“In this episode, we speak with the Spouses of incarcerated organizers who exposed SCI Rockview’s attempts to cover up anti-Black racism in their prison. In November 2023, guards hung two nooses in the bubble in view of incarcerated people. Listen to how incarcerated people and their accomplices have been demanding accountability from the prison.”
Update 4/7:
Another new podcast episode up, which gives a shout out to us, In the Belly, and In The Mix, DC-IWOC, and local abolitionists in the State College and broader Pennsylvania area. This is audio testimony from an outside supporter and participant in the struggle against SCI-Rockview:
Bulldoze SCI Rockview: Abolition, Prisoner Support, and Genocide in PA-DOC
For the past two weeks we have been conducting a participatory phone zap that has brought pressure upon SCI Rockview to reprimand three guards who hung nooses in the facility last November. This is a protracted struggle that has resulted in backlash from the facility staff and revealed numerous chains of complicity, manipulation, and deception that run from the top-down within the DOC. As of now we know two prisoners have been targeted in retaliation for speaking up and demanding their grievances be taken seriously. Prisoners in the facility are being punished for using sanctioned methods of grievance. We have now shifted into a two-fold approach to the phone zap, where on the one hand we plan to make it known that eyes are on what PA-DOC is doing to the comrades, as a layer of defense and anti-repression support. On the other hand we also plan to continue amplifying the demands of prisoners in the facility. There have been several public calls and positions papers that are in circulation, generated from inside-outside discussion from various groups. You can read one of these statements that we have made available here, as well as practical displays of solidarity and mutual support.
We have an update on Charles Gilyard (AY3679), who was targeted and put in the hole at SCI Rockview for filing grievances and for continuing to speak up after the grievances were denied and internal investigation dropped.
Charles (AY3679) was moved to SCI Houtzdale, on Thursday 3/28, located an hour west of SCI Rockview. He has been there since approx. 3:30pm. We received word that Rockview did not ship any of Charles’ belongings and he is to start from scratch with no property. Charles is in his 60s. His experience in the hole (isolation) without any calls permitted and hyper-immobilized for over a week has taken a toll.
On 3/29 we will be calling SCI Houtzdale and PA-DOC East Office to demand that his property be salvaged and shipped. We are also asking any letter writing collectives and books thru bars groups to send Charles (AY3679) some love and light.
Please call SCI Rockview and demand that the property of Charles Gilyard (AY3679) are shipped to him where he is now held, at SCI Houtzdale.
We also need help calling in to check on Charles Carrington (#HS1233) who remains in the hole at SCI Rockview pending a retaliatory transfer. After filing his grievances about the noose incident, he expressed concern for his life & was communicated that he felt staff were trying to kill him. We need to make sure that the prison knows we have eyes on what is happening. There is an absolute difference in the way the guards and staff move when we are constantly checking versus when we are not. And we need to stick with Charles through this, and urge people to not devolve into spectating but actively participate in the defense of people who are retaliated against for defying silence and speaking up in the jaws of unmediated statepower.
Please call in to demand Charles Carrington (#HS1233) be removed from the hole at SCI Rockview. If he isn’t transfered we need to let it known that we are watching. And if they say he has been transferred then we need to demand his property be salvaged and shipped.
Contacts:
SCI Houtzdale Phone Line | 814.378.1000
SCI Rockview Phone Line | 814.355.4874
When calling the SCI Rockview facility itself, you can request to speak with the admin or security. If you choose to speak with admin, here are their specs: Superintendent is Bobbi Jo Salamon; Deputy Superintendent of Central Services is Mike Rowe; Deputy Superintendent of Facilities is Scott Woodring; Business Manager is Adam Beck; Superintendent’s Assistant is Nicki Paul (Nicki is also the grievance coordinator – and a big liar!). When you call the prison directly, ask to speak with any of these admin.
PA-DOC East Office
Morris Houser, Acting Deputy Secretary Eastern Region 717.728.4122 | 4123 Marilyn Richards, Staff Assistant 717.728.4114 Samuel (Clueless) Condo, Staff Assistant 717.728.4747 Capt. Bly, Inspection Captain 717.728.4126
Scripts:
SCI Rockview is attempting to disrupt the cohesion of inside resistance to these racist guards by targeting and removing people who they think are its catalyst. The regime is simultaneously attempting to thwart the energy of outside support into individually supporting comrades, while comrades inside are isolated and targeted for reprisal. Therefore on the one hand, we have defensive work: making sure the comrades who are singled out and face accelerated retaliation are materially supported and the prison knows we have all eyes on the unfolding situation. And on the other hand we continue our offensive work: adjusting strategy to force PADOC to not only recognize the prisoner demands but to fulfill the requested terms of relief from which such demands emerge.
