A CT scan revealed Steven Tyler Tracy’s nearly four-year-old hernia, wrapped around his intestines like a snake. That was his ticket into emergency surgery in Pleasanton Hospital in San Antonio. Never mind that Mr. Tracy had long requested medication to manage the ever-increasing pain, he was continually refused surgery on the grounds that it would only be performed if the hernia was on the verge of bursting.
Steven Tracy’s story is one of immense and undeniable medical neglect. However, it is also a story that directly reflects the deplorable practices that help maintain the prison industrial complex. That is: ignore, ignore, ignore. Ignore a problem or concern until there is no other option but to address it. Even after that, there is no guarantee that it will be addressed at all. Some might posit that at least Mr. Tracy received his much-needed care eventually and he should just be happy with that. As members of The Remedy Project, we challenge that intentionally withholding one’s care completely denies and denigrates one’s humanity; it is inhumane and an act of evil.
March 25, 2022 was Steven Tracy’s last day in state prison. From there he was placed in federal custody, first at FCI El Reno in Oklahoma, then to FCI Pollock in Louisiana in early January 2023. By September 19th of that year he was in FCI Three Rivers in Texas. Ironically, his 1000-plus-mile journey from one federal correctional facility to another yielded little progress concerning the state of his health. As far as I am concerned this logic does not align with the Hippocratic oath nor does it align with what should be common courtesy and human decency. If you are in a privileged position to help someone in need and you have given your time and resources to contribute to efforts that ameliorate human suffering, withholding treatment when it is clearly indicated is inhumane. To address something only when it has become a life-threatening emergency is both unethical and harmful.
After surgery, Mr. Tracy was permitted to leave the hospital on September 24th, 2023. Dr. Palafox, who performed his surgery, told him to inform medical staff immediately if his incision showed signs of opening or infection. FCI Three Rivers refused to acknowledge this information, for reasons we cannot understand and have ascertained is unjustified given these instructions were recommended by a medical professional.
Despite the fact that Mr. Tracy had finally received the care he needed, things were far from resolved. He was returned to the general population which meant less supervision and protection if an altercation were to take place; completely unpredictable. Not to mention he was still in an incredible amount of pain and walking was very difficult and tiresome. Unfortunately and unsurprisingly he had been denied a wheelchair by Dr. Mank, a physician at Three Rivers, to safely move from place to place. After gathering a few fellow inmates as witnesses, Mr. Tracy sought A.W Jury to inquire again about the wheelchair, and was again denied. “You see, we have no wheelchairs. Just walk slow.” Walk slowly? Now, it is one thing to not have ample resources to help someone. It is another to refuse to help meet a need when you have the power to do so. With that Mr. Tracy spent the rest of the night in increasingly more and more pain, unable to walk, and was even denied the right to have his food brought to him.
That night Mr. Tracy told the unit officer about his worsening pain and the medical team was thankfully notified. However, without even coming to assess the severity of Mr. Tracy’s situation, they told him to report to medical in the morning; they were going home for the night. This was yet again another episode of negligence, an unfortunate theme of Mr. Tracy’s story and that of many who the Remedy Project has had the privilege of serving and partnering with. Just moments later, after the medical staff had taken their leave, Mr. Tracy’s incision reopened. The next morning he went to see Dr. Mank to show him the newly opening incision and remind him of the increasing pain he was experiencing. Again he pleaded for a wheelchair, a walker, crutches even, anything at all. Again he was told to walk it off. Could Mr. Tracy be placed on a different care level to avoid mishaps with other prisoners while he recovered from his surgery? Mr. Mank’s response?
“All prisons are violent.”
Mr. Mank was partly right. In some ways prisons are violent but not always in the ways you would first suspect or in the ways we as consumers have been conditioned to believe. Violence is not just what we see in action movies, nor is it limited to the content on mainstream news channels. It is the act of placing force – which could be physical, emotional, economic, social etc – to damage or harm. The Federal Bureau of Prisons, the media, and even economic powers profiting off of the prison industrial complex, want people to believe that prisons are a necessary means to protect the outside world, the “good” world, from the violence of those behind bars.
By creating and perpetuating monolithic and socially disruptive images of men and women behind bars, they cunningly propose a justification for mercilessly mistreating human beings. I would argue the violence behind bars Dr. Mank was talking about goes far beyond and is much deeper than interpersonal violence between incarcerated persons. I would argue that creating obstacles between a person and their well being simply because you have the power to do so and you see incarcerated persons as animals is an act of violence, Dr. Mank. Violence is normalizing and mascarding some forms of violence as just for one’s own - or a system’s own - gain at the expense of those they deem deserving of such punishment and mistreatment.
