Last night before lockdown, another inmate brought to my attention that there was an inmate in his room for the last four days that just arrived at the facility, has not even eaten. I decided to go over and introduce myself (let’s call him H) and ask if he needed anything. “I need a transporter”, he said to me, but in the year I have been at this facility I have never seen anyone assigned a work detail as a “transporter”. I usually do not get up at 5:30 when they unlock the doors, but I knew if I didn’t check on this man, no one will. I got dressed, and headed out of my room over to his room. Taking a peak through the window of his room door, I noticed he was sitting in his wheelchair facing away from the door. I knocked once and opened the door, asked if he was ready, and pulled him out of the room. We sat waiting for the call to “chow” and we talked a little more, telling me he is waiting to get to Miami, clearly he was a little disoriented, but I explained to him where he is, and comforted him some with positive words about this compound. They called for chow and I pushed him over to the dining room, grabbed both trays and our milk cartons and went over to a table. After eating I took him to the Laundry area so they may measure him and get his uniforms and boots. I could not stay and wait for him, so asked another inmate who was also waiting for clothes, to please push him back to the unit when he was finished, and he said he would. I walked back over to my housing unit and took another inmate who uses a wheelchair, (we’ll call him, J.R.), over to get our commissaries. J.R. is 88 years old, has vision loss due to glaucoma, and several other health issues. I take him each and every day to the meals he likes to go to, and help him wherever else he needs assistance. We both got our commissary bags and I wheeled him back over to the unit and to his room. Getting close to lunch time, I still have not seen “H”, but as I wheeled J.R. to lunch, I look over and notice “H” is sitting in his wheelchair inside the medical department, eating from a styrofoam tray, so I stopped in to say hello and see if he is doing okay. Later in the day I find out “H” was taken to the hospital, and all I could think of is, thank God I took him out of his room that morning, or he might have never come out, I hope they take good care of him. After lunch, I dropped off J.R. at his room and went to the Chapel for work, organized a few things and helped the Buddhist group with their items for their service. After count, and after dinner, I went to my Family/Parenting class in Education, and by 8 pm I was showered and ready to call home. At 9 pm the officer in our unit made a few room moves because inmates are not to be sleeping overnight in a room by themselves. The officer asked me to sleep in the room were “H” was so his roommate is not alone, and my roommate was moved to the open bay area which is called “Glass House”. What a horrible night I spent in that room, which was not clean, but I will say at least it has air conditioning which my room has not had for a week now, but I was still dying for morning to come, but again if I didn’t sleep in this room, no one would, and I was happy to resolve the issue for the officer, who went above and beyond to help an inmate with a situation he has.
