Protect Philemon Ross – Stop Retaliation, Forced Programming, Mail Interference & Use of Force

By: UPROAR Admin · February 6, 2026

Protect Philemon Ross – Stop Retaliation, Mail Interference, and Abuse (Deep Meadow → Greensville RIDER → Red Onion)

Who: Philemon Ross (#1194525), currently at Red Onion State Prison (ROSP).
What he describes: a medical emergency treated as a presumed overdose; a serious charge after the hospital later recorded as “dismissed”; pressure into a “voluntary” drug program based on paperwork he disputes; loss of phone/visits/property without a guilty finding; mail and legal communications being opened, not sent, and destroyed; a Dec 29, 2025 use-of-force incident involving grabbing and mace; missing property and missing legal letters after transfer to Red Onion; threats; and routine invasive strip searches.

🚨 UPDATE: Administrative hunger strike (Day 2)

Philemon is five trays in to an administrative hunger strike and is currently on day two. This increases urgency around medical monitoring and non-retaliation.

Medical monitoring: confirm monitoring per facility policy (vitals/weight as applicable) and access to medical staff without retaliation.
No retaliation: no punishment for seeking help, reporting conditions, or participating in the hunger strike (no threats, extractions, punitive restrictions).
Written confirmation: demand a written response describing what oversight steps are being taken right now.

🎧 Listen: Philemon in his own words (Jan 26, 2026 call)

This is the recorded call where he describes what happened at Deep Meadow and afterwards, how RIDER was used against him, what he says happened to his mail and property, the Dec 29 use-of-force incident, and what changed after transfer to Red Onion.

Consent & safety note: This recording is shared with consent. Please focus on written oversight steps and non-retaliation—avoid actions that could increase retaliation risk.

🚦 Quick Start — Pick 1

If you only do the essentials, go: Step 1 Call → Step 2 Oversight Email → Step 3 Report Back.

Read the full summary so you can describe the concerns clearly.
Make one call (1–2 minutes): Western Region first, then Central Office.
Send the email (2 minutes) to put officials on written notice and demand action.
Report what you did so UPROAR can track pressure and coordinate follow-up.

🚨 Full Summary 📞 Step 1 – Call ✉️ Step 2 – Oversight Email ✅ Step 3 – Report Back

Goal: protect Philemon now, stop retaliation and mail interference, and force outside oversight — including independent review of the transfer/up-classification chain, correction of records, and reversal of classification and transfer outcomes that were driven by falsified records and retaliatory staff escalations, with movement out of Red Onion to a less restrictive environment pending review.

Why this case is bigger than one person

Philemon’s account documents a repeatable retaliation pipeline that UPROAR is tracking across Virginia prisons: medical crisis → criminalization → coerced “program” placement → sanctions without due process → mail interference → use of force → transfer/up-classification → Red Onion conditions. This is why we are demanding independent oversight review and reversal of retaliatory classification/transfer outcomes—not just “a welfare check.”

This campaign is part of UPROAR — Uniting Prisoners’ Relatives Organizing Against Repression. We put officials on notice and build public pressure until there is outside review and real protection.

🚨 Full Summary of What Philemon Describes

This summary reflects what Philemon Ross describes on the recorded call (Jan 26, 2026). These are allegations requiring independent review.

1) Deep Meadow: medical emergency treated as presumed overdose, then a serious charge after the hospital

Philemon describes having a seizure at Deep Meadow on Sept 30, 2025. He says staff presumed he was intoxicated or overdosing and administered Narcan more than once before emergency services were called.
He describes being transported to outside hospitals where imaging and testing were done (he mentions a CT scan and an emergency MRI), and he says he was told the results were abnormal enough that staff moved quickly.
He says that when he returned to the prison system after the hospital, he was served with an A106 (sexual assault) charge alleging he touched a nurse inappropriately. He denies the allegation and describes the charge as retaliatory and used to justify punitive treatment.
Philemon states the A106 charge was later recorded as “dismissed”, but he says that dismissal did not restore his rights or reverse the consequences that followed.

