J6 political hostage Barton Shively, a retired Marine Corps veteran who contracted cancer is being denied life-saving medical treatment at the DC gulag.
This is inhumate treatment. Shively says “the water is brown and smells of contamination” and the cells reek of “of puke, urine, fecal matter, and mold.”
Shively was stationed at Camp Lejune and may have been exposed to the contaminated water at Marine Corps Base.
Shively, a 55-year-old Pennsylvania man, was arrested on January 19, 2021 after allegedly assaulting police officers during the January 6 Capitol riot and is currently detained at the D.C. Central Detention Facility.
In a letter provided to The Gateway Pundit, the military veteran details why he fears for his life as anti-Trump correction officers in the jail subject J6 inmates to cruel and unusual punishment and refuse to provide him adequate treatment during his battle with cancer. Barton Shively says he’s endured massive shame and is branded an “insurrectionists” despite being a law-abiding citizen and US Marine who has served this nation.
“Getting my cancer treatment set up in the DC Gulag was a nightmare,” Shively explains. “It took 3 months for me to see my medical provider. My first experience at the DC VA was a terrible and disheartening time. At first attempt, I was denied access to the VA on grounds of me being a prisoner, even though I had not been convicted of anything and I was only a pretrial detainee. After about 4 hours of debating with the administration, I was finally admitted. Although I felt they really didn’t want me there. Even though I’m a veteran and I was honorably discharged. The feeling of being forgotten and abandoned by my country filled my head and broke my heart.”
When prison guards escort Shively to the VA for medical treatment, they instruct him to drape himself in a sheet to spare people at the VA from embarrassment.
“As far as medical treatment goes at the jail it’s horrible and pretty much nonexistent. My struggle and journey with cancer is about to begin. On my appointment days, the jail wakes me at about 4:45 am and I’m taken to a freezing cold holding cell for about 3 hours waiting for transport to the VA. After getting to the VA, I’m transported by wheelchair covered by a white sheet because people could see my orange uniform and shackles. I was told it would embarrass or cause anxiety with people at the VA. This to me is such an embarrassment and a mark of shame for me. I dread going to the VA.
** Please help support Shively’s legal fees here.
Shively claims jail guards typically ignore inmates in C2b, where J6 inmates are held, when they request medical assistance. In September, a J6 defendant was assaulted by Lt. Morena Lancaster, the Deputy Chief Of Police, after failing to wear a mask when requesting his medication.
“Lt Lancaster came into our pod and did nothing but cause stress and anxiety. She is always very malicious towards us J6ers. The situation this particular day was very tense, to say the least,” Shively explains in his letter. “One of my friends, Ronald McAbee, was assaulted by this officer. He did nothing to provoke Lt Lancaster and incur such a horrible attack. His only offense was walking over to the nurse to get his morning meds without wearing his mask.
“He was maced in his face 3 times, one of which was point blank after he was already handcuffed. Instinctively a couple of his friends stood up for him yelling at the officer to stop hurting our friend. In doing so we were taken to the hole/maximum security solitary confinement,” he continued. “The hole is a filthy, dirty, disgusting place. The sink water is brown and smells of contamination. The cell smelled of a combination of puke, urine, fecal matter, and mold. Not a good place for someone going through cancer treatment. Needless to say after my chemo treatment that week I got violently ill.”
During a call with Mickey Witthoeft, the mother of slain Air Force veteran Ashli Babbitt, Shively sounded the alarm on Lt. Lancaster’s discriminatory behavior. Witthoeft and members of Americans4Justice, a non-partisan group devoted to assisting American citizens who have been wrongfully persecuted at the hands of the federal government, have been protesting at the jail nearly daily since August 1 and sings the national anthem on a loud speaker outside the jail every night at 9 pm.
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Despite struggling daily with the torturous conditions at the DC gulag, Shively says he draws strength from other J6 political prisoners and has surrendered his fate to God.
“Being in this DC jail is nothing short of a horror show. I used to ask God why I was put here losing everything in my life. But I understand now I must grow my faith to be like a house built on a rock. Unwavering and steadfast. For this is God’s plan, not mine. Thoughts of never seeing my family or friends or dog again were completely overwhelming,” he wrote. “But God put those fears at ease. So I trust in Him with all my heart and soul.
