Lucasville trainer remembers 30 years later
Corrections Training Officer Darrell Logan says he’s not the last staff left at the Southern Ohio Correctional Facility (SOCF) that experienced the country’s worst prison riot in history. But he is one of only a few employees left at the Lucasville facility, who witnessed the carnage firsthand.
Thirty years ago on Easter Sunday, April 11, 1993, a prison riot in Ohio’s maximum security prison would leave union brother Correction Officer Bobby Vallandingham dead and a family of corrections employees mourning his passing for years to come.
Darrell, who was on the SWAT Team on that fateful day 30 years ago, spent 11 days and 11 nights at the facility doing the worse job imaginable to try to contain a violent hostage situation and clean up the carnage. Nine inmates were also killed, and Darrell and his team were tasked with retrieving the dead.
Shortly after the tragic incident––the longest and deadliest prison riot in U.S. history––Darrell went from being a Correction Officer to a Training Officer and hasn’t looked back. He says a lot has changed at the prison since those early days before the riot. “It used to be you’d have 160 inmates going to chow at a time,” he said. “Or there’d be 400-500 inmates on the move at any one time. We just don’t do that anymore,” Darrell said of the changes that have taken place to keep officers safer. SOCF, like many prisons, also has Control Centers now to protect officers and walls with steel reinforcements.
Despite that horrific incident during his early years on the job, Darrell has made his career as a Corrections employee and wouldn’t trade it for anything. “It’s a prison. You have good days and bad days,” chuckled the 38-year corrections employee. “I like what I do. I teach CPR, firearms and OC gas to the next generation. It’s definitely kept me interested,” he said. Darrell currently is making plans for his upcoming retirement.
This Easter Sunday, we encourage OCSEA members to take a moment with their families and loved ones to reflect on the heroes of Lucasville––the one who left us too soon, those who lived with the nightmares of the event, and those who still live with loss and pain today. Remember their sacrifices and their bravery, and honor all of the public heroes who continue to serve our communities in our state prisons and those who have made the ultimate sacrifice.
Member, single mom thankful for union discounts and family outings
For OCSEA Chapter 1804 member Julie Sheckel taking advantage of her member-only perks and discounts has been a real family affair. Julie says it allows her to spend fun, quality time with her young daughter without breaking the bank. Julie is a single mom who works full-time as a Facility Maintenance Specialist in ODOT's District 12. She says anytime with her daughter is precious.
"My daughter loves going down to Columbus. The union benefits really help me save money when we visit these places," said Julie referring to OCSEA's Extras discount program for union members only. Julie lives in Brookpark, Ohio near Cleveland but loves to take day trips to the capital city with her daughter. The two have enjoyed outings at COSI, the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium and the Franklin Park Conservatory, just to name a few.
As the weather gets better, so do the deals! Check out some of theses updated OCSEA Extras deals below and all deals at OCSEA.org/Extras:
Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden
Enjoy a day with family and friends and all that the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden has to offer. OCSEA members get $2 off per ticket. Login at ocsea.org/extras for the corporate code.
COSI Science Center
OCSEA members can save $5 per ticket to COSI Columbus, Central Ohio's dynamic hands-on science center. Members also get discounted partner tickets to Tutankhamun: His Tomb and His Treasures exhibit.
Kings Island
OCSEA and AFSCME are excited to partner with Kings Island again for a great season of thrills and family fun. The AFSCME Family Fun Days discount of $42 is available online now! The park opens April 15.
AFSCME launches I AM STORY podcast, honors Memphis strike workers
To honor the 55th anniversary of the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., AFSCME is proud to release the “I AM Story” podcast, which describes the working conditions faced by AFSCME sanitation workers in Memphis, Tennessee in 1968––the year of their historic strike. The brand new podcast connects that seminal events to today’s struggle for economic and racial justice and spotlights the ties between the labor and civil rights movements.
Episode One––the first of five to be released over the course of the spring––chronicles the degrading working conditions faced by 1,300 Black Memphis sanitation workers. It opens with an account of the horrific deaths of two of their co-workers, Echol Cole and Robert Walker, in the back of a malfunctioning garbage truck, which sparked the strike. We also learn how AFSCME was there to fight right alongside the workers.
“In order to move forward, we cannot forget what happened in Memphis,” said AFSCME President Lee Saunders in a press release announcing the podcast. “The sanitation strikers put their lives on the line for dignity and respect on the job––not just for themselves, but for everyone being mistreated and everyone whose rights were being denied. We will continue to educate our communities and organize around the strikers’ iconic slogan, ‘I AM A MAN,’ which still holds so much power after all these years.”
Listen to the first episode in this historic podcast series now! Click below to find your preferred podcast app. Or subscribe now so you don't miss any future episodes at IAMSTORY.com.