Dear Ms Sheehan,

    This letter is to complain about the behavior of Matthew Gray, Deputy Chief of Staff to Senator Vasconcellos.  Some people may feel Mr. Gray has done an outstanding job in this position, however, I must state for the record that my opinion of his performance is just the opposite.

    When I objected to the harmful, overly punitive and needlessly cruel treatment of prisoners at Mule Creek Prison, I found Mr. Gray to be flippant and condescending towards me.  He was indifferent about the plight of the men and considered the prisoners to be lying when they were not.  When I protested and gave him some examples, he assured me he would do what he could to help.  In reality he did little.  His idea of "help" was to side with the warden, a man who happens to have dreadful track record when it comes to the treatment of prisoners.  Mr. Gray joined in to what I believe to be an utterly shameful cover up.  He put out misleading and false information and paraded it as the truth when it was, in fact, twisted and convoluted lies.  In frustration I told Mr. Gray that I considered him to be "part of the problem rather than part of the solution."  This is a phrase commonly used by citizen activists to either persuade or propel others into action when it comes to reform.  Apparently, Mr. Gray took offense.  

    Matthew Gray appears to work well with people so long as they are willing to lavish praise upon him.  When unpleasant circumstances are brought to his attention and he is asked for help he becomes defensive stupidly telling people that helping "is not in my job description."  Sometimes it is necessary for the public to give him other feedback -- a more balanced and accurate picture of what is happening.  In my opinion, he should look at this as an opportunity to serve.  Certainly, the public should be able to expect a more mature attitude on his part when it comes to constructive feedback.  Sadly, he does not handle it well and responds as a child might.  In fact worse, as his responses are viscous to the extreme.  It is unbecoming to a man of his age and position. 

    As a tax payer I am angry with him.  As a retired teacher and former administrator I am offended by his behavior.  Years ago I worked in the Governor's Office in another state and had the opportunity to work with various legislative aides and with the Governor's staff.  I can tell you they behaved with decorum both on and off the job and would have been fired outright had they failed in bringing dignity to their jobs.  After all, their behaviors reflected on their employers.   Of course, they were entitled to personal opinions, but those expressed were done respectfully and their was a genuine effort to be honest.  Mr. Gray does not appear to be guided by those principles.

    I do not feel that Matthew Gray is fit to hold a job anywhere in state government.  Additionally, should he ever decide to run for public office, I would be first in line to actively campaign against him regardless of his political party.

Sincerely,

Your immaturity and wild remarks have revealed to the many, many professionals who subscribe to the UNION newsletter that you are not a true advocate for inmates.  I am sending letters to register complaints about your unprofessional conduct and bashing of us simply because we have kept 
records of your callousness that has resulted in death and suffering.

The job is way too much for your education and emotional maturity level.  There is no way that we aren't going to take action and cooperate in any and all lawsuits where you are named.

Several years ago about 15 people filed into Senator Vasconcellos' office and begged for your help.  You told them all that nothing could be done and for years, you have taken whatever CDC tells you on the phone as the truth, without ever looking more deeply into it.

As a result of this many people have been hurt.  We still have those 15 people active with us and they remember that you didn't bring remedy to even one person.

We have witnessed the websites and email addresses you have set up in a deliberate attempt to stop our UNION organizing which is much larger than you can even comprehend.  We are a coalition of other groups and they are not at all impressed with what you have done here.

We made public appeals to you in person, on the phone and in the UNION newsletter for nine months to intervene in the Dias case.  Once we caused that to happen, you come in and try to act like you were working on it all along.

But we must also remember the appeals Cayenne and others made to you that John Bolander was in danger and you did nothing.  He turned up dead.  And that Dennis Jenkins needed his heart medicine at Mule Creek last Christmas.  You did nothing and he died which terrorized all the other inmates who witnessed this neglect.  Why wasn't Hime Galindo given a compassionate release from Mule Creek instead of dying chained to his bed in ad seg of Hepatitis after we appealed to you to step in and help with that?  Have you no conscience?

I don't know how you can sleep at night.  I know that you  have a criminal record and the website threatening a "hit" could only have been created by you.  But we are filing letters of complaint on you right now.  The television station director thinks you are a raving maniac trying to stop the airing of "Cayenne Common Sense."  Whose side are you on?  You can't block the media although you did manage to intimidate and lie to a dying Beverly Dias.  The evidence against you is well documented.

