ODD PRISON RIOT

Blame it on Trump

by Bob Walsh

OK, the riot itself might not be that odd but the trigger is sort of unusual. At least part of it is the results of the recent presidential election. Criminals don't like Donald Trump.

Prisoners at the James T. Vaughn Correctional Center in Smyrna, Delaware took five employees hostage on Wednesday. This action led to a lockdown of the entire Delaware prison system. One of the hostages was released but as of this writing the other four are still being held. Building C is under inmate control.

The mess started when the unit officer in Building C radioed for assistance. Other officers responded and ended up being taken hostage. Prisoners later called the News Journal in Wilmington to explain themselves, and make demands. One of those reasons was "Donald Trump, everything that he's doing now. Everything that he did. We know that the institution is going to chance for the worse." (Gee, I didn't know that Donald Trump even knew the Delaware Dept. of Corrections existed, let along had anything to do with it.)

The facility is the largest in Delaware and holds about 2,500 men of minimum, medium and maximum security classifications. It also holds Kent County pre-trial detainees. The Delaware death row was there. The prison is relatively new, having been opened in 1971.

The local fire department is on stand-by as smoke can be seen coming from the building.