Darrington State Farm,est. 1933:
a call for Texas prisoners and anarchists
by Julio A. Zuniga
This is for all the suffering in TDCJ torture chambers across the state.
In this struggle, you can’t stay quiet. Speak up, reach out, let your anarchist seeds sprout.
Welcome to Rosharon, Teas, a scar on the landscape of Texas’ nature, in place where human slaver continues and of which the thousands of acres of land were acquired by the infamous slave labor contracting of the late 1890s and early 1900s. Late in 2019 Darrington’s sister units in Sugarland, Texas unveiled its racist face when the remains of 95 contract slave labor inmates were stumbled upon behind an elementary school, a cold reminder and slap in the face to the African-American communities of the present time and human race in general. Prisons are monuments dedicated to slavery, oppression, and repression, the list is much too long, but the pride of the Texas Department of Minimal Justice marches on as it has back then. Only politicians, wardens, and administration profits from its slave labor.
If you are a simple minded man as I, you’ll know that the Texas Department of Criminal Justice is anything but justifiable for slavery, torture, murder, abuse, etc. Therefore I say: “Abandon all hope all ye who enter here” is the motto I coined for this system born in Texas, in honor of the Sugarland 95 who’s voice is now the voice I will rely upon to shut this unit down. The death of 95 units in Texas wouldn’t begin a grain of salt’s worth of healing, but would be a start to repaying for their deaths. Contract slave labor accumulated roughly 70,000 acres of land for Texas Department of Corrections. It’s time to honor the slaves by changing this ancient racist regime of oppression. Starting today, in the midst of a recession and pandemic of Covid-19 ravaging the world and its inhabitants, the impact of these thoughts are my reality and my only hope, in achieving these tasks.
Anarchist Mongoose Matt, a solid and dear friend of mine, asked me a question that spawned at the most critical moment, “What would TDCJ gain from paying slaves wages for their various jobs that really belong to the corrections officers?”. I’m no inventor or academic. I’m uneducated, so please forgive me if I don’t know how to preform proper writing etiquette or composition, but I d have an idea, and idea I actually shared with Dirty Darrington population members of SWBSC, which I’m sure got laughed at. Not all were laughing though. Some came back and shared with me their personal thoughts and opinions. I was relieved and grateful for their courage to speak up on it.
Solitary Confinement, B Line, 3 Row, 8Cell at Dirty Darrington – I was going fucking nuts, battling roaches, killer dust, crazy Cos, starvation, noise, fires, flooding, lockdowns, torture, torture day in day out. Only time I had my welcomed conversations came from some of the toughest men I’ve ever met. Respect is unlimited but mostly love is unlimited. Now, before I continue, it is possible their kindness was motivated by their faith but it was enough to drive my brain until iconoclastic individualism and anarchism, and that’s not something you see every day, or year. It’s a shame.
If our safety was in their best interest, you’d be paid to work your asses off for the state, so you wouldn’t have to hustle for hygiene, or a soup. Contraband is a form of currency. They know this. It’s another control tool for them to keep you here. I’m for the hustle, but when it’s used as an entrapment tool and you don’t realize you’re the victim of it, who wins?
Too many good men are missing out on real incentives Texas government is stripping you of every year. While you slave their farms, their pockets grow huge, while you starve and wither, your broken heart’s swallowing pride, when you can be receiving what is rightfully yours. Freedom. I’m calling on organizers today to spread the good word across Texas prisons, to stop slaving for TDCJ. Anarchism will lay it down. Anarchism will defy your slave driver, stop and demand your good time/ work time credits, demand better food, demand fairness in UCC committees demand better health care, demand wages for slave labor to increase the livelihood of indigent offenders, demand better clothing, radios, shoes. Demand it for the future of Texas Department of Minimal Justice. The state has bled you of all humanity.
How much longer will you love your slave masters for denying you your family? It’s cruel and unusual punishment. Your faith allows you certain foods that comply with religion. Demand it. Do it now. Lay it down and demand the capital five back and don’t slack. We are so far behind the criminal justice system. All 49 states behind us are laughing while they freely buy chips and dips with cash from their commissaries. You must see the vision and end Texas criminal justice. Now!
No matter how, or when, strike. Strike now. No mercy. Do not let these political pigs keep us down. Your good time/ work time is a control tool that criminologists created to keep you docile, mind fucking us all while you suffer. They create new ways to break your spirit, beginning with the TDCJ director on down: wardens, majors, captains, lieutenants. Doesn’t matter the title, all are here to make you lash out, fuck up, so they can smile at you and send you to an endless downward spiral of solitary confinement to break you, keep your mind off of the most important things in life: family, solidarity, equality, rehabilitation. Nothing is sacred in their eyes. All you are is an algorithm, statistic, a number, a slave. How much longer?
These “cease to speak or cease to breath” tactics are no longer something I fear. I’m moving forward as a single voice against the pace and dignity of the state, to take back what was taken from us all. Freedom.
Rise up the top. Hunger strike, work stoppage, you have more gain than you have to lose, and in my eyes we’ve lost way too much for far too long. Lay it down, Texas. Regain privileges. Regain peace of mind. Regain freedom.
Feel free to write Z at:
Julio A. Zuiga #1961551
Darrington Unit
59 Darrington Road
Rosharon, Texas 77583
Writing Guidelines Here
Alex’s artwork can be viewed on Instagram at @julioazunigaart