You are also aiding in the torture of Cayenne's son, Eric Knapp and assisting in the violation of the American Disabilities Act. His doctors there have ordered single cell status for him for one year after you cooperated and allowed his torment and near death at the hands of Michael Knowles who is now also warden at Folsom, Represa.  The fact that you are doing nothing about this makes you a direct party to what happens to him when the doctors orders are violated.  You know of this situation and are doing nothing to stop it.  So your negligencer is ongoing, which means that you need to be removed from your present duties so that others will not die or suffer needlessly.

You and other aides will be named in lawsuits and I will be there to testify against you in at least two of these.  Count on it.

Ann McNulty, RN

Cayenne:

I hope everyone remembers that it was exactly this time last year when Dennis Jenkins died needlessly at Mule Creek because he was repeatedly denied his heart medicine, even after going to clinic and asking for it three times a day for more than a week.

This is when I lost all respect for Matthew Gray who did nothing to save this man's life.  "I tried"   and "I only help inmates to be nice, it isn't really my job"  just isn't good enough. When kids get too power happy and let people die, we need to slap them down.

Michael Welch

Where MATT GRAY screwed up with me and showed me what he's really about - was with what happened to that 12 year old foster girl who was put in a state mental hospital - days after being RAPED and is still there to this day....AND THE COUNTY - GOT AWAY WITH IT ! Three social workers - from Riverside County lost their jobs over this case...

Its an outrage...what happened to her...Finally a Press Enterprise reporter - is writing a story about it...nearly 3 years after it happened...

This story is a scandal in its own right - but I remember writing Matt Gray about it - as it unfolded - and all he wrote back is 'Madelene did it ever occur to you that 'she' is where she needs to be so they can stabilize her " as IF it was a 'DUH' question that I posed in my writing to him...

This after describing to him - how awful she was being treated with heavy psychotropic drugging whereas she was ending up in beds that she didn't know how she got in...how a 'shaved headed - burly black man unit counselor - would 'lay on her - full frontal - and put his hand over her mouth and tell her to 'shut the 'F' as she 'resisted' being tied down - hands and ankles to the bed...

AND then to my amazement - the Justice Department - launched a investigation almost 5 months later - and concluded that METROPOLITAN STATE HOSPITAL was mishandling the children who were being placed in that facility - which was lending itself to despair and hopelessness.. since they discovered that more than one girl had tried to KILL HERSELF while being incarcerated inside....

And get this...the things that got the most criticizm was the 'restraining of ankles and feet' of those children and the way tooo much over medicating of them with those heavy psychotropic drugs...and the harsh and brutal way they were being handled by STAFF...(hello Matt) if its not good enough for the Justice Department - it shouldn't be FOR A LEGISLATIVE AIDE - OF A STATE SENATOR....

And there's dopey Matt - shooting off his big mouth to me "madelene did it ever occur to you - that 'she' is where she needs to be'

He is not to be believed...

If only once - he would should some EMPATHY for the plight of down trodden - people....just once...!

Let me just add - that I can attest to Matt Gray's vicious-ness and immaturity and vindictive manner...

In June of 2003 -  I wrote Matt Gray  a 'scathing' e-mail which was in support of Cayenne...and which I called him on the carpet for his callous - un-supportive - cold hearted - pathological manner and M.O. when it came to the needs of inmates...I recall that I stated to him that with his own father in prison - one would think that 'HE' would be more sensitive to the needs of others...

Within ONE DAY - I got an 'e-mail alert' from JUNO.COM (which was my e-mail account carrier at the time) accusing me of sending 'un-solicited questionable material' through Juno...

I knew and know that Matt Gray turned me in...

I had been with Juno since 1997 - and had on many occasions reported spam material - which was of pornographic content to Juno...and now they were 'threatening' me of 'removal' from their services - if I did not cease and desist from sending through the Juno - unsolicited - questionable e-mail...

I had to explain that I was a 54 year old grandmother - and that I had never - in my life - perused - opened or handled pornography material in my whole entire life...

In my heart of hearts - I know that Matt Gray - went after me...

He's immature - and mean and cruel and he needs TO GO !

Signed

Madelene Hunter
Foster Care Advocate

"I never said the tape did not exist.
Instead, I have many times encouraged its release.

Yet another fine example of the truth vs. Barbara Bird's focus.

Instead of working on the tape, she chooses to spend her time with these misleading e-mails.
THE IMPORTANT THING HERE IS to get the tape released!

