:46:48,199 --> 00:46:51,880
with staff. I also hope to receive an orderly position.

796
00:46:52,079 --> 00:46:54,320
I feel like that becoming an orderly would give me

797
00:46:54,360 --> 00:46:57,559
a sense of purpose and responsibility, as well as allow

798
00:46:57,639 --> 00:46:59,519
me to prove to the Bureau of Prisons I am

799
00:46:59,559 --> 00:47:03,480
no longer a violent person and provide the opportunity to

800
00:47:03,519 --> 00:47:07,760
earn a small income. Then he gets into his reflection

801
00:47:08,039 --> 00:47:11,440
on twenty eight years of solitary and he says, except

802
00:47:11,480 --> 00:47:14,199
for a single week during the Atlanta prison ride, I

803
00:47:14,239 --> 00:47:17,920
have lived continuously in solitary confinement for the past twenty

804
00:47:17,920 --> 00:47:22,760
eight years. Other than infrequent haircuts, strip searches, and medical examinations,

805
00:47:23,079 --> 00:47:26,280
the only physical human contact I have experienced in the

806
00:47:26,320 --> 00:47:30,199
past twenty eight years is when the Bureau Prisons officers

807
00:47:30,239 --> 00:47:33,400
handcuffed me and escort me. For twenty eight years, I've

808
00:47:33,440 --> 00:47:36,719
been isolated from other inmates. On rare occasion, I've been

809
00:47:36,760 --> 00:47:40,719
able to communicate with my peers by yelling through prison walls.

810
00:47:41,000 --> 00:47:43,880
For thirty five years, my visitor list has been restricted

811
00:47:43,920 --> 00:47:47,880
to family members and people I know before I was incarcerated.

812
00:47:48,280 --> 00:47:51,599
Not only have I lost touch with nearly everyone I

813
00:47:51,679 --> 00:47:54,800
knew while on the outside, but I have been kept

814
00:47:54,880 --> 00:47:58,679
far from my family, making visits difficult and rare. For

815
00:47:58,800 --> 00:48:01,639
twenty eight years of eating every meal alone in my cell.

816
00:48:01,960 --> 00:48:04,599
For twenty eight years, I have been entuned in concrete

817
00:48:04,679 --> 00:48:08,440
and still and have not enjoyed anything even remotely resembling

818
00:48:08,519 --> 00:48:12,320
open space. I am barely even a light outside. When outside,

819
00:48:12,360 --> 00:48:15,039
I'm surrounded by twenty foot high walls and alignment of you,

820
00:48:15,599 --> 00:48:18,199
no more than a sliver of sky, and nothing of

821
00:48:18,239 --> 00:48:22,920
the surrounding landscape. After twenty eight years without much environmental stipulation,

822
00:48:23,119 --> 00:48:25,760
I feel like my mental state is deteriorating. I have

823
00:48:25,840 --> 00:48:29,480
difficulty remembering certain words, and I feel I cannot always

824
00:48:29,559 --> 00:48:33,360
accurately express when I'm trying to communicate. My mind is

825
00:48:33,360 --> 00:48:35,679
always in a fog. I hear what people are saying

826
00:48:35,760 --> 00:48:38,800
but can't understand them, and I have trouble focusing for

827
00:48:38,880 --> 00:48:41,440
more than a few minutes. I often have to watch

828
00:48:41,519 --> 00:48:45,599
my educational programs several times because I miss important details

829
00:48:45,719 --> 00:48:49,800
or misinterpret what I hear. I'm listening, but I'm not hearing.

830
00:48:50,320 --> 00:48:54,239
Sometimes I have hallucinations where I see human shadows outside

831
00:48:54,280 --> 00:48:57,400
my cell window. I never can be real because my

832
00:48:57,559 --> 00:49:01,079
cell is on the second floor. Often I perceive the

833
00:49:01,199 --> 00:49:04,639
colors in my cell change, fluctuating from light to dark.

834
00:49:04,840 --> 00:49:09,199
At other times, people's faces become disoriented and frightening. There's

835
00:49:09,320 --> 00:49:12,239
no end to the monotony of my days. Each day

836
00:49:12,400 --> 00:49:15,519
is the same as the one before and the one after.

837
00:49:15,719 --> 00:49:19,800
The tedium of my day's SAPs any motivation I might have.

838
00:49:20,199 --> 00:49:23,800
I am anxious at all times. I'm giving medicine for anxiety,

839
00:49:23,840 --> 00:49:26,920
but it doesn't help. Instead, the medicine side effects make

840
00:49:27,000 --> 00:49:30,679
me feel drowsy and tired during the day. I have

841
00:49:30,760 --> 00:49:33,599
trouble sleeping. I never sleep more than four or five

842
00:49:33,639 --> 00:49:36,880
hours a night. When I do sleep, my dreams are

843
00:49:37,000 --> 00:49:41,519
being held in solitary confinement. Twenty eight years of solitary

844
00:49:41,559 --> 00:49:44,480
has also taken a physical toll on me. I often

845
00:49:44,559 --> 00:49:48,280
have trouble breathing, which may be related to anxiety. My

846
00:49:48,360 --> 00:49:51,760
eyesight is worsening, and I'm having trouble getting to the

847
00:49:51,800 --> 00:49:55,559
eye doctor. I also think my muscles are beginning to atrophy.

