The Coalition to Free Vernon T. Bateman resulted from the Indianapolis Liberation Center’s mission to serve as an incubator for new movement organizations. We are a growing coalition of community members in Indianapolis, Indiana, the United States, North and South America, Europe, Asia, and Africa who share one objective: exonerate Vernon T. Bateman as soon as possible. Our ranks include service workers, lawyers, academics, nurses, teachers, technicians, artists, and workers from all walks of life and all divisions of labor.

The Coalition started forming organically after Leon Benson brought volunteers with the Center together with Vernon in March 2023. Although not yet a formal entity, within months we gathered hundreds of signatures on his petition, organized artistic and political events, sought out platforms for Vernon to tell his story, and engaged deeply in the study of his long saga of injustices stemming back from 1998 until the present that resulted in a two-part series of short documentaries.

The Coalition officially launched on February 12, 2025 at a press conference where the Coalition called on the IDOC to immediately stop their continued targeted harassment and victimization of Bateman.

Learn about Vernon here and sign and share the petition for his exoneration today! You can also make an urgently-needed donation that will go directly to support Vernon in his struggle for his-and our-freedom.

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