Black Texas prisoner gassed, brutalized in solitary confinement cell

Polunsky-Unit-Livingston-Texas, Black Texas prisoner gassed, brutalized in solitary confinement cell, Abolition Now!
The Polunsky Unit is surrounded by peaceful, placid ranchland and grazing cattle. But inside, it is so evil that it made Mother Jones magazine’s “America’s Ten Worst Prisons” in 2013.

White ranking guards do the ‘work’; Black camera operator closes her eyes in disbelief

by Jason Renard Walker

Seconds after having his cell gassed by Polunsky Unit’s Lt. Corbett, Marquis Kingsbury, #2303732, a Black inmate, was nearly killed by Corbett, Sgt. Schwartz and a team of racist white guards in riot gear as they rushed into his solitary confinement cell with a large shield and riot baton on July 22, 2021, between 1:25 p.m. and 1:49 p.m. I was Kingsbury’s neighbor and a witness.

It was the most senseless and brutalizing beating I’ve ever heard. After nearly five minutes of the sound of punching, kicking and a riot baton being used, Kingsbury was cuffed and pulled out of his cell. Kingsbury’s left eye was badly bruised and swollen shut; his jaw seemed dislocated; his mouth hung open as thick blood drained out. He did mention that his fingers were broken and he was beaten in the head, over and over. Pictures of his face and body were taken.

A short white or Hispanic female nurse was called after the beating. She viewed Kingsbury’s injuries from over 50 feet away and deemed he didn’t need medical care. Kingsbury obviously had a concussion and was too dazed and beaten to accept or deny any treatment. He was terrorized. “Ima just leave that shit alone cause they might come back and do it again,” he said in response to me asking if he needed me to have his family contacted. “I thought I was gonna die.”

During the attempted murder, a short Black female guard with dyed blonde hair silently looked on through the portable video camera. Several minutes into it she closed her eyes in disbelief.

The ordering of beatdowns by white female guards is a common occurrence at Polunsky Unit’s “II building.”

Corbett falsely yelled over and over, “Stop resisting” as Kingsbury lay unconscious and defenseless. Witnesses say he was out the entire time. “They knocked me out, woke me back up, knocked me out and woke me back up,” Kingsbury said, still dazed and confused.

It is highly questionable whether the portable video camera was even recording. In the event it was, incriminating evidence was picked up. The duration and sound of the beating itself will tell a lay person that Kingsbury couldn’t possibly have resisted that long, given he’s only 5-feet-9-inches and weighs less than 160 pounds. 

Even more so, the reason they entered his cell was out of ill will and malice. It would be absurd to record such a thing, then pass it off as a legal use of force and the utilizing of the “minimum amount of force necessary to gain compliance,” when Kingsbury was never out of compliance and the force overkill.

I didn’t actually see the camera on and pointed in Kingsbury’s direction until after he’d been placed back in the cell and the use of force statement read and given to him. Prior to this, the camera seemed to be pointing down the hallway, no red light on or flashing.

Jason-Renard-Walker, Black Texas prisoner gassed, brutalized in solitary confinement cell, Abolition Now!
Jason Renard Walker is one of the best reporters behind bars in the country. He is despised by TDCJ authorities for exposing their despicable cruelty. He’s been threatened before, but this threat is especially credible. We must not let them carry it out.

An hour or so after, Sgt. Schwartz, a racist white guard who stands 6-feet-7-inches and weighs over 300 pounds, approached my cell door, threatening to do me “like I did your neighbor” if and when I reported what happened to Kingsbury. Killing and assaulting prisoners is what this group of ranking guards are known for. They just happen to have a Death Row mentality administration that condones and advances their actions through the false documentation of records and destruction and spoliation of evidence favorable to the prisoner.

Death Row captain ordered guards to beat prisoner

The entire incident stemmed from a false allegation made by Officer Barker, a vindictive white female guard, that Kingsbury had urinated on her through the food tray slot of his cell door. Not only had his food tray slot been closed, Barker had just denied Kingsbury his lunch meal and prewarned him that she’d order guards to kick his ass if he didn’t shut up complaining. “You gon’ write me up?” she asked me.

The all-white, oversized, illegal cell extraction team showed up – llegal in the sense that four out of the six were ranking guards, unauthorized to do a cell extraction.

The ordering of beatdowns by white female guards is a common occurrence at Polunsky Unit’s “II building,” a place that houses inmates awaiting transfer for being in fear of other inmates, COVID quarantine, pre-hearing detention (for major disciplinary cases), and where Kingsbury and I were housed (I’ve since been moved to general population). Regardless of custody level, inmates are handcuffed before leaving the cell and are at the mercy of guards for the most basic needs. It’s single cell housing.

A Black female, identified as Capt. Carter, responded to the false urinating claim. “I’m ‘bout to get yo’ ass sprayed,” she told Kingsbury.

Moments later, the all-white, oversized, illegal cell extraction team showed up. Illegal in the sense that four out of the six were ranking guards, unauthorized to do a cell extraction.

A guard who asked to remain anonymous out of fear of social media bashing, contests that Sgt. Schwartz and others laughed in the II-building supervisor’s office as they watched the footage of Kingsbury’s beating. Meaning that there’s a chance an archive of videos exists in their possession, depicting innocent prisoners being gassed and beaten.

“Man, I’m on the hot seat right now. They even think I talked about that video I’m gone” he said, and concluded, “Ain’t nobody killing they self. Them ranks putting in work back here.”

Dare to struggle, dare to win. All power to the people!

Send our brother some love and light: Jason Renard Walker, 1532092, Polunsky Unit, 387 FM 350 S, Livingston, TX 77351-8580.

What you can do to help

Sgt. Schwartz threatened to beat Jason Renard Walker like he beat Kingsbury if he spoke on the matter. These guards are under Capt. Carter’s influence, control and authority. She authorized the attempted murder of Kingsbury and there’s nothing stopping her from silencing those who bear witness.

Please email the TDCJ Ombudsman Office and file a complaint. Also request that an investigation be conducted on the female camera operator who deliberately recorded a video that supervisors are using as a laughing stock and training instrument for newly arriving rogue guards. The incident occurred on July 22, 2021.

Request that those involved in the attempted murder of Kingsbury be fired and criminal charges filed. Be sure to mention that the public is watching – and any assaults, bogus disciplinaries, threats and retaliation on Walker for speaking out will be handled accordingly.

The warden is Daniel Dickerson, phone 936-967-8082. He should hear from us too.

Write to Jason Walker and Marquis Kingsbury – as many people as we can get, and as quickly as possible, to write Jason and Marquis is crucial at this dangerous juncture:

–Jason Renard Walker, 1532092, Polunsky Unit, 387 FM 350 S, Livingston, TX 77351-8580.

–Marquis Kingsbury, #02303732, TDCJ-CID, Huntsville Unit, 815 12th Street, Huntsville, Texas 77348.