bexar04

      "Law enforcement functions through the use of fear. Fear is the most important weapon they have. All the technology, none of it would do them a damn bit of good if it weren't for fear, and they've created an entire universe of fear around marijuana and hemp. It's not drugs the government is concerned with, anyway. It's people's freedom of expression."

- Woody Harrelson

Bexar County Jail '04

     Oh man, this is like becoming a yearly tradition for me. I ended up in Bexar County Jail again. Check out what happened.

     It was Thursday morning. The 22nd of April. I had been up all night telling my stories and ended up at University Hospital Transfer Center. I was going to catch the 610 to my mom's house so I could crash. When the bus finally pulled up around 7:30 or so, this mean black lady driver closed the front doors and went to the back to exit the bus. She didn't want anyone boarding it until she got back from the bathroom, or something. I was standing right next to the rear door and when she opened it to get out, I grabbed the door to hold it open so she could get off. She gets this attitude and automatically tells me, "You can't get on the bus!" I was like, "I wasn't going to. I was holding the door open for you."
     Anyway, when she got back I showed her my bus pass and boarded the 610. I ended up falling asleep past the stop for my mom's house and I ended up all the way over at the Ingram Park and Ride. I looked at the Transit Master, the GPS computer that all the buses run on and it said she was running early by six minutes. I jumped off the bus and bummed and smoked a cigarette. After smoking my cigarette I just got back on the bus and sat down. Ingram was the end of the line and she was now heading back towards my mother's. I sit down and she tells me, "Let me see your bus pass." I replied with, "I already showed it to you at the hospital. Don't you remember me and my walking stick?" She insisted I show her my pass again and I finally did. She was already running late because she was asking me to show her my pass. Then, since she had this big attitude with me I tell her, "I would appreciate it if you did your job and drove the bus. My taxes pay your salary. You work for me." She got all mad and told me she wasn't going anywhere and commanded me to get off the bus. I reminded her I had a bus pass which said, "Unlimited Rides All Month." That my fare had been paid. Still with her attitude she said she wasn't going anywhere. I reminded her that she was on the clock and had a schedule to keep and so did the other passengers on her bus. She still refused to drive and told me she was going to call the police. I told her to go right ahead, that I had done nothing wrong.
     While we were waiting another 610 eventually came and I considered getting on it. I changed my mind. I thought, "I still haven't done anything wrong. Let's see what the transit cop tells me. I feel like testing my freedoms this morning." I thought either that cop would agree with me and tell her to drive the bus, or I just might end up in jail and have an adventure. Either way, it would be an excellent chapter in my story.
     The transit cop eventually showed up and boarded the bus. He got all mad and commanded I get off the bus again. I told him, "No, I have a bus pass and I want to go home." Then he said, "Get off or I'll arrest you for criminal trespassing." I immediately said, "I'm going to call the real police." Just to piss him off. He got furious and told me I was under arrest. I got off the bus and he slapped some cuffs on me. He searched my bags and confiscated my walking stick. Then he said he was going to take me to jail. The whole time I was adamant I had done nothing wrong. On the ride to jail I unloaded with my scripts and ideas, centralizing on the marijuana part. We eventually got to the magistrate downtown and I was admitted to jail. Criminal Trespassing. On a VIA bus, and I had a bus pass! What a joke.
     It was just like I remembered from last year when I had been there. At first they made me take off all my jewelry. My bracelets and necklaces. I was placed in a big cell and immediately started telling my stories. I made tons of friends and noticed that insecure jailhouse cops were still being dickheads for no reason. Using their cheap little scare-tactics to get their way. They didn't scare me one bit.
     They told me there was the possibility of getting a PR bond to get out of jail. I just needed a number they could call to verify my address. I gave them my home phone number and they spoke to my little brother who confirmed everything. I was hopeful I would be getting out soon. I waited a long ass time and when they finally called me my bond had been denied and they shipped me to county jail in the paddy-wagon. Oh yeah, before that I was able to carve, "Victor the Liberator," real big into the cell with my thumbnail. It's going to be there for a long time and will be seen by everyone in that cell. I also started scratching it in a couple more cells I was put in.  I didn't finish, though.
     County jail was a joke again. I know I am leaving out all the details, but I waited a long ass time. One time I had to get in line and this black officer asked me for my name. I replied with, "Victor." In a very defensive tone she said, "What?!" I told her, "If you would have asked me for my last name I would have told you. Just then, S.E.R.T. Officer Morales lunges at me and pushes me into a wall. Then he drops me to the floor and punches me repeatedly in the jaw and back of the head. My glasses were knocked off and lost. I was quite startled and shocked. He then grabs one of my arms and twists it behind my back and drags me over to where this nurse was. She asked me if I was hurt and I told her, "I'll live, I am just a bit shaken." This other cop said, "You're scared." I told him, "No, just shaken. No one is above the law. Justice will be done in the end." I am dragged off to solitary cell 12 where I sit and realize my glasses were missing. I was freaked. I needed my glasses. When other cops would pass by my door I would try to get their attention but they ignored me. I yelled, "I need my glasses!" I finally got one's attention and he told me he had seen my glasses with my shoes. Whew, I thought they were lost or stepped on, or something. I eventually got them back, but they were all crooked. I miraculously was able to bend them back in shape without breaking them.
     I eventually went and stood in line waiting to get my scrubs. I loaded up all my clothes and they did a strip search of me. They even made me spread my cheeks. Eventually, I was sent up to the sixth floor. Section CK for orientation. I was in the same cellblock I was put in last year on the sixth floor. They put me in this cell with another guy. He was an eighteen year old named Alex. He actually remembered seeing me before in Travis Park. He was in there on false assault charges against his ex girlfriend. She was framing him and he was almost in tears. I introduced myself and told him my story. He was relieved and said, "You were put in here for a reason." I consoled him and put him in a better mood. He had even been contemplating suicide. I made good friends with Alex and he let me tell him most every one of my stories. He even asked me for more when I stopped. He agreed with everything I said and seemed very impressed with me.
     To kill time, like I did last time, I started pacing around the pod I was in. When I neared the door I would yell at the top of my lungs the number I was on. On the second day I started pacing again and then I got a great idea around pace five hundred. After that I started saying, "501 FUCK THE POLICE! 502 FUCK THE POLICE! 503 FUCK THE POLICE! and so on." Other inmates heard me and echoed said, "Yeah, fuck the police!" after I would say it. I swear, that first day I started yelling that I got all the way past a thousand paces saying that every time. Hehe, fuck the police.
     Other inmates even recognized me. There was this dude named Grim who knew all the Travis Park kids. When I was yelling Fuck the Police he came up to my door and said, "Stop saying that or we'll all get in trouble." I told him, "They'll only do shit to me." He was all scared of the cops. Not I.
     One time when Alex had called his girlfriend collect, I told him to tell her to call my mom. My mom didn't know I was in jail yet. She did and he told me that his girlfriend said my mom had said she was going to go to the bail bond place tomorrow. Cool.
     Oh yeah, I forgot to tell you that there was this guy, Antonio, who had been present to see me get beat up by Officer Morales. He told me I should really fill out a grievance form on Officer Morales. Antonio even told me that it was him who found my glasses and told them, "These belong to the inmate you guys just attacked." He had told me that he heard them considering throwing my glasses away. Notice how his name was Antonio. Antonio also had a pen he let me use to fill out the form. He even helped me fill it out. Here, I'll type up what I wrote:

