If you didn’t go to law school, chances are that you’ve never heard of a woman named Dollree Mapp. The supreme court decision Mapp v Ohio held that evidence obtained without a search warrant was inadmissible in criminal proceedings, thereby reinforcing the right to privacy.

Dollree Mapp (1957)

Dollree “Dolly” Mapp was smart, stylish and beautiful. She was born in Texas in 1924 to an interracial couple. Little is known about her childhood except that when she was 10 years old, she somehow made her way to live with an aunt in Cleveland. She had her only daughter when she was a teenager. Later she married boxer Jimmy Bivens for a short time; she quickly escaped his abuse. She was briefly engaged to another boxer, Archie Moore.

While investigating the bombing of the home of a small time gangster nicknamed ‘the Kid,” the police found themselves at Dolly’s front door. [Incidentally, ‘the Kid’ was Don King who would go on to become a famous boxing promoter.] They said that they wanted to question a man named Virgil Ogletree who was a suspect in the bombing. Dolly asked to see a warrant and you can read what happened next HERE.

When the police illegally searched Mapp’s house, they found gambling items as well as other materials that they claimed were “pornographic.” She was convicted on the felony charge of possessing obscene materials. Dolly was sentenced to serve 7 years in prison. She appealed her case all of the way to the Supreme Court where she won in a landmark decision.

In 1970, while living in Queens, Dolly’s home was again raided by the police this time with a valid search warrant. Police seized drugs and ‘stolen property’ from her home. She was sentenced to serve 20 years to life under new harsh drug laws. Dolly maintained that she was framed by the cops as payback for what happened in Cleveland. Her supporters formed the Dollree Mapp Defense Committee and committed to fight for her freedom. In 1981, Hugh Carey, the Governor of New York, commuted Dolly’s sentence.

While incarcerated at Bedford Hills Correctional Facility, Dolly wrote a piece titled “Pooah Pooah Woman” which was published in Heresies #6(special issue On Women & Violence). Warning, the piece is explicit.

Pooah Pooah Woman
by Dollree Mapp

Dollree Mapp (1957)

You woman – yes you — how can it be — the enemy captured you two years ago, held you in jail, forced you to take a plea, two (2) to four (4) they could no longer hold you in Rikers, so you were shipped to Bedford, Bedford the Carnage Island — you are mistreated by the female guards — stripped of all your principles, forced into submission — You Woman, yes you, no longer a woman — the female guards have crushed you to your lowest ebb, you submit and become the shell that housed the real YOU; you are now assigned to a slave job, the cafe, the roaches have taken over, the female guard tower over your every move, you scream out for

– DEATH;

Now Pooah Woman, the male guards are here — a new assertion of authority — you continue to work, slaving and no pay — no money from the free world — commissary too high, more than the outside — so Pooah Woman, what’cha gonna do, ya gotta steal, you take lettuce, tomatoes, onions, butter and whatever you can to — SMOKE;

Cigarettes all gone, no roll your own, you once again creep into the cooler, the coast is clear — so you think — SNATCHING — SNATCHING — filling your bag with things to sell, so you can smoke — SMOKE;

Suddenly it happened, the male guard walked in, you begin to shake, he tells you that you will go to segregation for a long time, you begin to cry and plead with him not to write you — he smile as he begin to unzip his pants, he instruct you to kiss it for awhile, you don’t want to, but you don’t want segregation either — you nervously take his organ with shaking hands as he attempts to lunge his organ into your mouth – you gag, but segregation is dangling in front of you — much too soon his organ has swollen twice the size and he insist you lift your dress quickly while he forces his penis into your vagina — you want to fight, but you are frozen with fear, you want to resist but his grip is one of DEATH — soon the brutal force breaks through and the hot-sperm from him floods your inside like a hot shower — it is all over for him, he left and returned, telling me to come out, you sneakily walk out unnoticed by the female guard;

The male guard in running into you later tells you to keep your mouth shut, stating that no one would believe you anyway – because – the administration is adamant in telling you-people that your word has no validity —

You continue to work on your slave job, stealing whenever you can — a week or so later you see the guard and he DEMANDS that you meet him at a certain time – you out of fear, COMPLY;

You beg him not to do that again as you are afraid – he threatens you and you adhere to his demand — the procedure is basically the same, a repeat — the weeks fly, you are working, stealing to smoke when suddenly the stomach pains are constant – you see the nurse, you ask for the prison quack — after extensive complaining you are put down to see the prison QUACK; your urine is taken, much later you are called to the clinic, there is a female who identifies herself as a doctor, she tells the nurse to undress you and put you on the table – you question this, you are told that your urine came back SUSPICIOUS; you are internally examined, nothing is said to you — after all, you are no-body so why should they tell you anything about your self;

Some time later you are called to go out to a special doctor — you are taken out, examined and are told that you are PREGNANT;

Now Pooah Woman — whatcha gonna do — the female guards have taken your identity, made you a human robot — the male guards done-done-it-to-ya — tell me Pooah Woman, whatsit gonna be – when can we be free from this PIG-ABUSE?