Beyond the pain associated with his hernia, Mr. Tracy was dealing with nerve damage that resulted in decreased sensation to his right testicle and right inner thigh. All this time he was also dealing with and only mildly managing pneumonia. Imagine how hard it must be to have multiple, pertinent ailments that not only exceed your ability to address them, but exceed the number of people willing to do something about it.
Two weeks had passed since his surgery, and the incision was now red, hard, and oozing pus; clear signs infection was well underway. Recalling orders from Dr. Pollock, Mr. Tracy immediately notified the unit officer of this on Sunday, October 8th. The Medical team responded by telling him to stop by on Tuesday at 6:30am. Mr. Tracy then took it upon himself to go to the Lieutenant's Office about this. He was told by a man named Mr. Thompson, that coming to the Lieutenant’s office was “...not going to get Medical to do anything”. Even though he stated being seen in his current condition was an order from his surgeon, the Medical team refused to see him. They only deal with emergencies on the weekend, Mr. Thompson told Mr. Tracy. Unfortunately for Mr. Tracy, they had not deemed his condition to be emergent.
Our team here at the Remedy Project has been corresponding with Mr. Tracy since early October of this year. Since then, he has been very open and honest with us regarding the hardships he has experienced behind bars as we have worked to send out his BP-9 denoting the medical neglect he has been facing for months. A BP-9 is a document that allows incarcerated persons to formally describe complaints, injustices, or other negative experiences behind bars. This is really the only way the Federal Bureau of Prisons (FBOP) will be moved to address a situation. Therefore, submitting this document hopefully ensures such inquiries are not overlooked. According to state law, the FBOP is obligated to respond to a formal complaint within 15-20 days of receiving the report. On October 10th, our team had received confirmation that it had been received by the FBOP, but by October 27th, Mr. Tracy had not received word from them. Imagine what he might be going through. With all the obstacles we faced communicating with Mr. Tracy, sending documents back and forth, and finally having everything in order to send the FBOP, only to receive radio silence in return.
The process as far as the FBOP is concerned has been put on hold. However, this obviously does not mean the struggles that Mr. Tracy had experienced being behind bars ceased while his complaints were pending. A few days prior to the FBOP’s 20 day response limit, a conflict arose between Mr.Tracy and his cellmate. Given his condition, Mr. Tracy knew he would not be able to defend himself if need be and requested to be moved to a different cell for his safety. Mr. AW Breadsley whom he had spoken to about this responded saying, he “...wasn’t going to step on his coworkers d**ks to help him.” Mr. Tracy’s caseworker Mr. Morin who he asked next about this, though less profane, had a similar response. “[We] don’t do any moving. If you got a problem, you can go check in.”
Rather than trying to appeal Mr. Tracy’s original BP-9 our advocacy team advised him to email his warden explaining the response due date had passed and request an extension receipt. Our advocacy team updated Mr. Tracy’s records and requested the name, district and contact information of Mr. Tracy’s sentencing judge. The Northerner District of Texas Amarillo Division, Judge Matthew J. Kaczmarek. Names are important for all of us who work for and with the Remedy Project. It is our way of assigning overdue and unaddressed responsibility to those who are either directly or indirectly responsible for committing or ignoring violence behind bars. As you can see, things do not always go as we plan, and it becomes increasingly difficult to call those with the power to change things to attention if they refuse to acknowledge that there are any problems at all.
Mr. Tracy told us that for comfort through all of this, he has been quoting a scripture. Romans 12:2 reads “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.” He explained that though he knows this is true, sometimes it's easier to just conform. He’s right. Going against the grain, always being met by resistance after resistance after resistance, can crush a person’s will, even their will to live.
Without even realizing it, Mr. Tracy has wholly grasped the purpose of and reason for the Remedy Project’s efforts. In his suffering, he has reminded me why we advocate for those who have been marginalized and silenced. There are too many powerful people –judges, unit officers, case managers, medical personnel, government officials – who have the ability to change the direction of and even lengthen people’s lives. However, it's too hard. They might think to themselves, why do the right thing if it’s too hard, too costly, and the rewards lack immediate benefits? We as students, volunteers, and staff of the Remedy Project are far from perfect, and will not be able to meet every need that comes to our attention. Yet we take it upon ourselves to identify, act on, and finally call attention to the injustice, inhumanity, and structural violence we see to the best of our ability. We do not turn a blind eye, and we urge others to do the same.
So how can you help us here at the Remedy Project, you ask? A quote from Phillip Pullman’s The Subtle Knife is our answer to you.
“Seems to me the place you fight cruelty is where you find it, and the place you give help is where you see it needed.”
Though Mr. Tracy’s story is heartbreaking and may be painful to read, do not look away, do not forget it. There are many stories we share at the Remedy Project and they are unique in their own right, yet they are all united in the pains that injustice causes. Read these stories, complete the actions, share them with friends and family, donate. Do not let the silence and blindness continue. Do not normalize it. Do not tolerate it. Do not make or accept excuses for it.
