THE INAUGURAL: 2026 VIRGINIA PRISON REFORM SENTINEL RECOGNITION By William Thorpe

Pictures are taken from the internet and are used for illustrative purposes only

Back in the early 1980's as I was growing up in Virginia's hell holes, namely, THE WALL aka 500 Spring St. aka THE VIRGINIA STATE PENITENTIARY, STATE FARM aka POWHATAN CORRECTIONAL CENTER and DA 'BURG aka MECKLENBURG CORRECTIONAL CENTER, with a considerable amount of time in the Solitary Confinement cages of each Prison, we had a Woman MARIE DEANS who has passed, may her existence forever be immortalized, whose work was pure fire, in ensuring that the Virginia Prison Official understood that as much as they plyed in sadism and immunity, they were accountable because she was the ever watchful eye holding and drawing the line. In plain speak she was a SENTINEL and it's in her immortality that I recognize these 3 (three) resolute Virginia Women who are continuing what our Women, our Sistahs have forever done, BE ALERT and WATCH even when we haven't respected, recognized and acknowledged their tireless efforts. Well its my intention to change that (and I trust others will come on board and help in firmly establishing, the SENTINEL RECOGNITION as a defacto celebration showing that where the Virginia Prison Official and allies would dehumanize, we the Virginia Prisoner affirm Humanness and that one and only truth, which is the ACCOUNTABILITY-FUNCTION anchoring us all).So with this INAUGURAL: 2026 VIRGINIA PRISON REFORM SENTINEL RECOGNITION, I shout out NICOLE DEYO of BENDING THE BARS. Nicole as all others who Sentinel like hold the Virginia Prison official to account, do so tirelessly and ceaselessly not because they are anti-Justice, but what they are anti and resolutely stand against and oppose is savagery, barbarism and dehumanization done under law by a system that claims the qualification of Law, while cravenly spitting in its face as a tool and medium of reducing demographics of The People to less than. So she gets this 2026 VIRGINIA PRISON REFORM SENTINEL RECOGNITION Shout Out. Our next recipient is APRIL WRIGHT of UNITING PRISONERS RELATIVES ORGANIZING AGAINST REPRESSION (UPROAR) April exemplifies the classic Virginia Mother whose son is imprisoned by the Commonwealth of Virginia and naturally and commonsensically doesn't have to like the fact her child is behind bars, but as a Virginia citizen, a participant in its Social Contract, she understands that the primary function of government is the Fair Administration of the Law, as such she doesn't (and no one should expect her to) have to like the law and its application to her Son, But this is where that supposed and expected Fair Administration of Law as it relates to her Son's imprisonment circumstance and conditions has been flipped, distorted and turned upside down. Because just as April exemplifies and represents the classic Mother whose son is caught up in the justice system, she also embodies that norm of it's insufferable injustice and experience that the average Virginia Mother lives with due to the savagery and barbarism her son has been subjected to by the Virginia Prison official. Her resolute perseverance demands this 2026 VIRGINIA PRISON REFORM SENTINEL RECOGNITION. Last but not least is MARVA AUSTIN of THE PRISONERS RIGHTS CLINC. Marva speaks for us the Virginia Prisoner on the fraud and vindictive farce of what's left of Virginia's Parole process, because SENTINEL like, she recognizes, its seizure and perversion by reactionaries. She gets this Shout Out.

By William Thorpe

I'm William Thorpe Virginia exiled me to the Texas prison system. I'm solitary confined at the Wainwright Unit and if you feel any kinda way about this work contact me by Securus email using the Texas prison number #2261982