Morris Houser, Deputy Secretary East 717.728.4122 | 4123
Samuel (Clueless) Condo, Staff Assistant 717.728.4747
Governor Shapiro’s office: 717.787.2500
Michelle A Henry, PA Attorney General: 717.787.3391
PA Office of Inspector General – 717.772.4935
Script
I am calling on behalf of a community of people who are distressed by a recent incident of antiBlack harassment by a group of CO’s at SCI Rockview, who have faced no consequences for their racist actions. On 11/24/23, prisoners at SCI Rockview found two nooses made from extension cords hung by guards in the office (bubble). Two internal grievances have been submitted by prisoners who witnessed the incident, and prison officials have rejected both. The internal investigation on the matter has also been closed, leading us to resort to contacting anyone external that we can. We would like to make you aware that the facility admin has rejected both internal grievances, submitted by prisoners through the proper channels. And while the guards have faced no consequences for their hateful act, prisoners who have spoken out and lodged legitimate grievances have faced severe consequences that have placed them in the hole, led to transfers, and can compromise their records. We have little reason to believe any further internal investigation will achieve what the prisoners have been demanding, which includes the following:
Investigate the hanging of nooses as a “hate crime” and take its impact seriously
Terminate Sgt. Mosser and c/o Richards
Mandatory therapy for c/o Kirchner
The hanging of two nooses is understood by many people imprisoned at SCI Rockview to be a hostile act and deeply offensive. Some are disclosing how these acts are part of a larger pattern of discriminatory practices used by correctional officers at this specific facility. If this was any other workplace, the act of hanging nooses would lead to severe consequences. The admin at SCI Rockview have not only displayed indifference to the racist act, but some even have made efforts to silence prisoners in distress by the incident. We urge PA-DOC officials to recognize the significance of the prisoner demands, which are derived from the exhausted grievances.
The administration at SCI Rockview is deeply paranoid, fearful, and engaged in explicit damage control right now. SCI Rockview was a site of double digit fatalities and constant gratuitous violence in 2023. The noose situation is tip of the iceburg shit. We are curious to know the extent to which the Correctional Officers union is having a play in this cover up. We are starting to connect the dots a bit more.
The reason for the unprecedented quickness of these transfers following exposure in the Daily Centre and leaking of denied grievances, also may be likely due to pressure for cover up from a high level of PA-DOC. Like we been saying, the noose incident is just the tip of the iceburg at Rockview – a site of persistent, gratuitous violence that is symptomatic of a normalized condition of antiBlack genocide that coheres in PA-DOC. The DOC knows this. This is why they have been so opaque and deflective with the public questioning and independent external investigators. And this is why they have came down so hard on prisoners who will not let this incident go without consequences.
If guards face consequences for something as allegedly “minor” as hanging nooses in the facility, what will PA-DOC be forced to do when the stories of beatings and premature death are dug into further? And to be clear, hanging nooses is NOT a minor act. It is a serious fucking deal. If anyone hung nooses in their “non-law enforcement” site of employment they would be reprimanded and fired with a quickness. This says everything about the institutional culture of PA-DOC. This says everything about the normalized condition of antiBlack genocide that PA-DOC preserves and enforces .
As an recent call to action earlier this week reads:
What is happening right now at SCI Rockview is an autonomous campaign to get two guards fired and for one to received mandated therapy as an act of “mercy.” An autonomous campaign means that it is open to all for participation, using tactics according to their own abilities and needs. It means it is decentralized and not led by a single party, non-profit, or institutionalized entity. It is a type of campaign that anyone who is impacted by the violence of PA-DOC can join in, anonymously or as their full legal selves. It means a diversity of tactics and direct action are on the table always. It is a type of campaign that has no registration form or membership fees. It simply means that if you are moved by or can relate to the unfolding struggle of prisoners at Rockview, then you are qualified to participate. The situation is becoming more dire by the day in this facility, with the staff initiating a backlash that has put multiple people in the hole (solitary) and even transferred one prisoner out of state.
One specific need that potentially can be fulfilled is further research into specific highly responsible prison officials, which is information available in the phone zap scripts and press releases. This information can be circulated somewhere where people familiar with this kind of research can encounter it, like Scenes from the Atlanta Forest or Philly Anti-Capitalist.
There is an ongoing campaign to expose three officers at SCI Rockview for hanging nooses in the prison facility for many prisoners to see. This saga begins in November of last year, and since January we have been engaged in a protracted struggle to get officials to recognize the legitimate grievances of the prisoners at SCI Rockview. Since January, some prisoners who have spoken out have been identified and targeted for retaliation. Last Tuesday, Charles Gilyard (# AY3679) and Charles Carrington (#HS1233) were placed in Administrative custody (aka the RHU, aka solitary, aka “the hole”). Charles C. is likely being transferred today, whereabouts unknown. Charles G. is likely to be transfered on Monday.
For a primer on what is going down at SCI Rockview, please check out our recent call for a phone zap, which is ongoing until the end of this week:
In any other workplace, hanging a noose would be grounds for immediate termination. However, Nicki Paul, the superintendent’s assistant and “grievance coordinator” informed the public that they self-investigated their staff and found they did nothing wrong. When family and friends of prisoners in the facility called en mass between March 18th and 25th to voice their concern, Paul was flippant, dishonest, and dismissive to nearly every caller. Several family members of prisoners felt incredibly disrespected by the behavior of Paul and other staff who answered their calls. In the process of calling in, it also became known that Paul holds several other titles within the prison, including “staff officer,” “lieutenant’s assistant,” and “community liaison.” Samuel Condo, a PA-DOC official responsible for overseeing SCI Rockview, was called over a dozen of times to no avail. When contact was finally made with Condo, he simply would redirect calls back to Nicki Paul whose multiple roles on the prison staff create severe conflicts of interest.
Paul admits that SCI Rockview does indeed have video footage, yet the reasons why they refuse to make this footage public has not been given any reasonable justification. As of the week of March 18th, SCI Rockview has closed the internal investigation, choosing to protect the guards who did this hateful and racist act over the safety and well-being of the prisoners. In the meantime, the administration removed three prisoners (that we know of) from general population who brought the situation to public light. One was transferred out of the prison, and the other two are still in administrative custody, aka “the hole” under accusations of “encouraging group activity.” We still have no clue what the actual 802 misconduct write-ups say.
