On Friday, November 24, 2023, the disgusting, racist ideals of the officers of SCI-Rockview in Bellefonte, Pennsylvania, were given life in the form of nooses made from extension cords. They were displayed in the security bubble which ensured the most views by the prisoners and therefore the most impact. When asked by the prisoners to take them down, Sgt Mosser, Officer Kirchner, and Officer Richards simply laughed, stating that the display of these instruments of torture and murder was “just a joke.”
Most of the prisoners took this display in stride. It was viewed as everyday and regular because of the type of corrosive environment that was cultivated there. Prisoners there see death and violence brought by “correctional staff” on a regular basis. Records will show how often people are killed there with “undetermined” autopsy results. Somehow murder at the hands of the uniformed officers isn’t murder.
To date, these officers have faced no consequences for their actions. They are still employed and overseeing the prisoners in which they terrorized regularly. How do correctional staff teach accountability when they themselves commit crimes with impunity? Administrators turn a blind eye and support these ideals because it helps maintain control.
The changes necessary at SCI-Rockview won’t happen without the everyday people, the tax payers that fund the prison, speaking out and acting out against the atrocities that have become everyday in their name. By not speaking against them, you’re enabling and supporting their actions. Your inaction allows the racial and hateful violence to live and breed. How many more people have to die at the hands of these murderers before you speak up and say that this isn’t what we’re funding? Til you speak up a nd say that this isn’t okay and we’re against this?
Kaona Colibri
[Alejandro Rodriguez-Ortiz]
trueleappress.com 