The contents were hardly threatening or valuable. A comb, several photographs, an old scarf, and a small box landed on the pavement.
Razor and the other women began laughing.
People & Society
“That’s it? We wasted all this time for this garbage?”
No One Wanted to Help
The elderly woman slowly bent down and began collecting her belongings.
One of the inmates noticed a photograph on the ground and kicked it farther away.
“Crawl, Grandma. Go get it.”
Other prisoners had been watching the scene unfold. Yet none of them stepped forward.
Everyone in the yard knew Razor’s reputation. Anyone who challenged her risked becoming the next target.
Handbags & Purses
The elderly woman therefore had to collect her belongings alone.
She quietly reached for the photograph and picked it up.
But when she attempted to stand, Razor shoved her by the shoulder.
The elderly woman lost her balance and dropped to her knees.
The three women laughed again.
“Maybe you don’t belong here at all. Maybe you belong in a nursing home.”
The elderly woman tried to rise, but another push sent her back onto the ground.
“Please, stop,” she begged.
Anatomy
Her plea did not make them stop.
The Attack Escalated
Razor grabbed the elderly woman by her clothing and forced her back onto her feet.
Then she slapped her across the face.
“Here, you’ll do what I tell you.”
The elderly woman began to cry and covered her head with her hands.
The other women pushed her from different directions, while one of them struck her several times in the back.
Photographic & Digital Arts
The people standing nearby continued to watch without intervening. Fear kept them in place.
It appeared that no one was willing to challenge Razor or her companions.
But someone in the yard had been watching everything from a distance.
The Woman Nobody Noticed
Near a far wall sat a young woman whom practically no one in the prison paid much attention to.
She had arrived several months earlier, yet during that entire period she had barely spoken with anyone.
Whenever the prisoners were allowed into the yard, she usually sat alone.
Standardized & Admissions Tests
She did not participate in conflicts and was not known for being rude or aggressive. Even when other inmates attempted to speak with her, she generally answered with only a few words before walking away.