3/20 phone call – “We investigated ourselves and found no wrongdoing”
3/25 phone call – “I cannot change your opinion, or how you perceive it”
Notable lie in 3/25 convo: Charles had no access to phone calls in Administrative custody (the “hole”) – Charles’s wife did not receive a single call from him since last Tuesday. She now (as of yesterday) finally is scheduled to have a video visit with him soon. But it was over a week with no contact. So this one of several instances in the conversation that Paul completely lies about: what he has access to in the “not-hole” hole. More will be coming out in the next few days corroborating our claims.
This noose incident came at the tail end of a year that saw 11 prisoners die in custody. Seven people died amidst an outbreak of legionnaires disease, and four people died while in administrative custody (punitive solitary units with very little public oversight and severely limited communication access). Unfortunately, there is a well-known pattern of premature death and racist discriminatory practices (including beatings and verbal harassment) at SCI Rockview.
Please let Chief Grievance Officer Dorina Varner (717-728-0350) know that superintendent assistant Nicki Paul at SCI Rockview (who also doubles as community liason and grievance coordinator) needs to be investigated for retaliation and staff misconduct .
We now have two recordings of Nicki Paul outright lying in one & using rhetorical tactics to talk around the fact that Charles was indeed thrown in “the hole” with no demonstrable misconduct on his write up, which in fact is against PADOC policy # DC-ADM 802. Furthermore, it is against policy to retaliate against someone for filing grievances. (See the grievances section in DOC handbook). With no demonstrable misconduct on his 802 petition, Charles is being held in administrative custody (“the hole”/solitary) for what?
Nicki’s boss is Chief Grievance Officer Dorina Varner (717-728-0350) who works below the cheif council Timothy Holmes (717-728-7763)
Office of Chief Counsel’s location is: Pennsylvania Department of Corrections 1920 Technology Parkway Mechanicsburg, PA 17050
Benner Township, PA.- On November 24th, 2023, imprisoned people at SCI Rockview found two nooses hanging in the CO’s office, displayed visibly for many prisoners to see. When the prisoners asked the staff why the nooses were hung, they were told it was a joke. By December 4th, prisoners filed a grievance to document what they saw, noting that the hanging of the nooses was “unethical, racially motivated, hateful, [a] deliberate debasement of black inmates” and “unsafe for inmates, staff, [and] the whole prison in general.” In the grievance, they demanded that Sgt. Mosser and CO Richard be fired and investigated for a hate crime, and for CO Kirchner to get therapy. Captain Andrews, the head of security, denied the grievance over two months later by February 5, 2024 under the guise that it was “being investigated.” However, the sergeant and COs are still working in the prison to this day, with no repercussions for this racist act.
As of March 10th, prisoners have reached out to Pennsylvania officials at the Dept. of Corrections in a letter campaign, sending 100 copies of the grievance. Copies of the letter also were mailed to Governor Shapiro, Senator Fetterman, Senator Street, and various advocacy groups. The demands for relief in the original grievance have now become the platform of demands for this campaign. About 20 of the 100 letters were withheld by the prison. Activists on the outside are joining forces with prisoners to elevate their demands, flooding the phone lines of DOC offices, assisting with outreach to media, and circulating the stories of prisoners who have found unity in opposition to the facility’s virulent institutional racism.
In any other workplace, hanging a noose would be grounds for immediate termination. However, Nicki Paul, the superintendent’s assistant and “grievance coordinator” informed the public that they self-investigated their staff and found they did nothing wrong. When family and friends of prisoners in the facility called en mass between March 18th and 25th to voice their concern, Paul was flippant, dishonest, and dismissive to nearly every caller. Several family members of prisoners felt incredibly disrespected by the behavior of Paul and other staff who answered their calls. In the process of calling in, it also became known that Paul holds several other titles within the prison, including “staff officer,” “lieutenant’s assistant,” and “community liaison.” Samuel Condo, a PA-DOC official responsible for overseeing SCI Rockview, was called over a dozen of times to no avail. When contact was finally made with Condo, he simply would redirect calls back to Nicki Paul whose multiple roles on the prison staff create severe conflicts of interest.
Paul admits that SCI Rockview does indeed have video footage, yet the reasons why they refuse to make this footage public has not been given any reasonable justification. As of the week of March 18th, SCI Rockview has closed the internal investigation, choosing to protect the guards who did this hateful and racist act over the safety and well-being of the prisoners. In the meantime, the administration removed two prisoners from general population who brought the situation to public light. One was transferred out of the prison, and the other one is still in administrative custody, aka “the hole” under accusations of “encouraging group activity.”
This incident is coming after a year that saw 11 prisoners die in custody. Seven people died amidst an outbreak of legionnaires disease, and four people died while in administrative custody (punitive solitary units with very little public oversight and severely limited communication access). Unfortunately, there is a well-known pattern of premature death and racist discriminatory practices (including beatings and verbal harassment) at SCI Rockview.
There is a resistance campaign that has emerged from the persistent actions of prisoners and outside supporters, who together are demanding an external investigation of the facility & its staff for the cover-up of hanging the nooses. The severity of retaliation for speaking out must also be considered a central object of investigation. We believe the inaction of officials at this facility is symptomatic of a deeper condition of antiBlackness, white supremacy, and class warfare that PA-DOC legally sanctions and politically condones. On both sides of the wall, people most impacted by the racism of SCI Rockview continue to uplift the demands of prisoners to investigate the noose incident as a hate crime, to terminate Sgt. Mosser and CO Richard, and to require mandatory therapy for CO Kirchner. While a grassroots campaign is indeed growing, and as PA-DOC slides further into dissonant inaction, the call for popular resistance to SCI Rockview’s lethal conditions rings louder by the day.