A CT scan revealed Steven Tyler Tracy’s nearly four-year-old hernia, wrapped around his intestines like a snake. That was his ticket into emergency surgery in Pleasanton Hospital in San Antonio. Never mind that Mr. Tracy had long requested medication to manage the ever-increasing pain, he was continually refused surgery on the grounds that it would only be performed if the hernia was on the verge of bursting.
Steven Tracy’s story is one of immense and undeniable medical neglect. However, it is also a story that directly reflects the deplorable practices that help maintain the prison industrial complex. That is: ignore, ignore, ignore. Ignore a problem or concern until there is no other option but to address it. Even after that, there is no guarantee that it will be addressed at all. Some might posit that at least Mr. Tracy received his much-needed care eventually and he should just be happy with that. As members of The Remedy Project, we challenge that intentionally withholding one’s care completely denies and denigrates one’s humanity; it is inhumane and an act of evil.
March 25, 2022 was Steven Tracy’s last day in state prison. From there he was placed in federal custody, first at FCI El Reno in Oklahoma, then to FCI Pollock in Louisiana in early January 2023. By September 19th of that year he was in FCI Three Rivers in Texas. Ironically, his 1000-plus-mile journey from one federal correctional facility to another yielded little progress concerning the state of his health. As far as I am concerned this logic does not align with the Hippocratic oath nor does it align with what should be common courtesy and human decency. If you are in a privileged position to help someone in need and you have given your time and resources to contribute to efforts that ameliorate human suffering, withholding treatment when it is clearly indicated is inhumane. To address something only when it has become a life-threatening emergency is both unethical and harmful.
After surgery, Mr. Tracy was permitted to leave the hospital on September 24th, 2023. Dr. Palafox, who performed his surgery, told him to inform medical staff immediately if his incision showed signs of opening or infection. FCI Three Rivers refused to acknowledge this information, for reasons we cannot understand and have ascertained is unjustified given these instructions were recommended by a medical professional.
Despite the fact that Mr. Tracy had finally received the care he needed, things were far from resolved. He was returned to the general population which meant less supervision and protection if an altercation were to take place; completely unpredictable. Not to mention he was still in an incredible amount of pain and walking was very difficult and tiresome. Unfortunately and unsurprisingly he had been denied a wheelchair by Dr. Mank, a physician at Three Rivers, to safely move from place to place. After gathering a few fellow inmates as witnesses, Mr. Tracy sought A.W Jury to inquire again about the wheelchair, and was again denied. “You see, we have no wheelchairs. Just walk slow.” Walk slowly? Now, it is one thing to not have ample resources to help someone. It is another to refuse to help meet a need when you have the power to do so. With that Mr. Tracy spent the rest of the night in increasingly more and more pain, unable to walk, and was even denied the right to have his food brought to him.
That night Mr. Tracy told the unit officer about his worsening pain and the medical team was thankfully notified. However, without even coming to assess the severity of Mr. Tracy’s situation, they told him to report to medical in the morning; they were going home for the night. This was yet again another episode of negligence, an unfortunate theme of Mr. Tracy’s story and that of many who the Remedy Project has had the privilege of serving and partnering with. Just moments later, after the medical staff had taken their leave, Mr. Tracy’s incision reopened. The next morning he went to see Dr. Mank to show him the newly opening incision and remind him of the increasing pain he was experiencing. Again he pleaded for a wheelchair, a walker, crutches even, anything at all. Again he was told to walk it off. Could Mr. Tracy be placed on a different care level to avoid mishaps with other prisoners while he recovered from his surgery? Mr. Mank’s response?
“All prisons are violent.”
Mr. Mank was partly right. In some ways prisons are violent but not always in the ways you would first suspect or in the ways we as consumers have been conditioned to believe. Violence is not just what we see in action movies, nor is it limited to the content on mainstream news channels. It is the act of placing force – which could be physical, emotional, economic, social etc – to damage or harm. The Federal Bureau of Prisons, the media, and even economic powers profiting off of the prison industrial complex, want people to believe that prisons are a necessary means to protect the outside world, the “good” world, from the violence of those behind bars.
By creating and perpetuating monolithic and socially disruptive images of men and women behind bars, they cunningly propose a justification for mercilessly mistreating human beings. I would argue the violence behind bars Dr. Mank was talking about goes far beyond and is much deeper than interpersonal violence between incarcerated persons. I would argue that creating obstacles between a person and their well being simply because you have the power to do so and you see incarcerated persons as animals is an act of violence, Dr. Mank. Violence is normalizing and mascarding some forms of violence as just for one’s own - or a system’s own - gain at the expense of those they deem deserving of such punishment and mistreatment.
