Statement from Prisoner Rexford Tweed to Attorney Gold

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Margaret Gondleman Gold                                                                                            January 29, 2001
Attorney At Law
1448 Shady Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA. 15217

RE:  Ronald C. Ashcraft

Dear Ms. Gold:

Ronald C. Ashcraft sent word to me that he wished I would write you and I'm responding to that request.  For background, I have been incarcerated 12 straight years in the Florida prison system at quite a few institutions.  I'm transferred often because I'm a prolific prison writ writer and litigator.  I'm presently in confinement, an experience I have had every calendar year for the last five years, each at a different institution and always the result of retaliation for writing grievances or for prison litigation I have filed.

I have had a $5 dollar bill planted in my property (cashless system in Florida), a handcuff key, and three attempts to plant a shank, of which this last time here at Okeechobee C.I. was successful.  It was Officer A. Coleman (a black officer) that was responsible for having the shank planted in my bunk.  He also disposed of some of my property and stole 25 U.S. stamps from me.  He threw this property in the trash, less the stamps and an inmate found it and turned it into a staff person.  He found it in A. Coleman's trash container.  All this while I was in confinement.  I have grieved this, the staff person as a witness, with no results.  This is the same person Ron Ashcraft has a problem with.  I also lived in D-dorm.

Be aware that there are three (3) Colemans at Okeechobee and the other two are white.  They are brothers and every bit as nasty and corrupted as A. Coleman.  They are D. Coleman and Captain Coleman.

So many serious violations against me have happened here that I do not know which ones Ron would select to have me tell you about, or that you would be interested in.  Therefore, I will summarize  with general statements of fact, and if you want documentation or more information including loads of copies of Administrative Grievances with their responses, I will gladly provide them.

I do expect to be transferred very shortly and thus, if you chose to correspond by letter, it might have to follow me until I arrive at a final destination, and then I will immediately respond.  Other inmates that you may be familiar with that know me well are James Quigley and Allen J. Cotton.

I notice on your letter to the Inspector General that you mention Orlando Irva Diza (pronunciation De-ez).  I do not know him, but about two weeks ago, there was an inmate who the officers kept yelling at.  He was just below me and two or three cells over when Captain Coleman maced him using 3 cans of mace.  It was unusual (not the macing) but because the inmate did no shouting or loud talking as is customary in circumstances like this.  He also did very little coughing, which I couldn't understand.  He did refuse to cuff up and he did make a mess of his cell in protest over something, either that or he just flipped out.

This same Captain Coleman, about a week later, came busting into my cell and told me (because of a grievance I wrote against him), that if I wasn't so old, he would beat the F--- out of me.  He reminded me of the macing downstairs and [said] that I was very very close to getting the same thing.

It was at this time, in my cell, that I raised the issue of the planting of a shank in my cell and not being fed many meals with Captain Coleman.  With a big smile, he referred to these incidents with a strong manner of impunity and confidence, [saying] that they were "management tools".  I have come to realize that at this institution that is true.

At this institution [Okeechobee], from the warden down to the captains, I have had dealings with each one personally over "serious violations of administrative rules against me."  There is no exception in this bunch.  They are the most malicious, unethical, unprofessional, corrupt, vicious group I have ever experienced.  At every institution these [kinds] of people exist, but there is always one administrator or security supervisor who has some ethics, morals, or scruples.  But not at this institution!  Therefore, the officer's have such immunity, and actual support for their unethical acts, that they deal with their own emotional problems by cognitively violating inmates.  An inmate they do not like will have a shank or drugs planted on him, be convicted to Disciplinary Confinement with a great loss of gaintime, followed by Close Management (CM) confinement (confined to a cell), and with charges like these, they will usually require three years of confinement to a CM cell.  This is what happened to me, but I was skillful enough in the law to prevent CM, which is highly unusual. 

This is what Ron has to worry about. A. Coleman will have something planted on Ron on a day Coleman is off so he can claim total innocence.  Ron is in great danger.  This just happened to another writ writer by the name of Leonard Copeland DC #843016.  It happened in the last 60 days and Copeland is now on CM.  He is totally innocent of the charge of having a shank and the circumstances of his conviction are outrageous.

This institution does not have an inspector.  It hasn't had one for some time and it appears that's deliberate.  Trying to obtain a regional inspector to investigate has been impossible for me!

I wonder if Ron has talked to anyone outside this institution?  Talking to anyone investigating from this institution is nothing but a front to placate the inmate.  Nothing will happen to solve the problem.

Enclosed is a response from the Regional Director, Mrs. Villacorta, stating that I will see a Regional Inspector.  But that hasn't happened.  I have seen him enter my dorm wing once, but guards kept me in my cell and made sure I didn't yell to him.  If an honest inspector came here, I, all by myself, could cause great repercussions with provable, factual basis of wrong doing, but they won't let that happen.

Besides the shank and not feeding me breakfast or lunch many days, administrators, staff and security played a cat and mouse game with my criminal legal work which required notary to prove I mailed it timely to the court.  An enclosed affidavit outlines how they deliberately caused me to miss my deadline.  They play real dirty here even when it affects a man's life in prison!  There is a lot more to this notary situation if you want the information.

I'm in protective custody right now, at my request, because of all the threats from five different officers. That's a long story.  I've done 12 years at some of the roughest camps and never requested protective custody before.  Regional Director, Mrs. Villacorta appears to be no help.  I have sent her two long letters.  I also wrote the Inspector General, the Attorney General, and DOC General Counsel Lewis Varges, none of which have responded.

There's a lot more that's happened over a short period of time.  Enclosed are grievances I have written against A. Coleman but I do not have a copy right now of the one where he disposed of my property and stole my stamps.  I have written dozens of grievances just since I have been in confinement, most focusing on the violation and attempting to get a regional inspector in here.  All to no avail.

A. Coleman told me the same thing that he told Ronald Ashcraft, that my time is coming, he will be waiting for me to get out of confinement, and then he will "show me what time it is".

Your best results may be with Mr. Stan Czerniak, Director of Institutions in Tallahassee.

I would appreciate just one line from you that you received this and on what date.  This was mailed U.S. mail the same date as the letter*. 

[* The letter was postmarked Jan 17, 2001.  Attorney Gold received it January 22.]

Sincerely,

Rexford Tweed  116365
Cell # 1119L
Okeechobee Correctional Inst.
P.O. Box 1984
Okeechobee, Florida  34973

REPRESSIVE PRISON DISCIPLINE