Trigger warning: Mentions racist violence by guards at SCI Rockview
About
This is the second week of a phone zap that has not yet resulted in any further action taken by PA-DOC to reprimand three guards who hung nooses in the office (bubble) at SCI Rockview. We believe the facility’s inaction is symptomatic of the deeper condition of normalized antiBlack genocide and white supremacist class warfare in this facility (and across PA-DOC facilities). At SCI Rockview alone there was eleven preventable deaths in 2023, as well as several instances of beatings of prisoners by guards.
Following a letter campaign from the inside and a multi-day phone zap by outside supporters last week, our imprisoned comrade who filed the initial grievance about this issue was thrown in the hole (solitary) and may potentially be transferred as retaliation for speaking out. Since then we have also learned that there were other grievances submitted since the noose incident first happened, to no filing by SCI Rockview staff.
Update: as of 3/26 we have learned that a second prisoner was placed in the hole.
So, now the goals of our ongoing phone zap this week will be to demand the release of comrades from the hole, as well as continuing to pressure the DOC and other officials to take action against the guards. As of now: the officers have faced no consequences; the grievances were denied by the superintendent’s assistant (who doubles as the grievance coordinator); and the internal investigation into the “noose incident” has been closed. This is unacceptable, and prisoners in the facility have not relented in their work to expose this situation for the world to see. We owe it to the comrades in the belly of SCI Rockview, and especially to our comrade who was put in the hole for speaking up and letting the world know about this situation. This is the second time prisoners at SCI Rockview have faced severe consequences for speaking out, all the while the guards have enjoyed incredible degrees of insulation and impunity. The first phone zap we conducted resulted in an imprisoned comrade being thrown in the hole and eventually transferred to an entirely different state.
Some further Background:
In November 2023, a group of guards hung two nooses at SCI Rockview – in a location visible to roughly a hundred prisoners. Prisoners who witnessed the nooses have been outraged by this disturbing racist act, and have since demanded that these guards face consequences. In January we launched a two week phone zap campaign that forced PA-DOC main offices to contact the warden. While many Black prisoners remain tormented by this racist act, the guards responsible have enjoyed impunity, with officials in the facility even making attempts to silence anyone on the inside who speaks out. Last week we launched a second phone zap campaign, because there has been absolutely no initiative on the part of PA-DOC to reprimand the guards or acknowledge the legitimacy of prisoner concerns.
We have little reason to believe an internal investigation will achieve what the prisoners have been demanding, which includes the following:
Release Charles Gilyard (# AY3679) and Charles Carrington (#HS1233) from the hole and do not transfer them to a different facility.
Investigate superintendent’ secretary Nicki Paul – who is also the grievance coordinator enabling much of this nonsense.
Investigate the hanging of nooses as a “hate crime” and take their impact seriously
Terminate Sgt. Mosser and c/o Richards
Mandatory therapy for c/o Kirchner
We need an external investigation of SCI Rockview & its staff. This facility has seen 11 deaths (that we know of) in 2023 and a severe pattern of racist discriminatory practices. Please join us in calling PA-DOC offices and officials, to further expose this incident and amplify the demands of our captive comrades.
Further updates on the situation (as of 2/27):
Further updates as of 3/28:
We have an update on Charles Gilyard (AY3679), who was targeted and put in the hole at SCI Rockview for filing grievances and for continuing to *speak* up after the grievances were denied and internal investigation dropped. Charles (AY3679) was moved today to SCI Houtzdale, located an hour west of SCI Rockview. He has been there since approx. 3:30pm.
We received word that Rockview did not ship any of Charles’ belongings and he is to start from scratch with no property. Charles is in his 60s. His experience in the hole (isolation) without any calls permitted and hyper-immobilized for over a week has taken a toll.
3/29 we will be calling SCI Houtzdale and PA-DOC Central Office to demand that his property be salvaged and shipped. We are also asking any letter writing collectives and books thru bars groups to send Charles (AY3679) some love and light.
The administration at SCI Rockview is deeply paranoid, fearful, and engaged in explicit damage control right now. SCI Rockview was a site of double digit fatalities and constant gratuitous violence in 2023. The noose situation is tip of the iceburg shit. We are curious to know the extent to which the Correctional Officers union is having a play in this cover up. We are starting to connect the dots a bit more. The reasons for the unprecedented quickness of these transfers is because this cover up is at a high level. Like we been saying but many keep ignoring, the “noose incident” is just the tip of the ice-burg in SCI Rockview – a site of ritualized gratuitous violence that is symptomatic of a more general condition of genocide that constitutes PA-DOC. PA-DOC knows this. This is why they have been so opaque and deflective with the public questioning and independent external investigators. And this is why they have came down so hard on prisoners who will not let this incident go without consequences. If guards face consequences for something as allegedly “minor” as hanging nooses in the facility, what will PA-DOC be forced to do when the stories of beatings and premature death are dug into further?
If we don’t hear from Charles Carrington (#HS1233) by tomorrow morning we need to call and do a wellness check. After filing his grievances about the noose incident, he expressed concern for his life and was communicating that he felt SCI Rockview staff were trying to kill him. He was allegedly transferred today. Charles G. was transferred today also. But his wife had heard from him. Charles C. has not been heard from yet.
