Update from last entry, and Joe

In my last blog entry I told y’all about some drama concerning a prison thief, then left it open ended for an update, well here it is. Things a calm. The blacks put the thief on notice letting him know that if he even passes gas in the wrong place they’d role him up – that pacified the Paisa’s, whom he’d stolen from, and the white boys who like wise hate a thief. I know, I know … I see the irony too, prisoners passing judgment against stealing, something most of us, to include me, are ourselves guilty of. Remember though, it isn’t so much the thieving as it is the reality that stealing from another race could potentially erupt into a race-riot. What? … Yeah I said that this is prison and men need to be able to fight … damn give me a break here, this is different. Yes, in most cases when there’s a dispute, two men even of different races will go in a cell and settle things the way convicts have been settling them since the beginning of time. But remember the story from my last blog entry, the thief in this case stole from an illegal, a gang member called the Paisa’s and the thing you’re missing here is, the Paisa’s have a rule, they NEVER fight one-on-one, if you fight a Paisa, you fight them all. Cowardly, if you ask my opinion, but in fairness they ain’t alone in that philosophy, most gang-members think that-a-way. the difference is, if you CALL-OUT and gang member from this country in front of others, and that’s the key, in front of others, he has to go, or be branded as a coward for embarrassing his own crew, and then punished accordingly. But with the Paisa’s, they will not under any circumstances fight one-on-one. Like I said, there’s so many of them that … well, you get the message. However, there is one exception to the rule, if you have an issue with one of the Paisa’s, you just watch the guy you had an issue with, and when he goes into the mop closet you follow him in there and beat his ass. By the time his people figure out what happened, you’re already in the hole! Like I said, there are ways, if you’re really committed.

A few days ago a young black Muslim kid and a young white kid were sitting at a table in the cell-block playing chess together; a Paisa walks up and tells them that they’re sitting at a Paisa table, so to get up and move, “This is our table!” So, a short argument ensued and then the two chess players got up and moved. When the white guy came and told me what happened I responded the way any old convict would, “You brought that on yourself. You know that’s their table – you ain’t got no business over there,” ( hillbilly ebonics added for emphasis … okay, that’s the way I really talk, get over it! :)) all settled right? Nope, because the guy who speaks for the Muslims didn’t take kindly to his guy being disrespected and took it upon himself to go to the Paisa shot caller to complain.

Now the Paisa shot caller in my cell block is a great guy, speaks perfect english and has a good and fair way of doing business. So these two shot callers come to my cell, the white guy playing chess with the Muslim is my cellie … so they come to my cell, and say we need to talk, we shake hands, to show that it’s a friendly talk, and sit down. The Paisa Shot Caller apologizes to me and the Muslim for what happened and assures us that he will chew-out the GUYS who caused the problem, then told us that as far as he is concerned that table was open to everybody, and that we could use it anytime we wanted … But all I heard out of that was “guys”. Come to find out their were like six Paisa’s who basically surrounded our guys and told them to get up, that changes things! I ain’t gonna fill in the middle here but the end of the conversation was a little tense. When I heard who was involved I told him that the kid who kinda headed up that little crew was loud, obnoxious and though I didn’t say it to him, a racist! In the end, the Paisa Shot-Caller shook our hands and then had his guy come and personally apologize … all good, right? Well, here’s the problem. Things on a Prison Yard or a Cell-Block only go as smooth as the guys calling the shots. Like I said, my cell-block has the best of the Paisa speakers in it, and so things like this are resolved peacefully … but once he leaves, you never know, if that idiot who started this were to become the Speaker things would go to pooh really quick. But, in truth, a guy like him are seldom selected as a leader. Being that y’all are a bunch of busy bodies, lol, I mean your reading this mess 🙂 you’re probably wondering HOW someone actually becomes a, Shot-Caller! Right … you wanna know this, correct? Well, its top secret prison shit, so I can’t tell you!! Just kidding. Let me tell you a story.

I changed my mind! No, I’m gonna tell you, because it’s a long story and I don’t want to try and squeeze it in on this post, but next time, I’ll tell you some real inside stuff! I promise.

Joe

Joe L. Gonzalez out of Ingleside Texas is my closest friend, and has been so since 1979

When I finished my five year stint in the U.S.Army my wife and I moved to Ingleside where I took a job as a welder, it was there that I met Joe and his wife Korina. Joe and I hit it off, our families became close and his children grew up with my children and they’re still friends to this day.

Now there are a lot of people who want to come and visit me, people like Jennifer Aniston, Penelope Cruz, Kim Kardashian, the norm, but, I ain’t much on that, … WHAT, you don’t believe me!!! some friends you are! Anyway, strange as it sounds I tell folks that I just don’t like to receive visitors. Of course there are a few exceptions like best friends, lawyers and hookers! Yeah, hookers are always welcome 🙂 yes, of course I’m kidding I don’t accept visits from miscreants like lawyers, unless they’re related to me 🙂 Anyway, Joe is one of those who comes to visit me. When he comes he updates me on his grandchildren, tells me all about the newest episodes of my daughters reality show, then he goes to the vending machine and buys each of us a coke and a cinnamon roll which we will then consume while ogling all the women in the visiting room – what? Yeah, some of the gals who come to see guys here are hot! What ever! The reason I bring this up is that, last week Joe finally, with the help of his grandson, figured out how to use email and sent me a message – he still ain’t figured out how to text me, lol, but I guess that’s progress right.

Well Joe, now that you’re finally on email and able to read my blog I thought I’d tell you how much you mean to me – love ya, bro!

That’s all for this week – peace be with you. Mark

Three Rivers, 8-15-18