     "During the first step for processing(booking) a black female officer asked me for my name. I responded with, "Victor." In a very defensive tone she said, "What?!" I told her, "If you would have asked me for my last name I would have told you." Just then, for no apparent reason, S.E.R.T. Officer Morales lunged at me and I was thrown against a wall. He then grabbed me and threw me to the floor where I was punched repeatedly to the jaw and back of head. My "lights" went out momentarily. A Hispanic male officer approximately 5' tall then began kicking me in the back. My eyeglasses were knocked off and lost. My jaw and back are still sore from this incident.

Proposed Solution to Problem: This was blatant police brutality. I would like to file assault charges. No one is above the law. Witnessed by Antonio Hernandez(SID 600150).

P.S. I would like a copy of this form sent to all superiors in charge and Internal Affairs."

     Anyway, around five I was told to pack up my stuff and sent downstairs to be discharged. Apparently my mom had bailed me out. My bond had been set at a thousand dollars. You only have to pay ten percent of that to get out. So my mom gave a bail bond place a hundred dollars. She left a note telling me to call her and she would pick me up.

     When I got my clothes back I didn't have my belt. The transit cop had removed it along with my Triforce of Wealth(my walking stick, water bottle and Adidas bag). I had already made it a point to walk to Travis Park and get smoked out and tell people my story. Since I didn't have a belt I walked over to the Goodwill Thrift store and they hooked me up with a cheap belt. I walked over to Travis Park and sure enough, got smoked out. Calling the shots. Anyway, the transit cop had kept my wallet so I didn't have a bus pass, so when the #5 pulled up I got on and told the driver, "I just got out of county jail for criminal trespassing on a VIA bus. They still have my wallet with my bus pass. I don't suppose you could hook me up with a transfer so I could get home?" He smiled and tore one off for me. When the 92 came I got on and told the driver about my adventure this weekend. I even told him about last year. He was really interested and gladly gave me another transfer when I asked him for one.
     I got off the 92 right where it turns onto Louis Pasteur from Fredericksburg. I wanted to walk over to Blanco's Mexican Restaurant and see if they would hook me up with some tacos. I was extremely hungry. They ended up being closed so I walked over to Thundercloud Subs. They were closed to. I didn't feel like waiting for a bus, so I walked all the way over to University Hospital. As I was walking to the transfer center I went in the main entrance of the hospital where I used their courtesy phone to call my mom. She agreed to come get me. I walked through the hospital over to the buses. Guess who I see at the transfer center. The same cop who had taken me to jail on Thursday! He saw me and said, "Hey Victor." I didn't recognize him at first and said, "Hey, I just got out of county jail for criminal trespassing on a bus." He goes, "I know, I took you there." I laughed out loud! Haha, what a coincidence! I asked him, "Where is my stuff at?" He told me it was at the VIA office. I was glad I found out. I thought it was at the magistrate's downtown. Cool. My mom came shortly after and I went home.

     Oh yeah, I didn't tell you, but Alex from jail ended up knowing my mother. He was a student at Southwest High School, where she is a special ed teacher. What a small world, no? Well, I'll be sure to elaborate on this story tomorrow. I just wrote up the foundation. It's 11:50pm and I am going to bed.

"You're not to be so blind with patriotism that you can't face reality. Wrong is wrong, no matter who does it or says it."
- Malcolm X