Hell no!Hell no!
By Brandon Astor Jones
"The most potent weapon in the hands of the oppressor is the mind of the oppressed." — Steve Biko (1946-1977).
BAJ: What is your name?
BLD: Bobby Lee Daniels.
BAJ: Can you tell me how you feel about the oppression of this prison?
BLD: Reidsville prison [in Georgia] is simply a place to house the rebellious black male population who are discontented with the injustice that black people, as a whole, suffer in this country.
BAJ: When Nelson Mandela got control of South Africa, it is worthy of note that he did not construct a government built upon the oppression of whites, as the white government had done to blacks. You know that many racist white administrators run this prison and that white prisoners are not oppressed in the same way that black prisoners are. Why do you think the oppression is different?
BLD: White prisoners are regarded as merely a nuisance by white prison officials, whereas black prisoners are viewed as grave threats to the supremcy of white male rule.
BAJ: Can you give an account of a personal experience that would give clarity to your belief?
BLD: In August 1996, I was severely beaten by prison guards and charged with the obstruction of an officer in the line of duty, when all I had done was not allow the officer to handcuff me after being charged with attempted escape.
BAJ: Do you think the oppression we endure here has a correslation with the crime rate — I mean after release — when coupled with the inability to find jobs?
BLD: Yes. We are not trained here to be productive. Prisons are big business in this country, and without good job skills one's chances of becoming productive in society are slim — as such prison is a revolving door, and is meant to be.
BAJ: Do you think if they spent more time trying to educate and train us for jobs than they do trying to brutalise us, that there would be a huge reduction in crime?
BLD: Yes, because people who are able to earn a respectable living are less likely to continue on the path of crime. They have hope for the future; and, through education, one can learn that there is a better life ahead.
BAJ: When you get out, what do you plan to do for a living?
BLD: I plan to work as a welder — a trade I was lucky enough to obtain by working at a prison maintenance shop. Blacks very seldom get that chance [such jobs are usually given to white prisoners in Georgia].
BAJ: That is interesting. I know that they have fired all of the teachers at this prison. Did you learn your skills here?
BLD: Hell no!
[The writer is a prisoner in the United States. He welcomes letters commenting on his columns. He can be written to at: Brandon Astor Jones, Georgia State Prison, HCO1, Reidsville, GA 30453, USA. For the first time in 17 years, Brandon has the real hope of his sentence of death being mitigated. If you can help by contributing to his defence fund or in other ways, please contact Australians Against Executions, PO Box 640, Milson's Point NSW 2061. Phone (02) 9955 1731, fax 9427 9489. Cheques can be made payable to "Brandon Astor Jones Defence Fund".]