Script for Calling(info is outdated but will be changed 3/29 in the morning)
I am calling on behalf of a community of people who are distressed by a recent incident of antiBlack harassment by a group of CO’s at SCI Rockview, who have faced no consequences for their racist actions. On 11/24/23, prisoners at SCI Rockview found two nooses made from extension cords hung by guards in the office (bubble). Two internal grievances have been submitted by prisoners who witnessed the incident, and prison officials have rejected both. The internal investigation on the matter has also been closed, leading us to resort to contacting anyone external that we can. We would like to make you aware that the facility admin has rejected both internal grievances, submitted by prisoners through the proper channels. And while the guards have faced no consequences for their hateful act, prisoners who have spoken out and lodged legitimate grievances have faced severe consequences that have placed them in the hole, led to transfers, and can compromise their records. We have little reason to believe any further internal investigation will achieve what the prisoners have been demanding, which includes the following:
Investigate the hanging of nooses as a “hate crime” and take its impact seriously
Terminate Sgt. Mosser and c/o Richards
Mandatory therapy for c/o Kirchner
We on the outside would also like to add the following demands:
Release Charles Gilyard (# AY3679) and Charles Carrington (#HS1233) from the hole and do not transfer them to a different facilities. Both Charles G. and Charles C. have been thrown in the hole as retaliation after an article was published in the Centre Daily Times detailing the “noose incident” and for demanding this group of guards who hung nooses be made to face consequences for their actions. They are being retaliated against for filing grievances, which is in fact against PA-DOC handbook policy.
Investigate superintendent’ secretary Nicki Paul – who is also the grievance coordinator, and has been flippant and dismissive to everyone’s concerns about the nooses.
The hanging of two nooses is understood by many people imprisoned at SCI Rockview to be a hostile act and deeply offensive. Some are disclosing how these acts are part of a larger pattern of discriminatory practices used by correctional officers at this specific facility. If this was any other workplace, the act of hanging nooses would lead to severe consequences. The admin at SCI Rockview have not only displayed indifference to the racist act, but some even have made efforts to silence prisoners in distress by the incident. We urge PA-DOC officials to recognize the significance of the prisoner demands, which are derived from the exhausted grievances.
Phone Contacts
[use a *67 pre-fix to block your caller ID]
Chief Council (to demand the grievances be taken seriously)
Timothy Holmes, Chief Counsel | 717.728.7763 | tholmes@pa.gov *also ask for Darina Varner (we are unsure how to contact her, but she oversees the grievance coordinators)
Office of Chief Counsel Pennsylvania Department of Corrections 1920 Technology Parkway Mechanicsburg, PA 17050
Office of Population Management (to demand Charles’ not be transferred)
Michael Wenerowicz, Executive Deputy Secretary for Institutional Operations 717.728.4122 | 4123 Heather Fotiou, Assistant 717.728.4025
SCI Rockview
Main Phone Line | 814.355.4874
When calling the SCI Rockview facility itself, you can request to speak with the admin or security. If you choose to speak with admin, here are their specs: Superintendent is Bobbi Jo Salamon; Deputy Superintendent of Central Services is Mike Rowe; Deputy Superintendent of Facilities is Scott Woodring; Business Manager is Adam Beck; Superintendent’s Assistant is Nicki Paul (Nicki is also the grievance coordinator – and a big liar!). When you call the prison directly, ask to speak with any of these admin.
When calling the staff at Rockview, they will likely lie to you and say Charles is not in the hole, and they will deny the threat of transfer. Please ask what his official 802 grievance write up was… and report back to us if you find this information out. When calling other PADOC offices tell them that Rockview staff have been lying to us on a number of accounts.
PA-DOC Central:
Laurel Harry, Secretary of Corrections 717.728.4109 Randee Brant, Chief of Staff 717.728.4107 David Radziewicz, Special Assistant 717.728.4117 Deanna Washington, Executive Secretary, Deputy Secretary’s Office 717.728.4122
Morris Houser, Acting Deputy Secretary Eastern Region 717.728.4122 | 4123 Marilyn Richards, Staff Assistant 717.728.4114 Samuel Condo, Staff Assistant 717.728.4747 Capt. Bly, Inspection Captain 717.728.4126
An important thing to also note is that we have called the overseer of SCI Rockview’s region, Samuel Condo, over a dozen time – with none of our voicemails replied to. It appears he is dodging the issue by simply not picking up the phone for anything related to the “noose incident.”
SCI Rockview is attempting to disrupt the cohesion of inside resistance to these racist guards by targeting and removing people who they think are its catalyst. While resistance inside remains steadfast, the regime is simultaneously attempting to thwart the energy of outside support into individually supporting comrades, while comrades inside are isolated and targeted for reprisal. The struggle from here therefore takes two lines: On the one hand we have defensive work: making sure the comrades who are singled out and face accelerated repression are materially supported and the prison knows we have all eyes on the unfolding situation. And on the other hand we continue our offensive work: adjusting strategy to force PADOC to not only recognize the prisoner demands but to fulfill the requested terms of relief from which such demands emerge.
Around 3/13/24, a letter writing campaign was initiated by captive comrades in SCI-Rockview, mailing 100 letters to PA officials and advocacy groups disclosing the noose incident & level of racist abuse in this facility. Below are copies of one of the grievance letters that was mailed out (on 3/13) during this campaign, where we estimate about 80 out of 100 attempted letters made it out of the facility before the mailroom caught it. The officials listed below should have received these letters by now. We are going to email these copies to the offices mentioned, as well as others. In hopes that somebody will actually care that these guards have faced no consequences for their racist actions.
The demands from comrades inside the facility are concrete and straight forward: 1) Termination of Sgt. Mosser and c/o Richards; 2) Therapy for c/o Kirchner (this is the three staff who hung the nooses) 3) Hate crimes charged against Sgt. Mosser & c/o Richards.
