It reminded me of the Starnes family. A few weeks earlier, an elderly couple and their son had travelled over 1100 miles to visit their son/brother. The elder Mr. Starnes was in a wheelchair. The BOPers demanded a "medical card", but he didn't have one. As they threatened not to allow him to visit his son, he told them he had no metal in his body, and showed them his legs, saying, "I HAD A STROKE. I CAN'T WALK. THAT'S WHY I'M IN THIS WHEELCHAIR."
It was not their first visit, and they had not had this problem when they had visited before. The BOPers called in reinforcements. Bradshaw, the head abuser, arrived. He took Mr. Starnes and his son into a side office to search him or them, telling them the BOPers at the desk "DON'T KNOW THE RULES"! Exactly what I have been saying for the entire time I have been going there! In the case of Mr. Starnes, no medical card was necessary because HE HAD NO METAL IN HIS BODY! But they almost didn't allow him to visit, just because they can deny and deprive families, without any reason and in violation of their own rules.
Meantime, another woman approached the prison needing to use the restroom. This time, the BOPer used the siren in the truck as she, too, was refused entry. Then we saw a woman carrying a small child toward the door. Again the siren, but the woman continued walking. The female BOPer inside the truck was gesturing wildly, holding her hand out in a STOP manner, and began yelling at her, "DO NOT APPROACH ANY FURTHER! STEP AWAY FROM THE BUILDING! DO NOT APPROACH!!!" The woman walked right up to the truck, spoke with the BOPer, and was allowed to enter the building, likely to use the restroom as she came back out a bit later, but the BOPers refused other women and children who needed to visit the restrooms, allowing only that one. (For what it's worth, there are no other restroom options nearby, requiring visitors who are refused to drive several miles back to the interstate, which is under construction with very heavy traffic, and travel to the next exit where Walmart is located.)
It was after noon when the BOPers took down the sign. Freezing and frustrated visitors rushed in. Then the next phase of fun-and-games-for-BOPers began, as endless delays and rejections without justification ensued. Stephanie and I were both forced to remove clothing, but the worst was behind us, as we were waiting after we had survived their abuse. As a blonde woman walked through, the metal detector went off. The BOPers suggested - as they do with all women - it must be her bra. They really obsess over bras there. The woman assured them she had no metal in her bra and was told to walk back through. Again, the metal detector went off. The BOPers were telling her she couldn't visit. In a panic, she began reaching inside her sweater, pulling out her bra straps to show them but the BOPers persisted.
The woman then stripped off her sweater, showing them she had only a camisole with a built-in bra with no strap, no hooks, no wires. I was horrified and tearful at her desperation to visit her loved one in prison, extending to her willingness to sacrifice her human dignity and disrobe in public. She tossed her sweater, which had some tiny bead embellishments on it, into the bin holding her shoes that had already gone through the scanner, then walked back through the metal detector, which did not go off. The BOPers must have been satisfied; they stamped her hand and allowed her to put her clothes back on and get in line with those who had been cleared.
While we're talking about the metal detector and bras, let's go back to the Starnes family and reflect back to Stephanie's first visit to Forrest City. The BOPers have different settings for the metal detector, as I've mentioned before. And while women of all ages are routinely abused and humiliated for the amusement of the mostly-male BOPers at the desk, citing BRAS - straps, hooks, underwires - Gary had another visitor not too long ago, someone who has metal plates in his spinal column, metal plates that have set off metal detectors at airports and in other government buildings, but metal plates that did NOT set off the metal detector at Forrest City federal prison, the metal detector that is so sensitive that women must endure humiliation, remove, modify or change their bras. That visitor was a male, not a female. But I am assured that the metal plates surgically implanted to stabilize his spinal column are more substantial than the tiny hooks in women's bras. That visit inspired this column.
While so many visitors are routinely abused and harassed, Thanksgiving weekend there were others who were most welcome, encountering no rejections. Remember that I was rejected wearing a t-shirt with "Alabama" on it, but there was a visitor admitted with no trouble who was wearing a similar t-shirt with "Arkansas" on it. While in the visiting room, we saw three visitors wearing sweatshirts and jerseys with numbers on them, and a woman wearing shredded jeans with large torn sections.
It was after 1:30 when we were taken to the visiting room to wait for Gary, who was, again, never paged. In fact, when he finally came in almost 20 minutes later, the BOPer at the desk almost sent him back, telling Gary he had not paged him! I mean, WHY NOT? We had been there since 10:30 - visitation ends at 3:00! Gary told the BOPer the unit BOPer had called and verified he had visitors and had sent him to the visiting room. Otherwise, we would have been like the other visitors, some of whom were still waiting to visit their imprisoned loved ones as the clock ticked towards 3:00, the clock that, as I have previously shared, is purposely run ahead to steal the limited precious time we have with our family. There were family members who had arrived before 8:30 that morning after traveling long distances, who were allowed to spend only 10 or 15 minutes visiting before time was up, with some prisoners being allowed to join their waiting family members just before 3:00.
Adding insult to injury, Forrest City limits prisoners to 5 visits per month, and even a 5-minute visit eliminates one visit. Stephanie and I were able to spend a little more than an hour with Gary after getting up before 3:00 a.m. to travel. As the clock showed 3:00, we hugged and kissed goodbye then went to the desk. But something happened between the time we left our seats and the time we got to the desk - the clock moved backwards 10 minutes! The BOPers actually gave back 10 minutes and changed the clock to allow visitors to stay until "real" 3:00.
As Stephanie and I were leaving Sunday, we saw a shapely young female visitor who had been pulled out of line as a male BOPer was using a wand swabbing over her clothing to check for exposure to drugs. I have repeatedly encountered the same mistreatment, but always by female BOPers, as they have told me it is required to be done by a same-gender prison employee.
There were so many abuses Thanksgiving weekend, but at least we got to see Gary, and others were able to see their imprisoned loved ones. Last Friday, all the prisoners were told to let their family members know visitation was being cancelled for this weekend because of inclement weather. No prisoners were allowed to spend time with their family, even if they had already made plans and begun their travels to get there.
JB: So you didn't get to see him at all this past weekend? That's a major bummer.
JW: It's very hard for all the prisoners and their families. Every day is hard, holidays especially. For Gary and me particularly, after having the first six months of the year wrongfully - as admitted by the BOP - prevented from seeing each other at all, this month is almost unbearable. Along with Christmas, Gary's birthday is at the end of the month. He will be 67. We are at a stage in life when we recognize that time is precious.
JB: I get it. Please send Gary our best wishes on his birthday. Thanks again for talking with me and sharing your story, Judy.
*excerpt from "How The Grinch Stole Christmas" by Dr. Seuss [1957]
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