2) Greensville RIDER: disputed paperwork, forced “treatment,” and sanctions without a guilty finding

After the hospital and the charge, Philemon describes being pushed into RIDER/VISTA—a drug program—despite what he says were clean tests (he references multiple urinalysis tests and hospital blood testing).
He says paperwork was used against him claiming he had a “dirty urine” and that he agreed to the program. He describes those statements as false and says he refused to sign documents that misrepresented what happened.
He describes losing phone access, visits, and property even though he says he had not been found guilty of the A106 charge—and he frames those penalties as violations of due process and a strategy to isolate him and weaken his ability to seek help.

3) Food complaint → segregation: “chemical” tasting trays and disciplinary escalation

Philemon describes being a vegan and refusing meat trays. He says that when he was served trays that he believed tasted like chemicals, he repeatedly tried to report it and ask for it to be addressed.
He describes refusing a large number of trays and says that after continued complaints, he was placed in segregation and served a disciplinary charge (he references a “200 charge”), framing it as punishment for reporting a problem.

4) Mail and legal communications: allegations of opening, intercepting, and destroying outgoing letters

Philemon describes writing to outside lawyers and advocacy contacts. He alleges that prison staff opened, intercepted, and destroyed outgoing letters rather than sending them, and that staff were able to see who he was trying to contact and what he was reporting.
He frames the mail interference as both retaliation and obstruction: a way to block legal help and block outside oversight from learning what is happening.

5) Dec 29, 2025 use of force: early-morning confrontation, grabbing, and mace

Philemon describes an early-morning incident on Dec 29, 2025 that he says began with staff coming to his cell and escalating the situation.
He describes being grabbed by officers, protesting the physical contact, and then being maced. He describes multiple staff participating and frames the use of force as retaliatory and disproportionate.
He says his glasses were broken during or after the incident and that staff then informed him he was being transferred the next day.

6) Transfer to Red Onion: missing property/legal materials, threats, and daily invasive strip searches

Philemon describes being transferred to Red Onion State Prison and discovering that property and legal materials were missing after the move, including legal letters he says were important to his efforts to obtain representation and oversight.
He describes ongoing intimidation and threats connected to his reporting and documentation efforts, and he says that staff conduct signals he is being targeted for retaliation.
He describes routine, repeated invasive strip searches at Red Onion whenever he leaves his cell, describing the procedure as degrading and experienced as harassment and control rather than legitimate safety practice.

7) Why UPROAR is framing this as classification/transfer retaliation based on falsified records and staff escalation

Across the call, Philemon describes a chain of events where a medical emergency was reframed as misconduct, where disputed paperwork was used to justify a program placement, and where discipline and force were followed by a transfer to a more restrictive environment.
UPROAR’s demand is that officials not treat the transfer and classification outcomes as “neutral paperwork,” but instead review and reverse any outcomes based on falsified records and retaliatory staff escalations, and move him out of Red Onion pending that review.

What this campaign is demanding
Keep this tight: immediate protection + independent review + reverse retaliatory classification/transfers + record correction.

Immediate protections (next 72 hours)
• Non-retaliation + medical monitoring during the hunger strike (day 2, five trays in).
• Safe access to medical staff and confirmation of monitoring per facility policy (no threats, extractions, punitive restrictions).
• Stop mail/property interference now: account for missing legal letters/property and ensure outgoing legal/advocacy mail is processed (not opened, blocked, or destroyed).

