Clinton Young on Death Row - innocent on death row

On March 11^th 2010 Joshua Maxwell was executed. I had a visit that same day, as my mother came to see me. Joshua had a nickname “Moe”. Which us what all knew him as. I saw Moe’s kids walking out there which really gets to a person.

When a person gets a date, the last two days of visits are held in the area that is normally reserved for attorney visits. This is so no one can have any interaction with the condemned man. As I walked to the assigned visitation booth I was able to see Moe through the window on the door. I could see him talking to his visitor.

I sat down to talk to my mom though I had a feeling that if I tried to talk I would break down. My mother asked me what was wrong and if I didn’t want to talk or what. I told her to hold up and when I thought I had it together, I informed her that they were killing one of my homeboys. After I said that, I broke down. Thus came the inspiration for this poem.

=To Joshua Maxwell=

Never before over a man’s death,

So hard have I cried.

Then the day that you died.

Today-Tomorrow

I’ll still feel sorrow.

Just be sure you know,

I’ll always love ya bro.

March 11, 2010

Since I was just having a regular visit, it only lasted two hours, which would have put me to leave before 12 o’clock noon. That is when the visit ends for the person with the execution day.

He then gets transferred to Huntsville to be executed at the Walls Unit. After my visit was over I informed the officer working to not even bother trying to get me escorted back to my cell, as I was not going anywhere until Maxwell left. I sat there watching the clock on the wall as it ticked down. I swear that piece of shit seemed to speed up! About 5 minutes until noon I saw all the show boat pigs appear. The warden, regional directors & the other peon pigs. Two female officers escorted the family members out. The wardens, Major, Captain & other ranks escort the condemned out, They walk him into the building there he is searched and then cuffed for transportation and then placed in the transport van.

See, they use this bullshit wild west tradition. They hand off the prisoner at high noon & then execute him at sun down, 6 pm. So at noon Moe’s family was being escorted out, I watched as his mother, while crying, waived goo-bye to her son. As well as his daughter and son waived good-bye. Even sitting there watching it you can’t grasp the reality of it. It just seems so fake. It surely is senseless.

You see it and know that pigs fight so hard to uphold this practice. It changes nothing! Pigs say “Well he can’t kill again.” There is over thirty thousand people serving time for murder in Texas! (between Dallas/Fort Worth, Houston, and San Antonio there is almost a thousand murders a year!) So this bullshit about can’t kill again makes NO SENSE. More so when you got tens of thousands of other dudes that done killed people(s) walking around in population!

One out of four prisoners are serving life. Like a little over ten thousand of them could have qualified for the death penalty. In Texas only, like 20 people have been sent to death row in the last two years. Some of which were guys on death row getting new punishment phases. Yet over two hundred were sent for life without parole by the jury. In another 2 years there will be more people serving life without parole than on death row in Texas. As life without parole is only a couple years old as being a possible sentence in Texas. It used to be life with a chance of parole in 40 years. This shit is just pointless.

The hardest part of seeing his mom and such, for me, is the helpless feeling it brings. I sit there and there is nothing I can do to stop it. If we were in the population and some gang members tried to kill him, I could tie magazines around my stomach and say let’s rock and roll!! As the guards damn sure won’t do anything. In Texas if an inmate is killing another inmate, the guards can’t intervene. They just stand there at the door and yell “drop the weapon!” Then a few minutes later when they finally get their tear gas grenades they will throw one in the dorm and shut the door. So unless someone has your back you are all alone. (Magazines act like a bullet proof vest). So in the situation I could have & would have been able to do something to keep him from getting killed. In here all you can do it sit and watch. I do not respect the system as it is an unjust system. So the idea of “They are just doing their jobs”, this is not one that I adhere to. Moe and I were not as close as I am with a couple others here. Thought he is the first person I was close to that got executed.

When they resumed escorts, I was the first to walk back. I didn’t realize how blood shot my eyes were. As I walked back every guard that saw me automatically looked down to the ground. A low level rank that I had asked to help me get in a visit booth that would make it so I could talk to Moe when they took him out, did at least try to get it done by asking for me. When he saw me he faced away and acted like he was doing something. I guess for most human nature people it’s hard I suppose.

A song played that brought Moe to mind. It was “FreeBird” by Lynard Skynard. The Arrow, a radio station out of Houston played a Skynard album at midnight Friday night. When FreeBird came on, I turned the volume up, closed my eyes, and pressed my headphones against my ears so I could hear nothing but the song. This shit is crazy. I live it every day and still can’t grasp it. It’s just to irrational to comprehend. Life goes on. I use the pain to fuel the fire and to motivate me towards success.

Hopefully I can make some kind of change. Moe’s sister is on Myspace, I think. “I hope that your family is able to cope with the loss. Death is truly a survivor’s affair. Enjoy the memories and find peace in knowing that he no longer has to suffer in this hell hole.”

I am going to wrap this one up. Another page turns.

Use the pain to fuel the fire.

Veni, Vidi, Vici

In Solidarity,