I just wanted to touch base with the folks out there who are following the Lorne v. NSP saga. Lorne has been asking for the return of his religious materials for about 3 weeks now. Quite honestly, I am sure that they are in the Carson City landfill by now. However, one must try to get them back. Repeated requests to the NSP warden have done nothing to further the return of Lorne's religious materials. I kind of think that Lorne's move to NSP so suddenly was a direct result of the grievances he has filed against NSP as well as my letters asking "where is his stuff?" He was also recently denied access to pill call by the same CO who took his financial information back on June 29th.
I think that NSP and NDOC are hoping that Lorne's move to SDCC will make him quit or give up asking for that material back. It is my hope that those organizations that I have contacted will make a quick decision to assist him or not. In the end, Lorne still has to fight all these internal processes just get stuff like his CD player replaced (he is without a pillow again too) Lorne will also be putting in transfer requests to get out of SDCC and move to one of the facilities up north (Warm Springs, NNCC or Lovelock)
I miss Lorne and my heart is aching for him. Last night I had a dream that I was in prison too...and I guess I am in some ways. At this point, all I can hope for is that this will soon end but it's not looking like it will be anytime soon.
Sunday, July 31, 2011
Thursday, July 28, 2011
Phone calls from Indian Springs...
I am totally serious when I say that Indian Springs has only 10 phone lines...8 of which belong to NDOC and the other two belong to a hotel and a tattoo parlor...(ok I don't know if Indian Springs has a tattoo parlor but the google search engine said it did)
But anyhow, it seems like numbers for the (702) 447 and (702)879 exchanges are in extremely high demand...how high you ask? well Vonage has no local numbers for them...most any other place I tried does not have them so it will be interesting to see if the company that I chose has them (it said they were in stock but they must be worth their weight in gold)
Given that so many inmates are being moved to High Desert and Southern Desert facilities, it would behoove NV Bell to let loose some more numbers for that area. The reality is, no one needs to pay for collect phone calls anymore when they can get a VOIP local number that will ring into their current phone (cell or landline). Financially, I do ok but that doesn't mean that I have money to burn and it seems to me that $8 a month for 1000 minutes is a great deal and he only pays $1.95 per phone call. I'll take it!
I know that being able to talk to me is important to Lorne especially now that he is in a new environment with few familiar faces. I am glad that one of his tier mates is in the same place as him...he's a great guy and his wife is a lovely person as well.
We shall see how things work out, I will keep you posted!
But anyhow, it seems like numbers for the (702) 447 and (702)879 exchanges are in extremely high demand...how high you ask? well Vonage has no local numbers for them...most any other place I tried does not have them so it will be interesting to see if the company that I chose has them (it said they were in stock but they must be worth their weight in gold)
Given that so many inmates are being moved to High Desert and Southern Desert facilities, it would behoove NV Bell to let loose some more numbers for that area. The reality is, no one needs to pay for collect phone calls anymore when they can get a VOIP local number that will ring into their current phone (cell or landline). Financially, I do ok but that doesn't mean that I have money to burn and it seems to me that $8 a month for 1000 minutes is a great deal and he only pays $1.95 per phone call. I'll take it!
I know that being able to talk to me is important to Lorne especially now that he is in a new environment with few familiar faces. I am glad that one of his tier mates is in the same place as him...he's a great guy and his wife is a lovely person as well.
We shall see how things work out, I will keep you posted!
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
The Big Move...
Last night around 10:30pm, I received a phone call from Lorne...was he ever in a panic! wouldn't let me talk, his voice was very insistent that I just listen until he got a chance to tell me what he needed to tell me. And his news? he was being "rolled up" (prison slang for pack your stuff, you are going on a road trip) and being sent to Southern Desert Correctional Center in the morning.
Lorne has been preparing for this physically by getting rid of alot of his stuff or shipping out things to me for safekeeping. However, I don't think he spent any time at all preparing mentally because he was absolutely panicked...and I mean PANICKED!...I thought he was going to cry, I truly did. Lorne likes stability and routine and certainly this move destabilizes the life that he has created for himself on the inside and now he has to create a new life all over again. Also, each prison has its own "personality". Now he has to re-learn the personality of this facility and that can be daunting and sometimes even dangerous. Mis-steps can be painful, physically and emotionally.
Needless to say, he was unable to fit all his "stuff" into the designated containers (a box and a duffle bag) and had to part with several pieces of clothing, and of course to me, its just stuff, easily replaced (and it will be, not a big deal) but it was heartbreaking to see him so emotionally overwrought by all this. All he kept saying was "I want to come home, I want to come home". And of course home for Lorne is Las Vegas...talk about being the carrot at the end of the stick! Let's put him within an hours drive of the ONE place Lorne wants to be...