Systemic remedies (oversight action)
• Independent investigation & review of the chain of events and decisions across Deep Meadow → Greensville RIDER → Red Onion (medical response, disciplinary process, mail/property handling, use of force, and transfer/up-classification).
• Reverse retaliatory classification and transfers based on falsified records and retaliatory staff escalations: if transfers or higher-security classification were driven by disputed/falsified paperwork (e.g., “dirty urine,” “agreed” to RIDER/VISTA) and staff escalation after protected activity, vacate those outcomes and restore appropriate classification/placement.
• Correct records that were used to justify punishment and up-classification: clarify/correct the A106 disposition record; correct any RIDER/VISTA referral narrative (“dirty urine” / “agreed”) if unsupported; and ensure those corrections are reflected in his classification history and housing decisions.
• Move him out of Red Onion pending review to a less restrictive environment.
• Written response: identify a point of contact and provide a written description of what oversight steps are being taken and on what timeline.

📞 Step 1: Make a Call

Call during business hours (Mon–Fri, about 8 a.m.–5 p.m. ET). If you reach voicemail, leave a message. Start with Western Region and VADOC Central Office. If you want to also call the facility, use the Red Onion number below.

Phone Numbers
🔷 Western Regional Office (VADOC): (540) 561-7050
🔶 VADOC Central Office (Richmond): (804) 674-3000
🔴 Red Onion State Prison (ROSP): (276) 796-7510

If nobody answers
Look up your elected officials and call your Delegate + State Senator to demand oversight: Who’s My Legislator (VA)

Call Script — Western Region / Central Office

Hi, my name is [Name]. I’m calling from [City, State] about Philemon Ross, DOC #1194525, currently at Red Onion State Prison. This is urgent: Mr. Ross is on day two of an administrative hunger strike and is five trays in. I need confirmation of medical monitoring and a guarantee of no retaliation. I’m also calling because Mr. Ross describes a chain of retaliatory events across Deep Meadow → Greensville RIDER → Red Onion, including disputed and/or falsified records used to justify punishment, mail/property interference, a Dec 29, 2025 use-of-force incident involving grabbing and mace, and a transfer/up-classification to Red Onion following retaliatory staff escalations. I am asking VADOC leadership to do four things: 1) Provide written confirmation of hunger strike safeguards: medical monitoring and no retaliation. 2) Open an independent investigation and review into the chain of events and decisions across these facilities — including transfer/up-classification decisions. 3) Reverse any classification and transfers based on falsified records and retaliatory staff escalations: clarify/correct the A106 disposition record; correct any RIDER/VISTA referral narrative claiming “dirty urine” or “agreed” if unsupported; vacate those outcomes and restore appropriate classification/placement, including movement out of Red Onion pending review. 4) Stop mail/property interference immediately and account for missing legal letters and missing property, with a written response. Before we end: who is assigned to handle this, and how can I receive a written reply?

Optional Script — Red Onion (facility)

If you can’t reach anyone:

Call your Delegate and State Senator (use the “Who’s My Legislator” link above) and say:

Hi, my name is [Name], and I live in [City]. I’m asking for immediate legislative oversight regarding Philemon Ross, DOC #1194525. He is on day two of a hunger strike (five trays in) and needs medical monitoring and protection from retaliation. He also describes a chain of retaliatory events and up-classification transfers ending at Red Onion, including falsified records and retaliatory staff escalations used to justify punishment, programs, and transfer decisions. I am asking you to contact VADOC and OSIG to demand an independent review, correction of the record, and reversal of retaliatory classification/transfer outcomes—including movement out of Red Onion pending review—plus an end to mail/property interference. Before we end: who in your office will follow up, and when should I expect a written response?

If you’re ignored: escalation ladder

1) Call again and request the name/title of the person assigned.
2) Email again with “Second notice” and include your call log (date/time/voicemail).
3) Call your Delegate/Senator and ask them to contact OSIG + VADOC for a written oversight response.
4) If still no response: escalate to public pressure (supporter posts, press tip, Prison Radio)—always centered on non-retaliation + written oversight steps.

✉️ Step 2: Send the Oversight Email

This email puts VADOC leadership and outside oversight on written notice. It demands immediate hunger-strike safeguards, non-retaliation, evidence preservation, and an independent review of the retaliatory classification/transfer chain. You can personalize the first 2–3 lines (relationship, why you care, and what you are asking officials to do now).