Important to note is how a number of the original grievances over the last few months have gone unfiled. This might also be because, as we learned last week, the “grievance coordinator” at SCI Rockview is apparently also the superintendent’s assistant. This is a conflict of interest, and apparently this is a similar phenomenon at other facilities. What a joke.
phone numbers are located after the reportback section below
Trigger warning: Mentions racist violence by guards at SCI Rockview
About
In November 2023, a group of guards hung two nooses in the office (bubble) at SCI Rockview – a location visible to roughly a hundred prisoners. Prisoners who witnessed the nooses have been outraged by this disturbing racist act, and have since demanded that these guards face consequences. In January we launched a two week phone zap campaign that forced PA-DOC main offices to contact the warden. While many Black prisoners remain tormented by this racist act, the guards responsible have enjoyed impunity, with officials in the facility even making attempts to silence anyone on the inside who speaks out. One captive comrade was actually transferred out of state because of their agitation around this issue, while another captive comrade’s grievances have been outright rejected by the administration.
We have little reason to believe an internal investigation will achieve what the prisoners have been demanding, which includes the following:
Investigate the hanging of nooses as a “hate crime” and take their impact seriously
Terminate Sgt. Mosser and c/o Richards
Mandatory therapy for c/o Kirchner
SCI Rockview has seen 11 deaths (that we know of) in 2023 and a severe pattern of racist discriminatory practices. Please join us in calling PA-DOC offices and officials, to further expose this incident and amplify the demands of our captive comrades.
Script for Calling
I am calling on behalf of a community of people who are distressed by a recent incident of antiBlack harassment by a group of CO’s at SCI Rockview, who have faced no consequences for their racist actions. On 11/24/23, prisoners at SCI Rockview found two nooses made from extension cords hung by guards in the office (bubble). Two internal grievances have been submitted by prisoners who witnessed the incident, and prison officials have rejected both. We would like to make you aware that the facility admin has rejected both internal grievances, submitted by prisoners through the proper channels. The guards have faced no consequences. We have little reason to believe an internal investigation will achieve what the prisoners have been demanding, which includes the following:
Investigate the hanging of nooses as a “hate crime” and take its impact seriously
Terminate Sgt. Mosser and c/o Richards
Mandatory therapy for c/o Kirchner
The hanging of two nooses is understood by many people imprisoned at SCI Rockview to be a hostile act and deeply offensive. Some are disclosing how these acts are part of a larger pattern of discriminatory practices used by correctional officers at this specific facility. If this was any other workplace, the act of hanging nooses would lead to severe consequences. The admin at SCi Rockview have not only displayed indifference to the racist act, but some even have made efforts to silence prisoners in distress by the incident. We urge PA-DOC officials to recognize the significance of the prisoner demands, which are derived from the exhausted grievances.
Updates
Calls began Monday morning, reports include:
-“called the pa doc for laurel harry and it went to voicemail, left a message with the script”
-“called a US attorney’s office #, but they said they’re federal and to instead call State attorney general 717-787-3391 (Harrisburg)”
-“I called PA-DOC Eastern: Morris Houser, Acting Deputy Secretary Eastern Region 717.728.4122 – a secretary picked up. i left a message with her and she forwarded me to Samuel Condo, Staff Assistant 717.728.4747 of PADOC eastern? I left a message with reading the script”
-“Ppl have contacted all PA-DOC main offices this morning now. We could use a few more ppl tapping in. All of them went to voicemail or secretary seny us to Samuel Condo’s voicemail (who won’t pick up). Kept emphasizing how we have no faith in the internal investigation process.”
– From our collective: “Most calls Monday were directed at PADOC main offices. We are asking if people who are not directly connected to a person inside SCI Rockview can call the facility, ask for different extensions, & bug the shit out of the staff.”
– Tuesday 3/19: “E-mails have been sent from so-called Australia utilising the phone script as a template.”
– “After calling the Abuse Report Line for the incident at SCI rockview (717-728-2033) I got most of the way through the provided script when the person on the phone informed me that they were aware of the incident and it was being handled. I then inquired how it was being handled and she told me to call this number : 7177284025. No one answered this number and I left a voicemail instead, but I’m not exactly sure who it is going to and I didn’t see it as a number listed in the original post so just wanted to report back.”
A comrade who filed grievances was thrown in the hole Tuesday night around 11pm. We learned he may be moved soon. This is the second person to be placed in the hole (solitary) as retaliation for our phone zaps. The first time this happened a comrade was abruptly moved out of state. We received official notice that SCI Rockview has been specifically monitoring this comrade’s every call, virtual visit, and email. His charge right now is “encouraging (inciting) group activity.” They are trying to make an example of him for bringing attention to not only the “noose incident,” but also the ELEVEN PREVENTABLE DEATHS (deemed accidents) which occurred last year at SCI Rockview.
SCI Rockview is attempting to disrupt the cohesion of inside organizing by removing people who they think are its catalyst. They are simultaneously trying to force our energy as outside support into individually supporting comrades as they are isolated and targeted for reprisal.
The struggle from here now takes two lines… On the one hand we have defensive work: making sure the comrades who are singled out and face accelerated repression are materially supported and the prison knows we have all eyes on the unfolding situation. And on the other hand we also have offensive work: adjusting strategy to force PADOC to not only recognize the prisoner demands but to fulfill the requested terms of relief from which such demands emerge.