“I faithfully served my country as a Marine for many years. My own government gave me cancer from contaminated water at Camp Lejeune Marine Base. I’ve been an upstanding citizen my entire life. But now my own government is holding me under inhumane and unconstitutional conditions at the DC jail. Even though I’ve been treated this way I still stand and sing the National Anthem every night with my brothers. I still love my country with all my heart.”
According to court documents cited by the Justice Department, Shively attended a rally at the Ellipse on January 6 and then walked to the US Capitol, “where he unlawfully entered the grounds.”
“He got past broken-down police barriers and went up the steps of the Capitol. While there, Shively assaulted one officer by striking down the officer’s hand and head and shoulder areas. He also assaulted another officer, grabbing the officer’s jacket and yelling at the officer.” the DOJ notes in a press release.Shively is charged with two felonies and faces a statutory maximum of eight years in prison and financial penalties.
“He is to be sentenced on Feb. 3, 2023,” the Justice Department states.
The former Marine is seen in photographs captured on the Capitol grounds on January 6 “engaging in multiple physical altercations with Capitol Police,” American Gulag reports. “Please keep in mind that in the United States, every citizen charged with a crime is presumed innocent until proven guilty.”
READ BART’S FULL LETTER HERE:
My name is Barton Shively. I am a proud American and a Marine Corps veteran. My life before J6 and jail was simple. I’d go to work for 8 to 10 hours a day and come home to my family, which consists of my two dogs who are my best friends. My pitbull, Nina, was 14 years old and my black shepherd Gauge is 5. Having PTSD, they were my lifeline. They really comforted me when I had anxiety attacks. This was my routine for 30-plus years. But after J6 this was all about to change. After being arrested on Jan 16, 2021, I was put on house arrest for 1 1/2 years. But because of a probation violation, I was placed in the DC Gulag by the judge when I showed up at court for a status hearing.
I was supposed to start chemo for my cancer (non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma) the day after I was arrested. My judge knew this but still put me in jail. I contracted cancer through contaminated water at Camp Lejeune Marine Corps Base. I wasn’t prepared for jail the day I went to court so I had no time to find homes for my dogs or to put any of my belongings in storage. So needless to say, I lost the things which I love most in my life. My dogs were taken away and most of my belongings were trashed. My pitbull of 14 years was so heartbroken when I never came home that she passed away 1 month later. I never felt so angry and hurt at the same time. My shepherd was given away by my sister whom I never gave permission to give away. She told me, and I quote, “will never be mine again!” This broke my heart as well. They were in all essence my children and I felt I had let them down.
The idea of me being incarcerated when I’d never been incarcerated before was a shock, to say the least. It’s very overwhelming. When you first get here to the DC Gulag and hear the cell door lock behind you for the first time it gives you a feeling of dread, confusion, and absolute despair.
I spent 2 weeks in Covid lockdown, which means basically I was in my cell for 23 hours a day and only permitted out of my cell for 1 hour. I got my meals through a mail slot in my cell door. Anger, frustration, self-pity, and remorse were running through my head. How could this happen to a lifelong law-abiding citizen? Solitary confinement at this time is cruel and unusual punishment as far as I’m concerned. The correctional officers didn’t seem to care at all about our well-being. It’s almost as if they ignored me on purpose to make things even harder to deal with. They hate Trump supporters.
I eventually was cleared and sent to the J6 pod or C2B as it’s called. The guys in C2B were all J6ers and I was welcomed with open arms. I had a feeling of relief and comfort. I was given commissary and advice right from the start which I truly needed and appreciated. But little did I know this was just the beginning of hell for me.
Getting my cancer treatment set up in the DC Gulag was a nightmare, to say the least. It took 3 months for me to see my medical provider. My first experience at the DC VA was a terrible and disheartening time. At first attempt, I was denied access to the VA on grounds of me being a prisoner, even though I had not been convicted of anything and I was only a pretrial detainee. After about 4 hours of debating with the administration, I was finally admitted. Although I felt they really didn’t want me there. Even though I’m a veteran and I was honorably discharged. The feeling of being forgotten and abandoned by my country filled my head and broke my heart.
