THE GURNEY

A portable bed; a stretcher; a long metal piece of equipment bolted to the ground, in a small room, which assists in one’s murder! The gurney. It has many aliases: “The Still Serial Killer,” “The Death Bed,” “or “The Last Ride.”

On September 22, 2007 I executed a very effective sit-in while I was being escorted from visitation. The sit-in was effective because it showed D.R.I.V.E. would not put up with any more executions. Due to the numerous protests that the comrades and I have engaged in, the administration has taken it upon themselves to repress us, by violating their procedure and keep us locked down as much as they could get away with. This is nothing new to the comrades, since this establishment will go to violent, inhumane measures to shut us up and stop us from exposing their inhumane treatment and the atrocious murdering procedure as a whole. So we’ve had to improvise and make sure every form of direct action is productive and effective.

As I walked out the door leading to visitation, I sat down on the ground. Clifford Kimmel had just been murdered and Michael “Louisiana Red” Richard’s date was scheduled 3 days away. Since I was not in the isolated death row, 12 buildings, general population officers came to talk to me. The response they got was not what they expected. These ranking officers have never dealt with this protest directly, so they didn’t expect my calm demeanor with fire in my eyes. The Sgt. (I didn’t get his name) told me, “Get your ass off my run!”

I smiled at him, and in a very calm voice I said, “No! Standing up and walking to my cage will be the equivalent of assisting in my own murder.”

After noticing his stunned expression I continued, “And by you being a ranking officer, I would figure you know your own rules that you’re supposed to follow to uphold the false professionalism that TDC attempts to portray. Isn’t using profanity toward another a violation of rule #14 of the executive directive PD-21: Employees Code of Conduct ?”

He just stared at me for a few seconds and walked back to the visitation area. A death row Sgt. took over and asked me “Are you going to stand up and walk to your cell?”

I said, “No! I’m engaging in a anon-violent protest against the atrocious murdering machine that Texas, and other states, abuse, and think it’s the #1 deterrent to crime. Matter of fact, it’s not #2,3,4,5 or even in the top 100!”

She got on her walkie-talkie and called for a wheelchair so I could be wheeled back to my cage. When I heard this, I said, “Do you truly believe I will comply by sitting in a wheelchair? This protest isn’t a joke. These executions aren’t a joke. Mr. Kimmel’s life wasn’t a joke! So you can roll your wheelchair down here if you want, but do not expect me to comply!”

She spoke back into her walkie-talkie and said, “Bring the gurney!”

The Gurney.

This was all a part of my plan. I wanted the gurney so I could show my solidarity to the brothers and sisters on death row around the world that I will ride with them.

When the gurney was rolled down the catwalk and some extra officers came, I was shackled, place on the gurney and strapped down, just as they would if I were to be murdered that day.

As I was rolled down the catwalk toward my cage, I let the camera, the officers and all other spectators know, “I’m laying in solidarity with Clifford Kimmel, Michael Richard, and every other person that faces this unjust procedure.”

When I got to my pod, I was unstrapped from the gurney and asked, “Are you going to walk?”

I said, “Walk! You unstrap me as if you’re doing me a favor. Unstrap the men and women off the gurney in the chamber and ask them to walk! Ask them to hop off the gurney and walk after you’ve just pumped poison into their bodies, the same poison that you won’t pump into an animal. No! I will not walk, because my brothers and sisters can’t walk!”

I was carried off the gurney to my cage. When I entered my cage, the Sgt. proceeded to go through the degrading process of cutting my clothes off and stripping me to the nude. Yes, this was a degrading process but I felt fully liberated by being stripped from state-issued clothing. When the Sgt. saw that I wasn’t affected by her degrading process, she attempted another degrading tactic by offering me state-issued boxers. These boxers have no elastic, only 4 strings – 2 on each side to tie together – and a piece of Velcro on the front. They’re nothing more than a pamper. A pamper!

I refused the “diaper” choosing to stay fully liberated until the officers exited my cage and asked me to relinquish my hand restraints. I gave them the hand restraints with no further incidents.

The gurney. The diaper. Not only are these items used during a person’s murder, but this administration also uses them as a “soul/spirit breaker.”

On this day, I welcomed their soul/spirit breaking mechanisms – even though I refused the diaper – all in solidarity with the numerous men and women that have been subjected to these items.

Am I next? Maybe! Especially if we, as a community, don’t stand up and fight this procedure. We, as believers in justice, have to breakdown the word “community.” This anti-Death-Penalty movement is a commune. We need to show each other unity. As long as we have unity, and embrace each other’s forms of application, and shoot for the main goal, then we can get this procedure abolished.

Let’s trash this Gurney! Let’s trash this atrocious procedure! Let’s D.R.I.V.E.

D.R.I.V.E.

DEATH Row INNER-COMMUNALIST VANGUARD ENGAGEMENT