For those of you who were following Lorne's issue with the cell searches and the subsequent "loss" of his religious materials, I am sure that NDOC is hoping that I will just go away. I am sure that they are thinking that now that he is gone from NSP that they no longer bear any responsibility for the loss of his materials. However, they are wrong. It was the regime at NSP that allowed this to happen and they will be held accountable for taking away an inmates religious materials. It doesn't matter to me that Lorne isn't there anymore. It matters that there appears to be systemic corruption in the way that NSP continually plays fast and loose with their own rules and regulations. It matters that they be held accountable for their wrongs just like Lorne was when he was put in prison. You can't tell people "when you do bad things you get locked up" and then act all surprised when people try and hold you accountable.
Mama didn't raise no fool.....
Lorne has been preparing for this physically by getting rid of alot of his stuff or shipping out things to me for safekeeping. However, I don't think he spent any time at all preparing mentally because he was absolutely panicked...and I mean PANICKED!...I thought he was going to cry, I truly did. Lorne likes stability and routine and certainly this move destabilizes the life that he has created for himself on the inside and now he has to create a new life all over again. Also, each prison has its own "personality". Now he has to re-learn the personality of this facility and that can be daunting and sometimes even dangerous. Mis-steps can be painful, physically and emotionally.
Needless to say, he was unable to fit all his "stuff" into the designated containers (a box and a duffle bag) and had to part with several pieces of clothing, and of course to me, its just stuff, easily replaced (and it will be, not a big deal) but it was heartbreaking to see him so emotionally overwrought by all this. All he kept saying was "I want to come home, I want to come home". And of course home for Lorne is Las Vegas...talk about being the carrot at the end of the stick! Let's put him within an hours drive of the ONE place Lorne wants to be...
For those of you who were following Lorne's issue with the cell searches and the subsequent "loss" of his religious materials, I am sure that NDOC is hoping that I will just go away. I am sure that they are thinking that now that he is gone from NSP that they no longer bear any responsibility for the loss of his materials. However, they are wrong. It was the regime at NSP that allowed this to happen and they will be held accountable for taking away an inmates religious materials. It doesn't matter to me that Lorne isn't there anymore. It matters that there appears to be systemic corruption in the way that NSP continually plays fast and loose with their own rules and regulations. It matters that they be held accountable for their wrongs just like Lorne was when he was put in prison. You can't tell people "when you do bad things you get locked up" and then act all surprised when people try and hold you accountable.
Mama didn't raise no fool.....
Sunday, July 24, 2011
Round Two...
Well it's been a while and I thought I would update you on what is going on with Lorne on the inside. June 29th, Lorne's person and cell were searched. During the course of these alleged "routine" searches, many items of Lorne were either damaged or removed from his possession. I can't go into alot of detail (and I am sorry for that) because there is the potential of litigation against the state of Nevada. What I can say is this...Lorne's banking information has still not been returned to him. The response letter that I got back from warden Smith stated that "he was concerned about Lorne having personal financial information around hundred of convicted felons." Ok...I'd accept that if it weren't for the fact that hundred of correctional officers and free staff bring their wallets to work everyday and they have the same exposure to inmates as Lorne does. It would also be believable but for the fact that it now appears that Lorne's information is being passed around to other correctional officers under the guise of "investigating" the legitimacy of the information. Apparently keeping that stuff in your wallet is creating a problem but allowing officers to hand it off to others isn't. Right. I got it now.
Lorne is also still waiting for the return of his religious materials that were removed from the box he was mailing out to me for safekeeping. No one can find it. It disappeared off the face of the earth. Being a Wiccan inside prison is not easy. We draw wisdom from everywhere and everyone we can. Our paths continually shift and grow as we shift and grow. Nine years of Lorne's Wiccan journey is missing and no one knows where it is.
He also appears to be on the receiving end of retaliatory actions from the officer who originally singled him out. Today, this same officer denied him access to pill call...this is where inmates are sent to the dispensary to pick up prescribed medications. In an ironic twist, it was the actions of this same officer that forced Lorne back to picking up his pills in the dispensary instead of keeping his prescription in his cell. So...Lorne has to go get his pills from the dispensary...but the officer won't let him get to the dispensary because his is too busy making life miserable for Lorne. So, as a result of today's actions, Lorne is filing yet another internal grievance. Given that last year, about this time, the ACLU,NDOC and the state of NV finally reached as agreement regarding the appropriateness of medical care inmates receive, one would think that correctional officers from the state of NV would be hypersensitive about how they deny/grant access to medications.
As for me, another round of letters to the warden at NSP, the NDOC Director, the NV ACLU and the NV Inspector Generals office...dang I'm tired!
Lorne is also still waiting for the return of his religious materials that were removed from the box he was mailing out to me for safekeeping. No one can find it. It disappeared off the face of the earth. Being a Wiccan inside prison is not easy. We draw wisdom from everywhere and everyone we can. Our paths continually shift and grow as we shift and grow. Nine years of Lorne's Wiccan journey is missing and no one knows where it is.
