Welcome to the Feds!

By Shamar Betts

Speaking about his time at the Hazelton medium security prison [November 2021- present]

Federal Prison is a completely different world compared to the county jails I’d been used to being in for the past year and a half. Segregation isn’t just divided by race, but also by what region or state someone’s from. We’re not allowed to converse, sit with, or share cells with anyone outside our race; and depending on if there’s tension between the regions we can’t even talk to someone from another state.

I’ve seen my fair share of senseless violence since being incarcerated, but the Feds take it to another level. There have been instances where 100+ people have gone to war, all over one person using a phone he didn’t have permission to use. This resulted in a nearly two-month-long lockdown. The day we finally came out it only lasted a few hours before the war started back up!

Respect overrides everything; no one cares about the injuries and deaths that may occur. Most people here are facing 20 years or more so they feel respect is all they have to live for. I’d seen death before but never at this rate.

People die from suicides, rebelling the guards, lock n’ a sack, drug overdoses, and most commonly - knives. These are not the shanks and sharpened toothbrushes you’ve seen on TV. These knives are made from the thick metal of the bunks and sharpened by concrete for days. I’ve seen inmates using knives as long as my forearm and sharp as a sword. I’ve heard the screams of someone being disciplined for stealing, and the guards not discovering the body until the end of the night at count time.

Stories like these are repetitive. When I first reached the Feds I couldn’t make sense of living in this lifestyle. I used to be afraid that I might not even make it out to tell these tales. Here I am, a person who’d worked with kids and now is surrounded by some of the biggest drug dealers and killers in the country. I never expected to get used to being around these types of people on a daily basis, and also to a point where I don’t even fear losing my life anymore. I stopped informing my friends and family about incidents that occur in here because it’s become normal, everyday situations.

Shamar Betts' Tales from a Cell

It's been a long time since most people have heard from Shamar Betts. He has been in prison at the the medium-security federal prison in West Virginia since November 2021, but he has been incarcerated for nearly three years now. This time has been harrowing to say the least (scroll down to read about it in his own words). Yet he has been using his time as wisely as he can: reading, writing and thinking a lot about his future.

Every time I speak with Shamar I am impressed at how composed and thoughtful he his. It is absolutely remarkable given what he's been through. And with his release date approaching, he is finally ready to start speaking about his time over the past three years. Many of his stories are about the violence that he has experienced during his incarceration, so beware if you are a sensitive reader.

The following is one of several recent handwritten essays that was sent by mail. More of these essays will be released in the coming weeks. Please stay tuned and share these stories. They deserve to be heard.

Diesel Therapy

by Shamar Betts

Speaking about when he was first taken into custody at the age of 19 [June-July 2020];

Diesel therapy is a form of punishment in the United States in which prisoners are shackled and then transported for days or weeks; the term refers to the diesel fuel used in prisoner transport vehicles.

I’m not sure what I expected jail to be like, but I know it wasn’t this. My first two months confined were some of the worst days of my life. I spent 21 days in Madison County, Mississippi, where I was placed alone in a unit capable of housing at least 14 inmates. Before entering, the guard who’d booked me in put my picture on the door with a sign that read “Warning! Accompany inmate with 2 guards and 2 sets.”

Once we proceeded in he snatched a cord from the back of the TV and gave me two sheets (which had holes in them) and a mat that seemed thinner than a slice of cheese. The following day I was taken to an extradition hearing and to Medical for a physical. Immediately I realized what “2 sets” meant when the guards started shackling my wrists and ankles just to walk me down the hall.

I remember returning back to the unit slowly limping from the soreness of metal being tightly clamped to my ankles, as two guards walk on either side of me, giving strange looks. Finally one of them spoke and said, “There’s been a lot of talk about you in the break room. We ain’t never housed anyone that required all this shit. What’re you some type of terrorist? Did you blow some’n up?”

For a second I was taken aback by the question, then I replied simply saying that I made a post on Facebook after George Floyd died and people started rioting. I will never forget how long I stood there, waiting for them to stop laughing.