As far as medical treatment goes at the jail its horrible and pretty much nonexistent. My struggle and journey with cancer is about to begin. On my appointment days, the jail would wake me at about 4:45 am and I would be taken to a freezing cold holding cell for about 3 hours waiting for transport to the VA. After getting to the VA I was transported by wheelchair covered by a white sheet because people could see my orange uniform and shackles. I was told it would embarrass or cause anxiety with people at the VA. This to me was such an embarrassment and a mark of shame for me. I dread going to the VA.
My fellow J6ers are very supportive of me and gave me splice and comfort. They helped me with my diet and watched over me. My faith at this time was strong because I was going to Bible study every night. It did really help my confidence and it strengthened my soul knowing God was with me. My faith has played a huge role in my life and I’m glad to say it’s been strengthened while I’ve been in C2B.
One day a correctional officer named Lt Lancaster came into our pod and did nothing but cause stress and anxiety. She is always very malicious towards us J6ers. The situation this particular day was very tense, to say the least. One of my friends, Ronald McAbee, was assaulted by this officer. He did nothing to provoke Lt Lancaster and incur such a horrible attack. His only offense was walking over to the nurse to get his morning meds without wearing his mask. He was maced in his face 3 times, one of which was point blank after he was already handcuffed. Instinctively a couple of his friends stood up for him yelling at the officer to stop hurting our friend. In doing so we were taken to the hole/maximum security solitary confinement.
The hole is a filthy, dirty, disgusting place. The sink water is brown and smells of contamination. The cell smelled of a combination of puke, urine, fecal matter, and mold. Not a good place for someone going through cancer treatment. Needless to say after my chemo treatment that week I got violently ill.
I was so sick I couldn’t eat or drink. Two days after treatment, I was so ill I asked to go to medical for help. I couldn’t walk of my own free will so they took me there on a stretcher. Getting no medical treatment, they stuck me in a medical observation cell which is basically a concrete slab in the middle of the room and I was given a blanket and told to stay there. For the next 36 hours, I laid on that slab with the light on the whole time, basically being sleep-deprived. It was equivalent to torture. I got no medical attention at all as a matter of fact. No one came to check on me that I can remember.
Being weak and disoriented, I banged on the door for a long time to get someone’s attention. The guard came and I begged her to let me see the doctor, which she did. I was not given any medical attention by the doctor but was only permitted to return to my cell in the hole. I got so sick a couple of days later I thought I was going to die. I had to go to the Emergency Room of the VA. After my stay in the Emergency Room, I was taken back to my cell in the hole. All this time I’m having feelings of abandonment, horror, and fear. I sincerely thought I was going to die.
After being in the hole for 12 days I was sent back to C2B. I never felt more relieved or overwhelmed with joy and a feeling of comfort because I know my brothers of C2B would take care of me. Also knowing that God had just tested my faith and it was strengthened enormously. I trust God beyond doubt at this point in my life, letting go of control in my life to Him. My faith took away my anxiety and fear and replaced it with feelings of calm, joy, and peace.
The sheer incompetence of the people who work in this jail is astounding. The food is inadequate and the water tastes like rusty old pipes. Disgusting. To say the least, being in this DC jail is nothing short of a horror show. I used to ask God why I was put here losing everything in my life. But I understand now I must grow my faith to be like a house built on a rock. Unwavering and steadfast. For this is God’s plan, not mine. Thoughts of never seeing my family or friends or dog again were completely overwhelming. But God put those fears at ease. So I trust in Him with all my heart and soul.
I faithfully served my country as a Marine for many years. My own government gave me cancer from contaminated water at Camp Lejeune Marine Base. I’ve been an upstanding citizen my entire life. But now my own government is holding me under inhumane and unconstitutional conditions at the DC jail. Even though I’ve been treated this way I still stand and sing the National Anthem every night with my brothers. I still love my country with all my heart.
Barton ShivelyPrisoner #381138
An estimated six hundred men and women have been apprehended by the Federal Bureau of Investigations for protesting the stolen election on Capitol Hill on January 6 and are suffering horribly at the hands of our corrupted government.
Most of Joe Biden’s political prisoners are being denied due process, held without bail, have yet to be convicted of a crime and are languishing in solitary confinement as they lose their livelihoods waiting month after month for a crooked judge and jury in Washington DC to begin to adjudicate their case.
** Please help support Shively’s legal fees here.