More about the Soup Tank

So I know there was more about the Soup Tank that Jerry didn’t share. So I called him yesterday and asked him to tell me another story about the Soup Tank.  This time, Jerry quickly remembered his first stay at the Tank. He was only around 19. It was his second time in adult jail. The first was only for about 10 days or so. So long haired Jerry gets put in the tank after doing a day in the loop. The loop was a series of cells that a new arrival had go through for booking, medical evaluations etc. Time in the loop lasted for approximately 24 hours.  So immediately after being placed in the Tank, two guys started to harass Jerry.  They were on the other side of the cell having a conversation about assaulting and raping Jerry. Both of the guys came over and indicated that due to Jerry “new” status, he was going to have to get “fucked”. Jerry didn’t know if they were serious or not. He was in fear and wasn’t sure how to handle this. He wasn’t sure if they were going to rape him or if they were taking about just giving him a beating. Jerry had served time before in Juvenile Hall but this was where the big boys were. The politics were different he assumed. These two guys kept it up for a few minutes. They were making kissing noises and telling Jerry to pull his pants down. After a while, Jerry got up from his bunk and went to get a drink from the sink. The two cornered him and said something like “its time.” With all of his might, Jerry hit the smaller of the two in the face and knocked him off balance. The remaining inmate immediately started to punch and kick Jerry all over. Jerry fought back until the other guy regained his composure and started to help his partner give Jerry a beat down like he’s never received before. Jerry was on the ground shortly there after realizing there was no escape. The blows were like flashes of white light and pain. Jerry assumes he was knocked out because the next thing he remembered was lying on his lower bunk in a pool of his own blood.  Jerry said he laid there for two days not moving. He was in pain. His face was puffy and throbbing. “It hurt to breath” he said.  “The most terrorizing part was that these two guys were in the next bunk.” “I was in paralyzing fear that it was going to happen again.” Jerry had been beaten up before. That wasn’t the problem. He would recover. It was the fact his attackers were 3 feet away at all times. Jerry speculates they may have taken pity on him due to his atrocious facial injures. He described his face as raw hamburger meat. So it was the end of the second day after the attack. Jerry had been lying in his blood dirt the whole time. Just before dinner, Jerry noticed that one of his assailants was having a rather heated discussion with large white inmate that was walking buy. Jerry assumed it was a “trustee” (an inmate with laundry delivery privileges).  The large inmate outside the cage informed Jerry’s attacker that Jerry’s beating was unauthorized and that if Jerry didn’t get out of bed for the next meal, there was going to be a worse payback. Jerry’s attacker obviously felt intimidated by this individual and attempted to explain that they were only joking with Jerry and never intended to attack Jerry. They only hurt Jerry because he threw the first punch. After hearing this Jerry mustered the strength to get out of bed. A Sheriff’s officer noticed Jerry’s purple face and pulled him out to interview him. Since it had been only a few days since his arrival, Jerry told the Sheriff that the arresting cop did it. Not really satisfied, the Sheriff let Jerry be and put him back in the cage. Not to long after, Jerry was pulled out by the same Sheriff. He told Jerry that he went and looked at his booking photo and he didn’t have a scratch on him. Jerry knew he was safe for now but to be a snitch was much worse. That would only cause more problems. The Sheriff figured it out and put Jerry in a cell population with younger newer inmates. Jerry said the Sheriff looked at him right in the eye and said, “you were never supposed to be in there with them.” “You’re much to pretty to be there.”