A Pattern is Forming:
Steve Terrel Coleman

By Arlene Johnson
August 27, 2001

Framing an inmate for assault when one was never committed is a serious matter. Mr. Steve Terrel Coleman is such a victim because the same occurrence happened to him that happened to Troy M. Griffin.

On November 5, 1999 when the fire broke out at Florida State Prison, 3Sergeant Kevin Snow appeared by me stating "ain't you the inmate who caught the outside case at U.C.I. back in 1995?" I told him what are you talking about? He then stated "yeah [yes] I remember that you thought you got off easy when they gave you 4 1/2 years huh."

So I said whatever. However, then he stated to me "I am going to hook you up. Let's see if you get out of this one." He fabricated an assault charge on me alone with (17) other Black inmates. Now I have an outside charge for something I have no knowledge of. They are saying that I assaulted Kevin Snow.

Prison guards are using other inmates that have no knowledge of this matter to help them lie by putting an outside charge on me. In reality they are trying to use an excuse for the death of Death Row inmate Frank Valdes by pushing their weight on us here at Florida State Prison.

I have two little children that I am trying to go home to, a boy and a girl. My sentence will end on April 1, 2003. Therefore, the guards fabricated a charge on me in retaliation for the July, 1999 death of Frank Valdes. You see I was sent to Florida State Prison back in 1995 from Union Correctional Institution for an outside charge about which the guards lied on me.

I took it to trial. My conviction is the result of numerous violations at trial of due process of law.

Florida has shown the world through the presidential election it doesn't play by any rules but their own! Furthermore, I was due for release in 1999 but due to the charge that was fabricated against me the release was stopped.

Due to my past record it is reflected that I have been convicted of several fabricated charges in the past. Now, it seems like every time I get short of being released these guards use their uniform and lies to put outside charges on Blacks who are just short of going home because I am a poor Black American.

Jury instructions and prosecution misconduct caused my conviction without a great showing of my guilt. In other words, I did not have a fair trial.

Freedom is a very rare and precious thing. The United States of America proclaims that it is based on freedom but that is all nonsense.

I have been serving time [incarcerated] since 1994 on my original sentence. I had only four years which expired in 1999 in October. Now, in 1995, I was sentenced to 4 1/2 more years. Therefore, I am due for release on that offense, so again prison guards are trying to fabricate an outside charge on me from that November 5, 1999 incident.

To all of you generous people of true justice I extend my most heartfelt [gratitude] to anyone that's caring enough to understand my situation for help. Thank you very much.
Please contact me at:
Steve Terrel Coleman #791469
Florida State Prison D-11-14
P. O. Box 181
Starke, FL 32081-0181

Editor's note: Could it be that the Bureau of Prisons doesn't want to see the African American community set free? See the letter I sent the warden who was new at that time regarding this case next.