Who this email goes to — and why (so officials can’t play “wrong office”)

VADOC leadership (Walters; Fitz) — the chain of command with authority to order a classification review, direct non-retaliation, require a written response, and ensure the case is handled as a system accountability issue, not a “facility-level complaint.”
Corrections operations / classification decision-makers (Elam; Bryant) — because the core demand includes reversal of classification and transfer outcomes that were driven by disputed/falsified records and retaliatory staff escalation, and because these roles sit closest to transfer/up-classification decision pathways.
Professional Standards / investigations (Beckett; Brent Brown) — because the allegations include retaliation, mail interference, falsified documentation, and a Dec 29, 2025 use-of-force incident. These lanes are responsible for evidence preservation (video, incident reports, logs) and for initiating an independent review rather than relying on the facility’s self-investigation.
Administrative compliance (McCord) — because part of what is alleged is a breakdown of compliance safeguards: records that follow a person through transfers, sanctions imposed without a guilty finding, and paperwork used to justify punitive placement. This lane is relevant to record correction and policy compliance review.
Health Services inbox — because an active hunger strike makes medical monitoring and non-retaliation urgent, including confirmation that monitoring is being done consistent with policy and without coercion or punishment.
OSIG (ombudsman / HCU / general) — because UPROAR is demanding outside oversight and a written explanation of what steps are being taken. OSIG is the appropriate external oversight channel for allegations involving retaliation, conditions, and misconduct.
Governor / Secretary of Public Safety / AG constituent offices — to ensure the Commonwealth is on notice and to increase political accountability pressure for a written oversight response (not an informal phone assurance).
BCC to UPROAR — so we can track responses, document follow-up, and coordinate next steps.

Practical note: If any email address bounces, resend the same message to the remaining recipients. The goal is a written trail and a named point of contact who will commit to oversight steps on a timeline.

Subject: URGENT: Philemon Ross #1194525 — hunger strike (day 2 / five trays in) + demand non-retaliation, evidence preservation, independent review, and reversal of retaliatory classification/transfers

Dear VADOC leadership and oversight officials,

My name is [Your Name], and I am writing from [City, State] regarding Philemon Ross (DOC #1194525), currently held at Red Onion State Prison (ROSP). I am requesting immediate safeguards during his hunger strike and immediate outside oversight into a chain of alleged retaliation, record falsification, and transfer/up-classification decisions that culminated in placement at Red Onion.

This email is written to create a clear record and to request a written response identifying who is assigned to the matter and what oversight steps are being taken, on what timeline.

CURRENT URGENT ISSUE (Feb 2026)
Mr. Ross is on day two of an administrative hunger strike and is five trays in. I am requesting written confirmation that:
• he is being medically monitored consistent with facility policy (as applicable: vitals/weight/clinical checks), and
• he will not be retaliated against for participating in the hunger strike or seeking outside help (no threats, extractions, punitive restrictions, property/mail interference, or disciplinary escalation).

BACKGROUND SUMMARY (as described on a recorded call, Jan 26, 2026 — allegations requiring independent review)
Mr. Ross describes the following sequence across Deep Meadow → Greensville RIDER → Red Onion:
• Sept 30, 2025: a medical emergency (seizure) at Deep Meadow treated as a presumed overdose, with Narcan administered more than once, followed by outside hospital imaging (CT and emergency MRI).
• After returning from the hospital: an A106 charge (sexual assault) was issued, later recorded as “dismissed,” but he states the dismissal did not restore rights or reverse consequences that followed.
• He describes being pressured or placed into RIDER/VISTA based on disputed paperwork (including assertions that he had a “dirty urine” or that he “agreed” to the program), despite his claim of clean testing.
• He describes sanctions affecting visits/phone/property without a guilty finding, and he describes interference with outgoing legal/advocacy mail (opened, blocked, and/or destroyed).
• Dec 29, 2025: he describes a use-of-force incident involving grabbing and mace, followed by an immediate transfer/up-classification to Red Onion.
• After transfer: he describes missing property and missing legal materials/letters, ongoing threats, and routine invasive strip searches.