848
00:49:56,079 --> 00:49:58,760
I receive a little wreck five days a week, but

849
00:49:58,880 --> 00:50:00,639
other than that, I spent and the rest of my

850
00:50:00,760 --> 00:50:03,679
day laying in bed or sitting at my desk. There's

851
00:50:03,840 --> 00:50:07,039
not too much space for movement at all. In myself.

852
00:50:07,400 --> 00:50:09,880
I have hepatitis SEA, which I have been told for

853
00:50:10,000 --> 00:50:12,599
over a year that I qualify for treatment, but I'm

854
00:50:12,639 --> 00:50:15,000
still waiting to receive it. When I asked why I

855
00:50:15,000 --> 00:50:18,000
didn't receive it, I'm informed that there's a very long

856
00:50:18,119 --> 00:50:22,559
weight less I have painful hemorrhoids that bleed frequently. I

857
00:50:22,599 --> 00:50:25,119
often can't sit down because of the pain and blood.

858
00:50:25,559 --> 00:50:28,840
I've tried to alter my diet and use other methods

859
00:50:28,880 --> 00:50:31,480
of treatment. I was told by the surgeon that I

860
00:50:31,519 --> 00:50:34,960
am candidate for hemorrhoid surgery, which would prevent me from

861
00:50:35,039 --> 00:50:40,119
suffering future harm including pain, humiliation, and bleeding. However, ADX

862
00:50:40,159 --> 00:50:43,079
inform me that I was denied this surgery. No reason

863
00:50:43,119 --> 00:50:46,519
for the denial was given. I filed a complaint about this,

864
00:50:46,639 --> 00:50:48,719
and in response, I was told that I didn't need

865
00:50:48,760 --> 00:50:51,960
the surgery and could speak to the doctor's assistant about

866
00:50:52,039 --> 00:50:55,920
using creams and suppositories, the same and effective treatments I've

867
00:50:55,920 --> 00:50:59,320
been using for years. The experience of being utterly alone

868
00:50:59,360 --> 00:51:02,639
in the tiny for three decades has caused me emotional

869
00:51:02,719 --> 00:51:06,639
despair and caused me to deteriorate physically as well. Though

870
00:51:06,679 --> 00:51:08,760
I know that I want to live and have always

871
00:51:08,760 --> 00:51:12,880
been a survivor. I have often wished for death. I know, though,

872
00:51:12,960 --> 00:51:15,159
that I don't want to die. What I want is

873
00:51:15,360 --> 00:51:18,000
a life in prison that I can feel with some meaning.

874
00:51:18,519 --> 00:51:21,039
I have changed so much in behavior and outlook from

875
00:51:21,079 --> 00:51:23,800
the person I was twenty eight years ago. I have

876
00:51:23,880 --> 00:51:27,360
no interest in violence. I have devoted the past twenty

877
00:51:27,360 --> 00:51:30,719
six years to Buddhism. I've been a vegetarian for many

878
00:51:30,800 --> 00:51:34,159
years now, for both health and spiritual reasons. I receive

879
00:51:34,360 --> 00:51:37,719
letters sometimes from people telling me I am a monster.

880
00:51:38,280 --> 00:51:40,400
They think because of what I did that I don't

881
00:51:40,440 --> 00:51:43,360
have any emotions or feelings. I can see why they

882
00:51:43,400 --> 00:51:46,679
think that, but it's not true. I feel very deeply

883
00:51:46,920 --> 00:51:49,880
about the terrible pain that I have caused others. I

884
00:51:49,920 --> 00:51:52,639
hate what I did, and I hate forever being defined

885
00:51:52,639 --> 00:51:56,239
by those actions. As horrible as my actions were and

886
00:51:56,280 --> 00:52:00,199
as awful as their consequences are, I'm still a human being.

887
00:52:00,360 --> 00:52:03,519
I am not just a killer. I'm a father, a brother,

888
00:52:03,639 --> 00:52:06,119
and a friend. I try to find meaning in my

889
00:52:06,239 --> 00:52:09,519
life and to be of value to others. I have

890
00:52:09,639 --> 00:52:14,320
developed my artistic talent as a constructive means of self expression.

891
00:52:14,440 --> 00:52:18,159
Creating art enhances my feelings that my life has values.

