In this week’s episode, we air the final part of a conversation between Jok from Focus Initiatives and Rodney Jones, known as Big R. Big R was a witness to the beating that sparked the 1985 Pendleton prison uprising here in Indiana. In previous episodes, they discussed the circumstances that led up to the beating, including a gang of white supremacist guards, called the Sons of Light, who perpetrated abuses throughout the facility. This week, Jok starts out by reading part of a former prison guard’s statement- giving insight into this racist secret society that was at the root of the beating that was the catalyst for the riot.

John Cole Jr. (known as Balagoon) has been on the show before:

Episode 245: Harsh Debts

Episode 246: Even When You’re Right, You’re Wrong

This conversation is part of a series put on by IDOC Watch and other organizations, including Focus Initiatives, LTD. We encourage you to check out their projects, which focus on inside/outside prisoner and re-entry support.

IDOC Watch has written several articles about the prisoners involved in this uprising and its aftermath:

https://www.idocwatch.org/blog-1/2021/9/27/2018-court-order-for-resentencing-of-indiana-political-prisoner-christopher-naeem-trotter

https://www.idocwatch.org/blog-1/2022/1/28/long-term-indiana-political-prisoner-balagoon-speaks-on-the-1985-uprising-at-pendleton-cf-and-his-pending-sentence-modification

You can read about the 1985 uprising in DOWN: Reflections on Prison Resistance in Indiana.