– A comrade on Wednesday 3/21 called in for the phone zap and reports that he had a 15 minute convo w/ superintendent assistant at SCI Rockview -a Lt. Paul. Here is a reportback:
We caught them lying on several accounts: including denying that they have put anyone in the hole (solitary) in retaliation for organizing to get 2 guards fired and for 1 to do mandatory therapy. We know for a fact that at 11pm last night, a second comrade was thrown in the hole. They said they did an internal investigation, and found no evidence to substantiate the claims made in the Centre Daily article. While this is also a lie, the Centre Daily also did not cite any of the official prisoner grievances but only state-filtered testimony. One telling quote from our comrade’s conversation is: “so basically y’all investigates yourselves and found you did nothing wrong,” and the Lt. Paul replied: “yes if that’s how you want to say it.” Paul also said the prison will not release any camera footage of the incident. We let them know that this is a big sign that they are trying to cover things up. We want to see the video, we want to see an outside investigation conducted. Cops investigating cops leads to outcomes favorable to cops. And in response to us calling this out, the Lt. Assistant began using doublespeak: saying correctional officers are “not technically law enforcement,” even tho they work in a prison & operate w/ same level of impunity.
– Thursday 3/21: “Called Condo. He wasn’t in so I left a message. Said I was a FI centre county resident who is concerned about the issue (racist intimidating actions by COs to incarcerated folks). I told him that if I was there, I’d be terrified of the COs as they already have so much control over Incarcerated folks lives. And that I hope he or someone at Rockview will do something about this incident because the only actions taken so far have been reprisals against the incarcerated folks who are just trying to organize around this issue for their own safety. I told him to expect more calls and emails until action is taken around this.”
We’re asking everyone to help us flood the phone lines of PA-DOC to demand that Charles Gilyard (# AY3679) be released from the hole at SCI Rockview. Charles has been thrown in the hole as retaliation for demanding a group of guards who hung nooses in the facility be made to face consequences for their actions. This is the second comrade to be thrown in the hole for speaking out about this situation, following our phone zaps. Charles is one of several prisoners who have spoken out about this issue, but his persistence has resulted in retaliation.
– When calling the staff at Rockview, they will likely lie to you and say he is not in the hole, and they will deny the threat of transfer. When calling other PADOC offices tell them that Rockview staff have been lying to us on a number of accounts.
– Apparently the person our comrade caught in lies on the phone on 3/20 was the same officer who rejected the Charles’ grievance back in February, Nicki Paul. In the call she says she is the Superintendent’s Assistant but she is also the “grievance coordinator officer”? This is a conflict of interest. How can you be the Lt.’s assistant and be the person holding guards accountable? They do this shit all the time. The grievance coordinator should be a third party with no conflict of interest.
As of 3/21 – 9pm:
We are still trying to figure out what is going on inside SCI Rockview. Because the prison cut off all our communication with everyone yesterday and we suspect they are blocking outgoing emails. We do know that Charles is in Restrictive housing ~ “G Block.” But when we call in, the officers keep denying that anyone was put in the hole as retaliation. That’s b.s. because this is the second person put in the hole as reprisal for speaking out about the noose incident.
When calling the SCI Rockview facility itself, you can request to speak with the admin or security. If you choose to speak with admin, here are their specs: Superintendent is Bobbi Jo Salamon; Deputy Superintendent of Central Services is Mike Rowe; Deputy Superintendent of Facilities is Scott Woodring; Business Manager is Adam Beck; Superintendent’s Assistant is Nicki Paul (Nicki is also the grievance coordinator – and a big liar!). When you call the prison directly, ask to speak with any of these admin.
Re: Correctional Officers Hang Nooses and SCI Rockview Does Nothing
Bellefonte, Pa. – On November 24, 2023, prisoners at SCI Rockview found two nooses hanging in the CO’s office, displayed visibly for prisoners to see. When the prisoners asked the staff why the nooses were hanging there, they were told it was a joke. By December 4, pris- oners filed a grievance to document what they saw, noting that the hanging of the nooses was “unethical, racially motivated, hateful, [a] deliberate debasement of black inmates” and “unsafe for inmates, staff, [and] the whole prison in general.” (For perspective: Rockview’s pris- oner population is 45% black.) In the grievance, they demanded that Sgt. Mosser and CO Richards be fired and investigated for a hate crime, and for CO Kirchner to get therapy. Cap- tain Andrews, the head of security, denied the grievance over two months later by February 5, 2024 under the guise that it was “being investigated”. However, the sergeant and Cos are still working in the prison to this day, with no repercussions except getting moved to another block.
As of March 10, prisoners have reached out to Pennsylvania officials at the Dept. of Corrections in a letter campaign, sending copies of the grievance. Activists on the outside are joining forces with prisoners to elevate their demands, which continue to be dismissed by the administration at Rockview.
In any other workplace, hanging a noose would be grounds for immediate termination. However, the staff and administration at SCI Rockview continue to dodge public accountability. In fact, the prison has a history of fostering systemic racism, like in 2013 when admin blocked a Muslim prisoner from wearing religious garb. Kerry X. Marshall, then incarcerated at SCI Rockview, sued and six years later the courts determined that the prison had violated his religious freedom.
This incident is coming at a time when in 2023, 11 prisoners died in custody. Seven people died amid an outbreak of legionnaires disease, and four people died while in the RHU (punitive solitary units with very little public oversight). Unfortunately, there is a well-known pattern of premature death at SCI Rockview. Most well known is an incident in 2012, when COs killed the prisoner John Carter during a “cell extraction” while he was in the RHU, in what other prisoners described as “turning his cell into a gas chamber” using ‘non-lethal’ weapon OC pepper spray. Carter’s family never received justice for what the prison did to him, and PA DOC never acknowledged or reprimanded the guards who killed him.
In short, prisoner demands to investigate the hanging of nooses as a hate crime, terminate Sgt. Mosser and CO Richards, and mandatory therapy for CO Kirchner, need be taken seriously.