892
00:52:18,320 --> 00:52:21,320
My efforts also give me an appreciation for the work

893
00:52:21,400 --> 00:52:24,280
of others. When you work hard for something, you value it,

894
00:52:24,400 --> 00:52:27,400
and it helps you to value and appreciate the things

895
00:52:27,559 --> 00:52:31,039
that others work hard for. It feels me with despair that,

896
00:52:31,119 --> 00:52:34,840
after twenty eight years of meeting their expectations and complying

897
00:52:34,840 --> 00:52:37,840
with the rules, the Bureau of Prisons is still unwilling

898
00:52:37,880 --> 00:52:41,280
to recognize any of the changes I've accomplished to myself

899
00:52:41,679 --> 00:52:44,960
and gives me no further opportunities to show that I

900
00:52:45,000 --> 00:52:48,239
am not who they think I am. For twenty eight years,

901
00:52:48,280 --> 00:52:51,559
I've been model prisoner. I've done everything the Bureau of

902
00:52:51,559 --> 00:52:55,119
Prisons dis asked of me, yet I am repeatedly denied

903
00:52:55,320 --> 00:52:58,559
an orderly position in placement in the step Down program.

904
00:52:58,920 --> 00:53:02,800
Getting out of solitary confinement will relieve the relentless and

905
00:53:02,840 --> 00:53:06,519
crushing strain that has worn away in my mind, my body,

906
00:53:06,559 --> 00:53:10,039
and my spirit for twenty eight years. After twenty eight

907
00:53:10,079 --> 00:53:14,079
years of solitary including over twenty two years of clear conduct,

908
00:53:14,519 --> 00:53:17,639
I hope for and I think I deserve a chance

909
00:53:18,119 --> 00:53:20,480
to progress to the step down program. Even though he

910
00:53:20,639 --> 00:53:25,159
murdered three people, in prison, and he declared that under

911
00:53:25,199 --> 00:53:28,360
penalty of perjury that it was true and crack signed

912
00:53:28,400 --> 00:53:33,159
by Thomas Selverstein, and that was dated two four of

913
00:53:33,199 --> 00:53:37,079
twenty eleven. And that was a mouthful, but you know,

914
00:53:37,239 --> 00:53:39,639
one of the I personally feel like that's one of

915
00:53:39,719 --> 00:53:45,519
the most interesting looks that I've seen as far as

916
00:53:45,679 --> 00:53:51,480
what it's like actually in these maximum security prisons. So,

917
00:53:51,599 --> 00:53:54,639
if nothing else, it was very well written. And what

918
00:53:54,760 --> 00:53:57,719
was the result of that back in twenty eleven, Well,

919
00:53:58,159 --> 00:54:04,360
he got denied, the lawsuit got completely dismissed, and Thomas

920
00:54:04,360 --> 00:54:07,400
Silverstein went on living his life. He was living it.

921
00:54:07,440 --> 00:54:11,599
He actually died on May eleventh, twenty nineteen. He was

922
00:54:11,719 --> 00:54:16,159
sixty seven years old. He was still incarcerated at ADX

923
00:54:16,239 --> 00:54:21,440
Florence Supermac's prison in Colorado, and he died of a

924
00:54:21,559 --> 00:54:26,119
heart issue. He was having heart problems. He was actually

925
00:54:26,239 --> 00:54:30,239
not at ADX when he died. They were getting him

926
00:54:30,400 --> 00:54:34,119
medical some sort of surgery, heart surgery of some sort.

927
00:54:34,679 --> 00:54:37,719
And I'm assuming he died on the table or shortly

928
00:54:37,800 --> 00:54:41,039
after the surgery. But he did die May eleventh of

929
00:54:41,119 --> 00:54:44,920
twenty nineteen. And that is the story of what some

930
00:54:45,039 --> 00:54:50,679
consider the most dangerous prisoner in American history behind prison

931
00:54:50,719 --> 00:54:55,559
walls anyway, and that is terrible. Tommy Thomas Silverstein, I

932
00:54:55,599 --> 00:54:59,039
hope you enjoyed this two part episode. I'll be back

933
00:54:59,119 --> 00:55:02,119
soon with a not other episode of Bloody Angola, a

934
00:55:02,239 --> 00:55:06,199
podcast two years in the making, the complete story of

935
00:55:06,239 --> 00:55:08,880
America's bloodiest present peace.

936
00:55:24,519 --> 00:55:35,039
Speaker 1: A Wall Street line, shackle change, Oh, WHO'SO Girdie? It's

937
00:55:35,159 --> 00:55:41,519
calling my name. There is no mercy and it's been

938
00:55:41,719 --> 00:55:49,679
a tentery juice as the huge stream game Wrangle three.

939
00:55:51,679 --> 00:55:52,440
I'm here.

940
00:55:55,000 --> 00:55:56,840
Speaker 2: By me to die.

941
00:55:58,440 --> 00:56:03,679
Speaker 1: Inside these, inside the wild.

942
00:56:05,239 --> 00:56:06,760
Speaker 2: And when the walk.

943
00:56:08,239 --> 00:56:17,039
Speaker 1: As I know, it's abody Angler.

944
00:56:20,000 --> 00:56:23,360
Speaker 2: Ohbody Angle