May 13, 2010. INCARCERATED RAPPER ‘X-RAIDED’ STABBED DURING RIOT, INMATES FACE ATTEMPTED MURDER CHARGES
Coalinga, CA: A group of inmates on the “A” Facility sensitive needs yard at Pleasant Valley State Prison attempted to stab imprisoned Sacramento rapper Aneraé “X-Raided” Brown to death on March 19, 2010.

According to the incident report [attached], Brown was attacked near the basketball court on the recreation yard by a group of inmates identified by R. Rodriguez, Search & Escort Officer #1, as “known Northern Rider affiliates.” Northern Riders are former members of the notorious Northern Mexican prison gang “XIV” who have been kicked out of the “Norte” and were removed from the mainline of the General Population for their own protection. “These guys,” according to Brown’s attorney, “are essentially a Protective Custody gang. They’re a group of guys who were kicked off of the mainline by the Norte who came together on a sensitive needs yard and made up a new PC gang. It’s ridiculous. They ran away from the mainline only to get to an SNY facility and form a new so-called gang.”

The attack on Brown escalated into a full blown riot as other black inmates rushed to assist Brown (CDC#K-17737), who was fighting three inmates identified as R. Werth, Gonzales, and Lawson. Werth had a state toothbrush with eight razor blades taped and tied to it. Gonzales had an inmate manufactured knife constructed from a piece of metal removed from the facility’s baseball equipment. The fighting went on for several minutes before being brought under control by over a dozen correctional officers and the institutional security unit. By then Brown had been stabbed and sliced a total of seven times. Brown can be seen in the video doing what some call the “crip walk dance” after landing a devastating blow to Werth’s upper body, which dislocated Werth’s shoulder. Unaware that he had been stabbed, Brown continued to dance until being ordered to lay prone by correctional officer E. Bustos. Brown had to be airlifted to Community Regional Medical Center in Fresno, CA, where he was held overnight and returned to PVSP Saturday, March 20, 2010. Inmate Werth was transported to the hospital as well, where he was treated for a dislocated shoulder, cuts, lacerations, and swelling to the back of the head. Inmate R. Razo, who assisted Brown, was also stabbed and sliced but was treated at the institution as his wounds were not sever in nature.

Brown, who is classified as a “High Notoriety” inmate, can only be housed on sensitive needs yards (SNY) which are facilities for “drop outs,” inmates who are inactive former gang members looking to stay out of trouble in hopes of making parole and doing their time in relative peace. Not to be confused with Protective Custody, such as the Protective Housing Unit (PHU) at Corcoran State Prison where Charles Manson is housed, SNY facilities are for incarcerated celebrities, inmates with high profile cases like Phil Spector, The Menendez Brothers, Sirhan Sirhan, and Tom Sizemore. Inmates whose lives may be in immediate danger due to case factors, such as former prison gang members and ex-street gang members are housed on SNY facilities as well, after undergoing an extensive process known as debriefing, which requires them to provide information about their former gang to the prison administration. “Street gang members who retire are not required to debrief, nor are high profile inmates and celebrities. Former prison gang members however must debrief in order to become SNY status,” States Brown’s attorney. “So we’re talking about a bunch of guys who gave up information about the Norte in order to become SNY, then they got on an SNY facility where it’s safe and stared calling themselves the Northern Riders, the Playboys, and took the Playboy Bunny as their logo, and we want to know how that was allowed to happen.”

“If they were identified by c/o R. Rodriguez as ‘known Northern Rider associates,’” stated Brown’s wife, “the question becomes, why were they allowed to remain on the facility?”

According to the incident report dated March 23, 2010, by Lt. Lantz, it was determined that Brown was the victim in this case and will not be facing disciplinary action or criminal charges. “The so-called Northern Riders attempted to extort my client,” says Brown’s attorney. “They wanted him to produce and release their rap album. We’re talking about inmates serving Life without the possibility of parole (Werth and Gonzales) wanting to be rap stars, and feeling so rejected to the point of wanting to kill him in an attempt to gain some fame. It’s absurd. Our client shouldn’t be facing threats of death on any Special Needs Yard, especially from a bunch of cowards who ran away from the mainline to escape from the Norte, only to clique up on any SNY facility. If they wanted to be tough guys they should have stayed on the mainline.”