REQUESTED ACTIONS (what I am asking you to do now)

1) Hunger strike safeguards and non-retaliation (immediate)
Provide written confirmation of:
• medical monitoring and access to medical staff without punishment or coercion; and
• a clear non-retaliation directive (no threats, extractions, punitive restrictions, disciplinary escalation, or interference with mail/legal communications).

2) Evidence preservation (immediate — do not wait for internal “review”)
Preserve and retain all relevant records and evidence for the period covering Deep Meadow → Greensville RIDER → Red Onion, including:
• use-of-force video (fixed cameras and handheld), photos, incident reports, restraint logs, and medical assessments related to Dec 29, 2025;
• housing/unit logs, strip-search logs, disciplinary reports, and sanction documentation;
• classification records, transfer documentation, and any paperwork used to justify RIDER/VISTA placement and security-level changes;
• mail logs and documentation related to outgoing legal/advocacy correspondence and property inventories during transfer.

3) Independent investigation & review of the chain of decisions
Open an independent review into:
• the disciplinary process and the A106 disposition record;
• RIDER/VISTA placement documentation and any drug-testing documentation used to justify program placement or classification changes;
• sanctions affecting visits/phone/property without a guilty finding;
• mail and property handling before/during/after transfer;
• the Dec 29, 2025 use-of-force incident; and
• the transfer/up-classification pathway that resulted in placement at Red Onion.

4) Reverse retaliatory classification and transfer outcomes driven by falsified records and retaliatory staff escalation
If classification, transfer, or security-level decisions relied on disputed or falsified documentation (for example: “dirty urine,” “agreed” to program, or other paperwork inconsistent with medical/testing facts), and/or on staff escalation after protected activity (reporting conditions, seeking legal help, grieving misconduct), then those outcomes must be vacated. I am requesting:
• written clarification/correction of the record, and
• reversal of the resulting classification/transfer outcomes, including movement out of Red Onion to a less restrictive environment pending review.

5) Correct records and confirm corrections are reflected in classification history
Provide written correction/clarification of:
• the A106 disposition record and how it is reflected in his institutional record; and
• any RIDER/VISTA referral narrative claiming “dirty urine” or voluntary agreement, if unsupported.
Confirm in writing that corrected records will be reflected in classification history and will not continue to be used to justify punitive placement.

6) Mail/property accountability
Provide a written accounting for missing property and missing legal materials/letters and written confirmation that outgoing legal/advocacy mail is processed appropriately and not opened, blocked, or destroyed.

7) Written response and point of contact
Please identify:
• who is assigned to this matter (name/title), and
• what oversight steps are being taken now, and on what timeline.
I am requesting a written response rather than an informal verbal assurance.

Thank you for your prompt attention.

Sincerely,
[Your Name]
[City, State]

Optional add-on (high impact):

Add a single sentence at the top of the email: “I am a constituent of [Delegate/Senator Name] and I am requesting legislative oversight.” Then CC your Delegate and Senator if you have their emails.

✅ Step 3: Report Back

This encrypted form helps UPROAR track calls and emails so we can coordinate follow-up. You can submit anonymously.

🧭 How this fits UPROAR’s broader work

UPROAR publishes campaign tools like this to (1) protect people inside in real time, (2) document repeat patterns across facilities, and (3) force outside oversight and policy change. Philemon’s case is one of the clearest “pipeline” accounts we have—from medical crisis to up-classification and Red Onion conditions— and it helps show these are system practices, not isolated incidents.

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Questions: uproar1966@proton.me.

🔗 More Ongoing Campaigns & Key Reads

Thank you for taking action. Every call and email makes it harder for officials to hide retaliation, mail interference, and use-of-force abuse behind paperwork and locked doors. When we act together, we create the outside pressure that people inside cannot safely create on their own.

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