Maybe someone would be kind enough to forward this onto Barbara Bird as a reminder to get the job done?"

Answer. . . .

Matthew Gray:

We are volunteers.  You are on our payroll as taxpayers.  We have no control over the  programming or the video editors on my television series who are also volunteers.  If you sincerely want to help us get this before the public faster, then put your money on the table and we'll hire it done.  I know a video editor who works for a big television station but he wants to paid. As it is, we do not have the funds to pay people to do things the right way. 

How much will you pay an editor to get it done Matthew?  Nothing I'll venture since you are totally exposed in that episode and several others.

Everyone in the world knows this show was filmed, the only person who needs to know about it is Alameida.  He knows!  He knows about the visiting and package lawsuit that you are telling everyone not to support as well.

You have a hidden agenda.  Is your hidden agenda that you dare think that you would be appointed as CDC Director?  We need a person with compassion and life experience in that job. You have neither trait and consider that saving inmates is a favor you do for people and not part of your responsibility to assure the safety of all inmates.

We'll let the judge decide. 

B. Cayenne Bird

Through her diligent efforts, under the care and guidance of her competent counsel, and due to her deserving case, I am pleased to report to you CDC has now approved Beverly Diaz's request for compassionate release.  The matter is now before a judge for resentencing prior to ordering her release.
 

FYI

Matt Gray
Deputy Chief of Staff
Senator John Vasconcellos
Dean of the Legislature
State Capitol, Room 5108
Sacramento, CA  95814
Ph. 916-445-9740      Fax 916-324-0283

Ms. Anne Sheehan
State Personnel Board
801 Capitol Mall MS#22
PO Box 94420
Sacramento, CA  94244-2010

Dear Ms. Sheehan:

    The purpose of this letter is to make a complaint against Mr. Ken Hurdle, Ombudsman for California Department of Corrections.  I would like you to place this letter in his personnel file.  I had an unfortunate encounter with him last year and did not report it then, but I'm doing so now.

    A crisis occurred at Mule Creek State Prison regarding contaminated food and it involved several prisoners who were injured or retaliated against by prison staff. Rather than solving the problem, which would have been the sensible thing to do, the warden and guards under his direction and control constructed an elaborate scheme to cover up and blame the inmate whistle blowers who were attempting to correct a serious problem.  In fact, the problem had gone on for years and all attempts to rectify the situation had always met with indifference.  The contaminated food issue at Mule Creek has been well documented.

    Ken Hurdle, as the Ombudsman in this situation took part in the dissemination of false information put out by the warden and by rogue guards which ended in highly serious consequences for some of the inmates.  And to this day, Mr. Hurdle and others are still taking part in the dissemination of false information. The whistle blowers were not trouble makers, but honest men, well respected among the other inmates. They had no enemies.  False enemies were suddenly "found" as part of the cover up process.  The reasons were to hide the truth and to frighten the other inmates so that they would make no further complaints about glass, razor blades, and urine being found in the food. 

    California Department of Corrections does not deal well with reality.  They have little understanding of the value of conflict resolution and it's purpose in the management process.  A grievance procedure is part of Title 15 and would work if allowed, but prisoners are routinely punished for using this procedure which was set up as an honest, direct and effective way to deal with prisoner issues.  Prisoners throughout the state know the 602 system is broken and cannot be fixed until truth (without retaliation) becomes part of the equation.

    When problems occurred at Mule Creek, Mr. Hurdle had the opportunity to set things right.  He had the opportunity to end a problem that had gone on for years.  He had the opportunity to step in and end inmate suffering.  He chose instead, the path of betrayal -- both to his own integrity and to the well being of the prisoners who are completely dependent on the state for their care.  Families of prisoners turned to him repeatedly for help.  What they found was a man pleasant enough but fully aware of which side his bread was buttered on.  Prisoner families did not pay his salary.  In my view, the Ombudsman position for CDC should be eliminated if the person holding this position cannot find it in himself to be truthful, fair, or objective or have the courage necessary to stand up and insist that the right thing be done. 

    Mr. Hurdle helped hide the truth.  As long as the truth remains hidden from view taxpayers will carry the burden of wrongful death, medical neglect and other kinds of lawsuits.  Until we examine the present system and make meaningful and lasting changes we will be paying out; as surely as night follows day. 

Sincerely,
 
 

CC:  Senator Gloria Romero
State Capitol Building
Room 5051
Sacramento, CA  95814