30th Sept 04

Frankie & Mark

In Frankie’s latest letter he wrote that his double-murder trial is coming up: “Ding! Ding! Let’s get ready to rumble...I’m going for a knockout punch hopefully before the bell rings.”

As usual, Frankie ended his letter on a romantic note: “Tu sabes que eres mi esposa. Yo soy el camote grande.” Which means, I know that I am his wife and that he is a great lover. He has drawn a winking face with its tongue hanging out next to the sexy comment.

Mark reported that the guards at the county jail have not distributed toilet rolls for an entire week: “…their excuse was they forgot to order some. Ha! Ha!” Mark’s hopes for probation were squashed. A new judge was assigned to his homicide conspiracy case; so, he is back at square one. Having one's hopes raised and dashed seems to be part of the psychological warfare tactics employed by prosecutors designed to break one's spirit before one is finally bludgeoned into signing a plea bargain. Mark also revealed that his mum has joined M.A.A. (Mothers Against Arpaio, see link in Jon’s Favourite Links).

I received a letter from a lady named Linda who is one of the founding members of M.A.A.. Linda’s brother James spent four years in the Madison Street jail. He was charged with plotting to bomb Sheriff Joe.

James courageously took the case to trial and not only did the jury find him innocent but they also announced that the sheriff had used young James as a pawn in a sick publicity stunt. Apparently, Joe Arpaio was trying to justify certain lavish expenditures, including his own $80,000 armoured car. James is now 23. He lost four years of his life imprisoned in that hellhole for something he did not do.

Good luck with the civil suit James!

7 comments:

  1. Anonymous11:31 AM

    I know that Joe Arpaio was elected democratically but how can the citizens of Arizona support a man who films women prisoners in the lavatories and then sells the tapes to cable companies? The man is a pervert! No wonder he drives round in an armoured car, there must be loads of folk who'd like to take him out.
    J. Steel

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  2. Anonymous1:17 PM

    Keep up the good work Jon. You obviously have a sense of humour, and all the reading you are doing is helping you to construct your reporting very well. There are some amusing characters sharing your accommodation!
    Take care, Terry Bates

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  3. Anonymous4:51 AM

    Jon were you and Frankie ever an item???

    Jay

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  4. Anonymous3:27 PM

    What are the junk characters coming through? like ’

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  5. Anonymous10:12 AM

    What was the skulduggery that forced you into lockdown? or are you too afraid to say? It seems the system in USA is very corrupt. You have been very courageous to speak out about the conditions in the jails while you are still inside.

    Jayne

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  6. Anonymous8:24 AM

    I am very impressed with the courage and dignity that you have displayed and continue to display when it would appear that having erroneously arrested you the authorities then attempted to locate evidence to support your alleged wrong doing. All they have managed to do is inflict suffering on not only you but all those around you-family and friends. Your Civil Liberties have been completely disregarded - what has happened to the moral fibre that was AMERICA? To listen to President Bush these kind of things are only happening in IRAQ! I wish you well Jon and hope you are reunited with your loved ones real soon.
    SUEO

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  7. Anonymous10:21 AM

    >This message is not intended for Shaun but for his parents, I think the effort you put into connecting him to the world and viceversa is something he sure is
    proud of, thanks for letting me read such an interesting journal, since the Guardian pubished the extracts I been loging into Jon's web page almost
    every day and plan to continue doing so.
    >
    I'm in the process of changing my country (and continent) of residence but will write to Shaun directly once I have my new address.
    >
    >Luis

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