The rest of my days consisted of the same routine. I took every opportunity to ask questions when the guards brought trays 3 times a day. I read the law library for hours trying to make sense of what might happen to me. I’d cry myself to sleep most nights and others I would just lay in the dark talking to myself - might sound crazy but what else do you do when you’re on lockdown 24/7 for 3 weeks straight?

Relief surged through me once the US Marshals came to retrieve me. At my extradition hearing the judge had told me that I’d be returning to Illinois; instead I was thrown on and off planes for the next couple weeks. Each day I’d board a plane and fly all across the country, landing in different states to drop other inmates off to their destinations. I’d always get off at the last stop and spend a night or two in whatever jail was nearest to the airport. I still wasn’t allowed phone calls, commissary, or access to the general population - most of the time I didn’t even know what state I was in.

Everything changed when I arrived to Grady County, Oklahoma, which by far was the nastiest jail I’ve ever step foot in. Once we unboarded the bus, my and the other inmates’ noses cringed in unison as we entered the place. We instantly noticed the horse flies and roaches that crowded the area. Plus in the middle of a global pandemic no one was required to wear a mask. At the time I could not care less, I was just grateful to be interacting with others.

Instead of a regular unit with separate cells, we were taken to an open room that had 36 bunk beds stacked up by 3’s lined around the perimeter. In the corner there were 2 toilets with a label on one that read “pisser” and the other reading “shitter”. Directly next to the toilets were 4 showers, and in the center of the room rested 6 tables.

I noticed how quickly everyone became segregated. At one table sat the Natives, another had Hispanics, and Whites. The rest of the tables were occupied by Blacks. We weren’t there 3 hours before an older Black man fell to the floor and began shaking uncontrollably, while gasping for air. Several people attempted to press the emergency button but there wasn’t any response. A few others tried helping by pressing down on his chest and whispering encouraging words, but none of it changed the outcome. The shaking slowed and his hand rested on his chest. The ones who crouched over him stood up, and we all crowded around this man watching him take his last breath.

Approximately 30 seconds later, nurses and guards rushed in, as if him dying was their cue to come in. The men were outraged. We all demanded they tell us the cause of his death since we had speculations that it was Covid related. They said he had some kind of seizure but they gave us Covid tests just to be sure. Two days later we found out 28 out of the remaining 35 of us tested positive for coronavirus.

The following days’ tension had risen at Grady, and suddenly everything hit the fan. You’d think it would be between inmates and correctional officers, but instead it was between the Natives and the Blacks. I was sleeping when the commotion began. All I remember is waking up to the sound of men screaming like 10-year-old girls, the sound of broomsticks snapping as they struck across people’s backs - it seemed like a scene from a movie. Blood covered the floor along with bodies from both sides. I seen some of the toughest men weeping as their heads were kicked around by one person, and their stomachs stabbed by the next. Suddenly the crowd started to disperse. People ran in every direction as if they no longer cared about the fight, but just getting away from the new group who joined.

Correctional officers forced their way in with riot shields, mace, and 12-gauge shotguns that shot rubber bullets. I tried covering my face from the stinging sensation coming from the mace but it did little help. I wasn’t sure if tears fell down my face from my eyes burning or because I couldn’t believe what I had just witnessed.

Coincidentally, on the day this essay is being released here, Shamar called and said that moments earlier one of his long-time prison mates had a seizure and died in front of him.

Shamar's release date is scheduled for June 13, 2023. He is required to immediately report to a halfway house in Peoria, IL, where he will still be under custody of the Federal Bureau of Prisons.

Shamar Betts Speaks Out

Shamar has been in a medium security Federal prison in West Virginia since November 2021. He and the other prisoners have spent the majority of the past nine months on lockdown, for one security reason or another. This has made it challenging for Shamar to participate in the types of programs that would facilitate an early release. (We are currently anticipating his release into a halfway house in mid to late 2023.)