He also appears to be on the receiving end of retaliatory actions from the officer who originally singled him out. Today, this same officer denied him access to pill call...this is where inmates are sent to the dispensary to pick up prescribed medications. In an ironic twist, it was the actions of this same officer that forced Lorne back to picking up his pills in the dispensary instead of keeping his prescription in his cell. So...Lorne has to go get his pills from the dispensary...but the officer won't let him get to the dispensary because his is too busy making life miserable for Lorne. So, as a result of today's actions, Lorne is filing yet another internal grievance. Given that last year, about this time, the ACLU,NDOC and the state of NV finally reached as agreement regarding the appropriateness of medical care inmates receive, one would think that correctional officers from the state of NV would be hypersensitive about how they deny/grant access to medications.
As for me, another round of letters to the warden at NSP, the NDOC Director, the NV ACLU and the NV Inspector Generals office...dang I'm tired!
Monday, July 18, 2011
Update!
But unfortunately it is not good news. Lorne still has note received his banking information back. Apparently the warden is worried about Lorne having this information on the inside. Maybe someone should tell him that it is now in the hands of NDOC officers...yes...plural...officers. But that is fine too...the Canadian embassy is involved at this point in order to secure its return to Lorne. As I type this, there have been no unauthorized charges put on his account so that is a good thing...quite frankly, I would almost wish someone would.
The bigger issue for me and Lorne is the loss of almost 90% of his religious materials...most of which cannot be replaced. I understand that a message was sent out via email to try and retrieve it, however no one seems to know where any of it is. This by far is the most despicable act to date. I fully understand that Lorne is an inmate and that he lost many rights when he plead to his charges. However, not one of the rights he lost had anything to do with his religious freedom. For this I blame the ignorant, uneducated and poorly trained correctional officers that NDOC hires. Certainly their worldview is very narrow if they can't seem to be able to distinguish religious materials from ....well, something bad (I don't know what you can confuse religious materials with...) So...it will be yet another letter I write to see if NDOC will be able to make this right.
The bigger issue for me and Lorne is the loss of almost 90% of his religious materials...most of which cannot be replaced. I understand that a message was sent out via email to try and retrieve it, however no one seems to know where any of it is. This by far is the most despicable act to date. I fully understand that Lorne is an inmate and that he lost many rights when he plead to his charges. However, not one of the rights he lost had anything to do with his religious freedom. For this I blame the ignorant, uneducated and poorly trained correctional officers that NDOC hires. Certainly their worldview is very narrow if they can't seem to be able to distinguish religious materials from ....well, something bad (I don't know what you can confuse religious materials with...) So...it will be yet another letter I write to see if NDOC will be able to make this right.
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
The View from Inside...Lorne's Voice Pt. 3
Lorne is going through some very bad stuff at the moment as the result of immature, unprofessional and possible illegal conduct on the part of a few NDOC correctional officers. This "rant" was written before his current situation happened but it does reflect that vagaries of life on the inside. You can find his scanned document here.
Please keep Lorne in your thoughts as we wind our way through this mess.
Please keep Lorne in your thoughts as we wind our way through this mess.
Sunday, July 3, 2011
Religious freedom...yes unless you are an inmate
So just to keep everyone up to speed...in the last 4 days, Lorne's cell has been searched twice looking for contraband material. This all started when a correctional officer decided Lorne's confidential financial information was not allowed and took it from him. This started a chain of events that culminated in letters to the warden, NVDOC director, the NVDOC Inspector General and the Consulate General of the Canadian Embassy Yes, I am pissed!!
One of the items that was removed form Lorne's cell was a box that he was preparing to ship to me. With the closure of NSP, he has been going through his stuff and sorting it out. He had managed to fill the box with items that he didn't need but wanted to save for future use. Lorne was taken down to the property room where an officer interviewed him about the contents of the box. The officer removed a segment of Lorne's religious materials, asked him what religions he was and Lorne responded "Wiccan". Lorne didn't see the contents of that box until June 30 where it was all returned to him in a garbage bag. He spent most of July 1 sorting through it to determine if all the contents were there, They weren't. All of Lorne's religious paperwork was gone as well as a gift that he had made for me. As any Pagan knows, our paths develop from a little bit of this...a little bit of that. The material that was removed dates back to at least 2005 when he started as one of my students but even predates me since he said that some of those items were from his first teacher.
Looks like Erika will be writing more letters to...well,,,just about everyone I think!
One of the items that was removed form Lorne's cell was a box that he was preparing to ship to me. With the closure of NSP, he has been going through his stuff and sorting it out. He had managed to fill the box with items that he didn't need but wanted to save for future use. Lorne was taken down to the property room where an officer interviewed him about the contents of the box. The officer removed a segment of Lorne's religious materials, asked him what religions he was and Lorne responded "Wiccan". Lorne didn't see the contents of that box until June 30 where it was all returned to him in a garbage bag. He spent most of July 1 sorting through it to determine if all the contents were there, They weren't. All of Lorne's religious paperwork was gone as well as a gift that he had made for me. As any Pagan knows, our paths develop from a little bit of this...a little bit of that. The material that was removed dates back to at least 2005 when he started as one of my students but even predates me since he said that some of those items were from his first teacher.
Looks like Erika will be writing more letters to...well,,,just about everyone I think!
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