University of Virginia Library

Nondescript

"A" Tank eighth floor is where
all the federal prisoners were kept.
Had we been arrested by the local
police, chances are our worst
suspicions would have been
realized. The Tulsa Jail, like those
in many cities, is nondescript from
the outside; you would think it was
just another office building. It's
not. In many instances it's a
building where the bars are
imprisoning the wrong people, the
crime being failure to conform.

We were rooming with two
accused felons, both "dire action"
cases. Dire action is charged for
taking stolen goods across state
lines. T-, the oldest of the four of
us had been in jail continuously
since 1964, except when he'd
escaped. His cumulative sentences
would have kept him continuously
in jail until 2070. Before that he
had ridden with Hell's Angels, and
The Sons of Thor, both motorcycle
gangs in California.

S— was a year or two younger
than both Norm and I. He had run
away from home, gotten messed up
on dope, stolen a car, and had been
chased all over Tulsa by the
authorities. He was being charged
with every loose crime they could
find, and when his lawyer managed
to get one thrown out of court,
they'd charge him with another.
While we were there they informed
him he was charged with stealing a
car in Texas on a date when he'd
been in Chicago.

We slowly exchanged stories
with our cell mates, and they in turn
began to inform us of Tulsa
Routine. The lights never dimmed,
the major change of environment
occurring when it was sunny and
some extra light filtered in through
the opaqued glass. We were to get
up at 5 a.m. and move into the
tank, a room about 60 feet long
and 15 feet wide, furnished in
modern medal, with six picnic
tables for entertainment. Also in
the tank was a toilet and two
showers.

Breakfast was served at 7 a.m.
and for the next twelve hours we
were to entertain ourselves in the
tank. At 5 p.m. we were allowed to
clean our cells and mop down the
tank, as well as move freely
between the cell and the tank. At 6
p.m. we were served dinner and
after that the guards locked us in
our cells for the night.