Communication by phone has been unreliable. When he has briefly talked about his experiences in prison, he has described a tense and violent place where prisoners scheme to buy and sell goods and services as a means of survival. Shamar is doing his best to stay away from trouble, and to read and participate in programs as much as possible. He asks that if you write to him, include your return address in the body of the letter. (He only receives photocopies of all materials, and return addresses are often cut off by the copier.)

Shamar's friends and family have set up a trust fund on his behalf where the money from his Go Fund Me campaign will be secured to be used only for his direct benefit, now and after his release. Looking forward, Shamar has decided to raise the goal of his campaign to cover the entire amount of the restitution that he has been ordered to pay to the Federal government, over $1.6 million.

This week Shamar decided that he is ready to start speaking out and standing up for himself, with his own words. Please share his statement with others and help us to bring nationwide awareness of his story.

Donald Trump v. Shamar Betts

Written by Shamar Betts

I, Shamar Betts, incited a riot through a Facebook post encouraging my people to join alongside the rest of the world in an attempt to express our feelings on the tragic death of George Floyd in May of 2020. Although no one was harmed, the results of my uproar led to penalties of 4 years in Federal prison, 3 years of supervised release, and a restitution fine of $1,686,170.30 to be paid to the government for merchandise stolen and damages that occurred during the uprising.

Eight months later on January 6th, 2021, Donald Trump incited an insurrection by calling supporters to a rally and publicly addressing his frustration after losing the Presidential election to Joe Biden, which eventually led to hundreds of people bombarding and storming our Nation's Capital. The outcome of this devious revenge tactic ended with 5 deaths, 140 police officers injured, and at least $1.5 million worth of damages to one of America's most treasured landmarks.

Even with the severity of this crime, Mr. Trump has yet to receive any criminal punishment and somehow was able to swindle himself out of being impeached. Which means he still possesses the opportunity to run our country once again as president; while on the other hand, I'm forced to deal with society's biased perception of another Black man who now has felonies on his background.

Here we have a man whose net worth is $3 billion and he hasn't been obligated to pay anything for his reckless behavior, but the government finds it necessary to charge me with such a substantial amount, knowing that I come from a community where the average Black person could never see a million dollars in a lifetime!

My exaggerated sentence and restitution order wasn't imposed based on my criminal history (which was non-existent), or even on acts that I personally committed. Donald Trump and Former U.S Attorney General William Barr directed prosecutors to impose harsh penalties on Black Lives Matter protesters like myself. This led U.S Attorney Eugene Miller to claim that "the riot was organized for the very purpose of disrespecting the law". When in reality, the uprising was started to raise awareness of our country's inequality issues towards Black people–and also to express how hurt we were after watching George Floyd be savagely murdered.

Could you imagine how offended I am after sitting in a courtroom for hours listening to my character be assassinated, and then to receive in return the book thrown at me with full force? I mean seriously, could you possibly imagine how offended I am as I sit in my new caged home, forced to watch this white man who is three times my age arrogantly dodge every opportunity to accept responsibility for his actions–after I was made an example of?

At this point the oppressors’ message is crystal clear; they're willing to snatch the tongue from a Black person's mouth that they feel has tasted any bit of power–but those of their own, who already have a position of power can abuse it in any shape, form, or fashion, and obviously get away with it!

With all that said, the question is: in the case of Donald Trump v. Shamar Betts, who wins? Well, I say I do! Because at the age of 19, I went against all odds, stood for a cause I believed in, and accepted every consequence that came behind my revolution like a real leader. Even with the government's ATTEMPT to ruin my life, I stand strong against these mighty oppressors with my head held high. I may not have billions of dollars like Donald here, but what I do possess that he does not are good intentions and a pure heart.

#ShamarBetts #DonaldTrump #BlackLivesMatter

Shamar Betts Official Website:

https://supportshamarbetts.wixsite.com/shamarbetts

Shamar Betts Official Go Fund Me:

https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-shamar-rebuild-after-arrest-for-blm-protest