Bellefonte, Pa. – On November 24, 2023, prisoners at SCI Rockview found two nooses hanging in the CO’s office, displayed visibly for prisoners to see. When the prisoners asked the staff why the nooses were hanging there, they were told it was a joke. By December 4, pris- oners filed a grievance to document what they saw, noting that the hanging of the nooses was “unethical, racially motivated, hateful, [a] deliberate debasement of black inmates” and “unsafe for inmates, staff, [and] the whole prison in general.” (For perspective: Rockview’s pris- oner population is 45% black.) In the grievance, they demanded that Sgt. Mosser and CO Richards be fired and investigated for a hate crime, and for CO Kirchner to get therapy. Cap- tain Andrews, the head of security, denied the grievance over two months later by February 5, 2024 under the guise that it was “being investigated”. However, the sergeant and Cos are still working in the prison to this day, with no repercussions except getting moved to another block.
As of March 10, prisoners have reached out to Pennsylvania officials at the Dept. of Corrections in a letter campaign, sending copies of the grievance. Activists on the outside are joining forces with prisoners to elevate their demands, which continue to be dismissed by the administration at Rockview.
In any other workplace, hanging a noose would be grounds for immediate termination. However, the staff and administration at SCI Rockview continue to dodge public accountability. In fact, the prison has a history of fostering systemic racism, like in 2013 when admin blocked a Muslim prisoner from wearing religious garb. Kerry X. Marshall, then incarcerated at SCI Rockview, sued and six years later the courts determined that the prison had violated his religious freedom.
This incident is coming at a time when in 2023, 11 prisoners died in custody. Seven people died amid an outbreak of legionnaires disease, and four people died while in the RHU (punitive solitary units with very little public oversight). Unfortunately, there is a well-known pattern of premature death at SCI Rockview. Most well known is an incident in 2012, when COs killed the prisoner John Carter during a “cell extraction” while he was in the RHU, in what other prisoners described as “turning his cell into a gas chamber” using ‘non-lethal’ weapon OC pepper spray. Carter’s family never received justice for what the prison did to him, and PA DOC never acknowledged or reprimanded the guards who killed him.
In short, prisoner demands to investigate the hanging of nooses as a hate crime, terminate Sgt. Mosser and CO Richards, and mandatory therapy for CO Kirchner, need be taken seriously.
Stevie Wilson, an incarcerated writer, organizer and educator at SCI Dallas, has been asking for weeks to be moved off his block because the first shift COs have been harassing him since he arrived at SCI Dallas recently. Stevie has made all of his outside comrades aware of this for some time. On 3/21/23, one of the COs that has been harassing Stevie escalated his harassment of Stevie by falsely accusing him of “threatening a CO.” The misconduct was initially supposed to be informal, not affecting Stevie’s parole. But Stevie was never placed on the call out list by the Unit Manager, and as a result, was never notified of his chance to attend an informal hearing. At this point, it turned into an official misconduct, which if convicted, would prevent Stevie from receiving parole.
Another CO attended the hearing and testified on Stevie’s behalf (which is virtually unheard of), confirming that Stevie was not on the call out that day. But the fix was already in. After realizing that she made the mistake of not putting Stevie on the call out, the Unit Manager actually went into the computer and ALTERED the records to make it look like Stevie had been on the call out list. Yet, even with the CO testifying on Stevie’s behalf that the Unit Manager had not put him on the call out that day, it was not enough to find Stevie not guilty. Using the fabricated call out from the Unit Manager as evidence, the Hearing Examiner found Stevie’ guilty of the misconduct.
As so many prisoners have told us, prisons do their worst under the assumption, based on years of practice, that no one outside finds out, or no one outside cares what happens inside. Make these calls and emails and shut down their phones so they know that we see them.
Please share this document with anyone you think might take 5 mins to make a call or email today (3/31/23), this weekend, or this week. We want as many calls and emails as we can get.
Phone Zap for Stevie!
SCI-Dallas: 570-675-1101, ask for superintendent Kevin Ransom… if they won’t transfer, talk to the person who picks up
SCRIPT: I am calling to ask why Stephen Wilson (LB8480) was found guilty of a class 1 misconduct [they will deflect or say they have heard this before or haven’t heard of it]. The misconduct is completely unfounded and I demand Stevie be found not guilty. The CO who falsely accused Stevie of the misconduct is someone who has been harassing Stevie ever since he arrived at SCI Dallas, and that CO made up the allegation against Stevie to escalate his harassment of Stevie. [that we know another CO testified at his hearing on his behalf, go for it!]. I also demand that Mr. Wilson be moved from the Veteran’s Unit and to another block.
I am writing to demand that Stephen Wilson (LB8480)’s misconduct from 3/22/23 be overturned immediately. The misconduct is completely unfounded. The CO who charged Mr Wilson with the misconduct has been harassing Mr. Wilson since he arrived at SCI Dallas, and made up the allegations against Mr. Wilson as a way to continue harassing him.
What’s more, the Unit Manager on Mr. Wilson’s block fabricated evidence against Mr. Wilson that led to the misconduct. Among other things, the Unit Manager did not place Mr. Wilson on the call out list for March 22, 2023, but she then went back into the computer and entered the call out retroactively. This is unacceptable, and is easily proved.
At Mr. Wilson’s hearing on March 29th, 2023, a CO testified that the Unit Manager had fabricated that evidence, yet the hearing examiner still found Mr. Wilson guilty based on the fabricated call out slip from the Unit Manager. This is unacceptable. I demand that you rectify this horrible injustice immediately by reversing the finding against Mr. Wilson, and moving Mr. Wilson from the Veteran’s Unit (he is not a veteran) and to another block.
Dreaming Freedom, Practicing Abolition 