Menard Hate!
On January 12. 2022 the inmates in north segregation unit grew fed up with the mistreatment and conditions at Menard. Several inmates held their lunch trays, refusing to give them back to staff, requesting that the “major” of security, the warden and mental health come speak to them. At the time Menard wasn’t allowing inmates to order commissary and when they were they didn’t sell necessities like toothpaste, pen, paper, deodorant, ect. The facility was on a Covid-19 lockdown not wearing masks, mixing positive and negative inmates and openly bragging about trying to spread the virus and wanting to be told to go home for 10 days. The fact that their actions was keeping the facility on lockdown and inmates away from their loved ones seemed not to matter at all to them.
The inmates were requesting the phone more regularly than every 30-45 days and their tablets, so that they could send out E-messages like the rules state that those in Extended Restricted Housing (30 days) are supposed to have.
Staff refused to get mental health, the major nor the warden and only agreed to give the phone more regularly. At one point a young inmate asked to speak to mental health and said he was feeling suicidal. A white officer came to his cell and said, “Kill yourself then you Black Bitch”! All the inmates began yelling and beating on the doors. The young inmate set a fire in front of his cell. Multiple officers came on the gallery with fire extinguishers although the fire was on the floor in one spot. They put the fire out and then pointed it in the young inmate cell. They then walked up and down the gallery spraying inside of inmate’s cells in their faces for no reason.
Tactical officers came to the inmate’s cells that were the most outrage and outspoken about the mistreatment and beat and extracted them while the inmates were asking for mental health. The officers took several inmates out of their cells, removed all of their property and sheets and left them in their room with just jumpsuits for 7 days in the cold. They also turned their water and toilets off for 3 days.
Later that evening (1/12/22), Internal Affairs brought several inmates to the segregation building under investigation. On the other side of the prison over 400 prisoners in general population was fed up with the mistreatment as well and they went several days not accepting their breakfast, lunch or dinner in order to get the attention of the warden on the matter.
These inmates conducted themselves peaceably protesting without any violence whatsoever. Internal Affairs retaliated by picking out inmates they deemed influential to make an example of. They took Rico Clark, Lewis Bailey, Marte Hollis, Jermaine Norris and others.
MENARD HATE IS REAL! They send the clear message to all inmates that “if you file grievances, we will throw them away”, “if you peacefully protest or file a lawsuit against them, you will be targeted, retaliated against and harassed with false charges, shakedowns, mail delays and more”. As long as you don’t do any of these things, you’re fine. We want prisoners to adopt civilized methods of handling issues. This cannot be down at Menard. It’s a breeding ground for hatred. It’s not by chance that it’s the most dangerous, violent prison in Illinois. These same inmates go to other prisons and never encounter nor be involved in the things going on at Menard (violence and gang activity).
Menard shuts inmates off from the outside and create tense environments while robbing them of their hope. They don’t need to change, they need to close the prison. Click the link to sign the petition to close Menard.
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Lost For Cause