CLINTON ST. QUARTERLY “ I could have promised him a cigarette for his sausages orjust said I 'd beat his head in i f he didn't give them to me. That usually works.’ ’ week I’ll make red tag. Then it’s yellow, green, and out. So far I should make the week. No problems since the last review on Tuesday. Tomorrow I bring back school and work grades, and they should be OK. Then there’s the weekend; about half the green tags go on home visits. That leaves it a little less crowded, a little more relaxed. Movie on Saturday in the auditorium, church on Sunday. Wonder if the movie will be a war or a cowboy movie. It’s usually one or the other. Have to look at the schedule in the hall next time I go by. So I’m standing in the hallway trying to find the movie on the schedule. It says we have a gym period Saturday morning before the movie. Wonder if we’ll get to go? Half the time staff finds an excuse not to take us. Too cold, or some of the group wants to watch TV and they can’t split the group and it wouldn’t be fair to them, or the group’s been too rowdy. They’re not supposed to punish the group for the actions of a few individuals, but it happens. “ Speakerman, what’re you doing in the hallway?” “ Looking at the schedule, sir. Will we get to go on the gym period on Saturday?” “ Ask the weekend staff when they come in. Don’t bug me about it. You’re supposed to be in the squad room with the group. And you’re supposed to be on silence.” “ Sorry, Mr. Breaker. I’m going. Do you know what the movie is on Saturday?” “ John Wayne something-or-other. Don’t hang around the desk; I’ve got work to do .” “ OK, sir, I’m going.” 1 go in and take a seat in front of the TV. Tom and Jerry cartoons, same dumb thing as always. Cat’s always chasing the mouse and the mouse always gets away and the cat gets blown up or a piano falls on his head or something. Ankle-biters getting off on it. In real life the cat always gets the mouse. That’s what cats are for. I look over my shoulder and Breaker’s got the grade book out and he’s writing away in it. Shit, he wouldn’t give me comments for reading the schedule and talking to him, would he? Oh shit, I forgot he yelled at Winks and me in the flats. Looks like he’s got it open to the front of the book, though, and both our names are toward the back. Could be he’s writing down the laundry room thing. Who was that? Andrews and Wilcox. Must be Andrews. Doesn’t mean he won’t get around to me, though. Try to watch TV and a couple ankle-biters are playing games trying to hit each other with spitwads and I’m in the middle. One of ’em yells out, “Ow, I’ve been hit!” and starts thrashing around like he was v/ounded, laughing like crazy. Staff looks up and turns the TV off from the circuit board and goes into the inner office and gets the medication book out. Turns the TV off casual like he was scratching an old itch and suddenly everybody’s quiet, even the wounded kid behind me. Just when the cat was going to get it with a frying pan in the face. 6:55 AM Staff rings the buzzer. That means everybody on silence and line up on the bench in the squad room. I’m there quick, one of the first, without hitting anyone on the way. They never notice when you do something right for a change. Not unless it’s something for them, like making their coffee in the morning. And usually it’s some green tag who’s already going to make his week who does things like that, and guys like me who really need the credit don’t get the chance. Oh well, no justice, like I said. Let’s see if staff remembers the new ruling. Used to be they called us in to breakfast by tag levels. Green tags first, then on down till white tags and observation level get to go in. Observation level, that’s what they can put you on when you screw up and they don’t want to send you to detention. Or sometimes when you come back from detention. There’s two kinds: Observation A and Observation B. One is for kids who come back from a hike and are supposed to be watched; the other is for normal screw-ups. I never could figure out how it really works. You’re supposed to get written up on an incident report before you get observation, but some staff will just turn around and say: “ OK, you’re on observation 24 hours for that.” Or three days or whatever. Just stay out of trouble; won’t have to worry about it. And appeals. There’s a place on the new incident report forms that says the student has the right to appeal. I never heard of an appeal making any difference, though. They always know how to put it across their way even if they’re in the wrong. Some kids who’ve been here a long time are pretty good at making their cases, though. They know all the rules and some can just stand there and say they didn’t do it when everybody knows they did. And by the time they’re finished, you almost half believe them. I never could do that, but I’m learning. Might come in handy "one of these days. When you get an incident report they give you the yellow copy. White and blue and pink go other places. Your parole officer gets one, I know that. When I got mine when 1 first got here, that was all my P.O. wanted to know about, so I guess that’s about all he got on me. I put my copy in my locker in the flats like a dumb fuck and they got wet so you couldn’t read it. I kind of wanted it for a souvenir. Some kids, I ’ve seen them wad it up and throw it in the wastebasket on their way out of the office to show they didn’t give a shit. So anyway, instead of calling us into the dining room by tag levels, they do it by table, starting with a different table every day. That way everybody has a chance of getting some food while it’s still warm. No, that’s not fair. It may not be hot all the time, but usually it’s at least warm. My table’s third today. Not too bad. One of the guys who gets called before me is a buddy of the guy 1 flipped off in the flats; he makes like he’s going to kick at my foot when he goes past me; 1 don’t move it back but stick it out like I’m going to trip him. We connect but we’re both off balance so it isn’t really solid, won’t leave a mark or anything. Then he’s gone and my table’s called and( I do the same to somebody else but he pulls his back. God, I’d better watch it; I’m bound to get in trouble before the day’s over. 7:00 AM Get in line, pick up a tray. Silverware’s on the table already. What is it today? Hotcakes, two please. Oatmeal, none please. Sausages, ten please. Just kidding, all right, two please. Whatever’s the most we can get. Maybe there’ll be some for seconds if somebody doesn’t want theirs. Never get around to third table, though. Maybe I can get this ankle-biter who sits across from me to give me his. He’s behind me in line, only one guy in between, and he never cares about anything, so when the little guy gets to the sausages he says he doesn’t want any and I lean over and give him a look to get them anyway. He does but the houseboy hassles him A r J t _C?CFE OKS3S TUES PAY ■ - y FRIPAY SEP ic d m - ix m id . M O N D A Y - t ld m -Z P m LIVE MUSIC NJ------------- M Innovotive Women's Apporel ILLUSTRATION / MARK NORSETH___________________________________________ 730 NW. 23rd 224-1017 escentiol lotions and oils • Perfume oils 45 scents to choose from • Massage oils • Shampoos, rinses and cone • Mo is tu r ize rs and cleansers fo r all skin types • Hand-cut g lycerin soaps • Custom scenting • Return bo t t le fo r 20<t o ff nex t purchase Hexes, spells & potions Un ique g i f t items under f ive do lla rs Mon-Sot 1 0 - 5 . ^ 727 N.W. 21st Avenue Portland, Oregon 97209 12
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