Beyond the pain associated with his hernia, Mr. Tracy was dealing with nerve damage that resulted in decreased sensation to his right testicle and right inner thigh. All this time he was also dealing with and only mildly managing pneumonia. Imagine how hard it must be to have multiple, pertinent ailments that not only exceed your ability to address them, but exceed the number of people willing to do something about it.
Two weeks had passed since his surgery, and the incision was now red, hard, and oozing pus; clear signs infection was well underway. Recalling orders from Dr. Pollock, Mr. Tracy immediately notified the unit officer of this on Sunday, October 8th. The Medical team responded by telling him to stop by on Tuesday at 6:30am. Mr. Tracy then took it upon himself to go to the Lieutenant's Office about this. He was told by a man named Mr. Thompson, that coming to the Lieutenant’s office was “...not going to get Medical to do anything”. Even though he stated being seen in his current condition was an order from his surgeon, the Medical team refused to see him. They only deal with emergencies on the weekend, Mr. Thompson told Mr. Tracy. Unfortunately for Mr. Tracy, they had not deemed his condition to be emergent.
Our team here at the Remedy Project has been corresponding with Mr. Tracy since early October of this year. Since then, he has been very open and honest with us regarding the hardships he has experienced behind bars as we have worked to send out his BP-9 denoting the medical neglect he has been facing for months. A BP-9 is a document that allows incarcerated persons to formally describe complaints, injustices, or other negative experiences behind bars. This is really the only way the Federal Bureau of Prisons (FBOP) will be moved to address a situation. Therefore, submitting this document hopefully ensures such inquiries are not overlooked. According to state law, the FBOP is obligated to respond to a formal complaint within 15-20 days of receiving the report. On October 10th, our team had received confirmation that it had been received by the FBOP, but by October 27th, Mr. Tracy had not received word from them. Imagine what he might be going through. With all the obstacles we faced communicating with Mr. Tracy, sending documents back and forth, and finally having everything in order to send the FBOP, only to receive radio silence in return.
The process as far as the FBOP is concerned has been put on hold. However, this obviously does not mean the struggles that Mr. Tracy had experienced being behind bars ceased while his complaints were pending. A few days prior to the FBOP’s 20 day response limit, a conflict arose between Mr.Tracy and his cellmate. Given his condition, Mr. Tracy knew he would not be able to defend himself if need be and requested to be moved to a different cell for his safety. Mr. AW Breadsley whom he had spoken to about this responded saying, he “...wasn’t going to step on his coworkers d**ks to help him.” Mr. Tracy’s caseworker Mr. Morin who he asked next about this, though less profane, had a similar response. “[We] don’t do any moving. If you got a problem, you can go check in.”
Rather than trying to appeal Mr. Tracy’s original BP-9 our advocacy team advised him to email his warden explaining the response due date had passed and request an extension receipt. Our advocacy team updated Mr. Tracy’s records and requested the name, district and contact information of Mr. Tracy’s sentencing judge. The Northerner District of Texas Amarillo Division, Judge Matthew J. Kaczmarek. Names are important for all of us who work for and with the Remedy Project. It is our way of assigning overdue and unaddressed responsibility to those who are either directly or indirectly responsible for committing or ignoring violence behind bars. As you can see, things do not always go as we plan, and it becomes increasingly difficult to call those with the power to change things to attention if they refuse to acknowledge that there are any problems at all.
Mr. Tracy told us that for comfort through all of this, he has been quoting a scripture. Romans 12:2 reads “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.” He explained that though he knows this is true, sometimes it's easier to just conform. He’s right. Going against the grain, always being met by resistance after resistance after resistance, can crush a person’s will, even their will to live.
Without even realizing it, Mr. Tracy has wholly grasped the purpose of and reason for the Remedy Project’s efforts. In his suffering, he has reminded me why we advocate for those who have been marginalized and silenced. There are too many powerful people –judges, unit officers, case managers, medical personnel, government officials – who have the ability to change the direction of and even lengthen people’s lives. However, it's too hard. They might think to themselves, why do the right thing if it’s too hard, too costly, and the rewards lack immediate benefits? We as students, volunteers, and staff of the Remedy Project are far from perfect, and will not be able to meet every need that comes to our attention. Yet we take it upon ourselves to identify, act on, and finally call attention to the injustice, inhumanity, and structural violence we see to the best of our ability. We do not turn a blind eye, and we urge others to do the same.
So how can you help us here at the Remedy Project, you ask? A quote from Phillip Pullman’s The Subtle Knife is our answer to you.
“Seems to me the place you fight cruelty is where you find it, and the place you give help is where you see it needed.”
Though Mr. Tracy’s story is heartbreaking and may be painful to read, do not look away, do not forget it. There are many stories we share at the Remedy Project and they are unique in their own right, yet they are all united in the pains that injustice causes. Read these stories, complete the actions, share them with friends and family, donate. Do not let the silence and blindness continue. Do not normalize it. Do not tolerate it. Do not make or accept excuses for it.
