Jason Walker Calls for Support against Staff Misconduct and Fake Disciplinary Hearings

In this article, Jason Walker discusses the latest in a long series of attempts to punish him by framing him with false charges. He asks that people contact Ellis Unit warden Kelly Strong, who can be reached at (936) 295-5756 (**010) or [email protected], to pass on a message along the following lines:

“Hello, I am contacting you about inmate Jason Renard Walker #1532092, and disciplinary cases #201900581891 and #20190058193. Mr. Walker reports that on November 6^th 2018, Disciplinary Hearing Officer Cpt. Hill held an unrecorded disciplinary hearing, which goes against all due practice, where counsel substitute A. McMillian attended, supposedly to represent Mr. Walker, but behaved in a hostile and disruptive fashion throughout. Please investigate Mr. Walker’s grievances thoroughly and do everything in your power to ensure that these cases are conducted in a proper fashion, with no further violation of his due process rights.”

You can also pass this message on to Strong’s boss, Regional Director Wayne Brewer, at [email protected] or (936) 437-1770, and file official complaints with the TDCJ Ombudsman’s office at [email protected] and (936) 437-4927.

The Ellis Unit in Huntsville, TX, has a very crafty and sadistic closed-door disciplinary hearing committee and counsel substitute program, that “shocks the conscious.” It deters a person of ordinary firmness from using the counsel substitute as an advocate.

A. McMillian is an older woman who appears to have serious competency and behavioral issues, and raw hate for young men of color. This is who advocates for us in disciplinary hearings.

On November 2, 2018, I was notified by another incompetent counsel substitute, Ms. Wiseniske, that I was being charged with threatening two Telford unit nurses: LVN Becky Ramirez and RN Destanie Crudy. Both cases were written the same, stating in part that “on Oct 9 2018, and at [Telford] 10 bldg., Ms. Ramirez’ office, Walker threatened to inflict harm on [the nurses], in that said offender sent threatening mail to the home address of [the nurses].”

Wiseniske refused to tell me what the letter actually said for supposed “security reasons”, but nevertheless contends that I wrote it. She refused to conduct an investigation, but did mention that I could submit evidence and witness names to her using a request form; I did just that. Nothing came of it.

On November 6, 2018, around 7:30 AM, I was sent to attend the hearing. McMillian was supposedly there to assist me, but was actually there to assist Ramirez and Crudy. She objected to my request to Cpt. Hill, the Disciplinary Hearing Officer, to be allowed to submit evidence and witnesses. “He had ample time to do this, but he didn’t”, she told the Disciplinary Hearing Officer. “I recommend his request be denied”, she further stated. Every time I spoke I was told to “shut the hell up”. “Will you shut the hell up, you’re guilty, just shut the hell up!” she yelled out loud. The DHO said nothing and seemed to be smiling inside.

I requested to represent myself, which was granted. McMillian wasn’t pleased at all, and even taunted me that she would stay and observe the hearing. Despite being recused, she was very disruptive and wouldn’t allow me to provide an oral statement to the DHO. She kept disrupting me, saying out loud “you guilty, shut up”.

The entire hearing, or whatever it was, carried on without the tape recorder turned on. I listed Telford Unit head warden Garth Parker as a witness; mailroom supervisor Ms. Arnold; and Security Threat Group officer Ms. Mendez. Each of these officials monitor, copy, and handle my mail. I also requested a handwriting analysis. McMillian had me spell my name on a sheet of paper, compared it to the letter, and jumped for joy, claiming that the writings matched. Despite being uncertified, she switched from a recused advocate to a handwriting expert.

The DHO introduced her findings as evidence in the fake hearing. Next, Warden Parker was called. I wasn’t given the chance to cross-examine him, instead Hill talked to him on the phone with the speaker turned off. Hill asked Parker if he was aware of any threats I’d been accused of making. Parker said no. Like a little kid, McMillian disrupted their talk by loudly chanting “tell Parker I said hi”, over and over again.

Hill mentioned that Parker claimed I was very popular at Telford Unit, and that someone named Ms. Vegas was supposed to write the case but refused. He also learned that McMillian had been hiding these facts, along with the fact that both nurses were employees at the Clements Unit, but the cases were forged to place the nurses at the Telford Unit to amplify the severity of the cases. These acts automatically defeat the entire purpose of the investigation. And this was intentional, to confused and hinder my ability to collect meaningful evidence, which is why McMillian objected to me investigating, and why Wiseniske refused to state what the actual threat was.

The entire time I used Telford Unit staff as witnesses, when in fact I should have been gathering Clements Unit staff. McMillian was aware of this the entire time, and even had the documents that stated the real time and location of the alleged event.

Such schemes of holding unrecorded disciplinary hearings, and the introduction and dissemination of flawed evidence to gain an advantage before the recorded hearing is a violation of TDCJ policy, the Federal Constitution and the State Constitution.

A witness was called; McMillian conducted an unqualified handwriting analysis and introduced it into evidence, after being recused; and the DHO allowed these violations that persuaded his own prehearing finding of guilt. After both learned what angle I would use to defend myself, I was told to step out of the room. For nearly ten minutes, both parties held a private talk. Hill told me to leave, and that the hearing would be discontinued.

I’m certain that the reason I wasn’t railroaded right then and there is because Warden Parker gave Hill the heads-up to not treat my case like a routine one. It’s plausible that Hill and McMillian were trying to come up with a matching story to provide when the complaints pour in, which they hadn’t previously realized was a possibility.

A phone zap, call-in campaign, and the help of Mary Ratcliff and the San Francisco Bay View forced officials to overturn the threat case Telford guard Renitia T. Davis wrote.

I ask that this same effort be applied in this situation, specifically targeting: A. McMillian and Cpt. Hill for their role in co-conspiring to hold an unrecorded fake hearing for the purpose of gaining insight on how I would defend myself, then using this knowledge to assist in getting a finding of guilt.

These are long-running unit-wide practices that only exist because McMillian is protected by the grievance program, Ombudsman office, Ellis Unit staff, and the lack of public expose.

Warden Strong brags about being tough on corruption; call her, email her, let’s put her to the test! Use Case #201900581891 and Case #20190058193.

Jason Renard Walker, 1532092, Ellis Unit, 1697 FM 980, Huntsville, TX, 77343

P.S. An article I wrote in 2016 that was posted at rashidmod.com/?p=2154, “Medical Staff Passively Watch Potential Tuberculosis Outbreak: Healthcare in Prison Couldn’t be so Indifferent”, mentions Nurse Ramirez and her medical indifference that led to a Clements Unit prisoner dying. That death was subsequently exposed by Creede Newton in a 2017 article posted to the Intercept, “Malnourished Prisoner’s Death Reveals Horrific Conditions in a Texas Prison”. That may have something to do with all this.