At trial, witnesses described
the police shooting as a "war
zone." Xinachtli returned fire
in self-defense but never shot
nor injured anyone. Xinachtli
dialed 911 (emergency) and
alerted other officials that po-
lice were shooting at him and
‘would not allow him to surren-
der. Eventually, the situation
deescalated and Xinachtli was
taken into custody.

Xinachtli was charged with
two counts of aggravated as-
sault - one count for disarming
the sheriff and one count for a
wound suffered by Sgt. Curtis
Hines from a ricocheting po-
lice bullet. Xinachtli's elderly
mother was charged with "hin-
dering apprehension” and
jailed.

Protests demanding Xi-
nachtli's release were staged
outside the courthouse in
Odessa during the trial. Other
protests were held in EI Paso,
Texas; San Diego, California;
and Cuidad Juarez, Mexico.
On June 2-9, 1997, Xinachtli
‘was convicted of "threatening"
the sheriff, but acquitted on
the charge of shooting Sgt.
Hines. He received a 50-year

sentence.

Since his imprisonment Xi-
nachtli has continued to be ha-
rassed by prison authoritics.
They have gone so far as to ac-
cuse him of gang affiliations
and transferring him to admin-
istrative segregation. Xinachtli
has consistently denied gang
affiliations and states he was
targeted because of his politi-
cal views, and connections he
made with fellow Mexicano
captives.

Because of outside pressurc
from Xinachtli’s supporters,
Xinachtli was finally trans-
ferred out of segregation. De-
spite the small victory, He is
still continuously monitored
and harassed. Despite the con-
stant harassment, he has con-
tinued to be a strong voice and
advocate for political prison-
ers and prisoners” rights.

Xinachtli

Chicano Activist and
Anarchist Wrongfully
Serving a Life Sen-
tence for Self Defense

Who is Xinachtli?

Xinachtli is a Chicano ac-
tivist and political prisoner
serving 50 years in prison for
an alleged assault on an Alpine
police officer. He has been
longtime anti-police brutality
and prison abolition activist,
which has led to constant ha-
rassment by local and state po-
lice in west Texas.

Xinachtli was bom under
the name Alvaro Hernandez,
Jr. He was raised around the
town of Alpine, Texas. A high-
school dropout with no formal
education, Alvaro hasn’t al-
ways been such a capable, and
indeed, brilliant, litigator. It
was during the late 1970s that
he transformed himself from a
rebellious, zoot suit-wearing
“pachuco” hustler in his youth

into a prominent leader in the
struggle for racial justice and
human rights in the Southwest
United States.

In 1975, Xinachtli and an-
other man, Juan Hernandez,
were arrested for the shooting
death of a night clerk at the
Alpine Ramada Inn. A jury
found Xinachtli and his code-
fendant guilty, sentencing both
tolife in prison. Days after his
conviction, he and three other
men attempted to escape from
the Pecos County jail. An in-
tense shoot ensued before the
men were captured on the
Mexican side of the border.
In 1979, Juan Hernandez was
granted a new trial after an ap-
peals court declared there was
no corroborating evidence to
support the claims made by a
‘witness.

Los Angeles Anarchist Black Cross PO Box 11223 Whittier CA 90603

Los Angeles Anarchist Black Cross PO Box 11223 Whittier CA 90603
As for Xinachtli, he spent
his time in prison, studying
Mexican-American history,
the prison system and revolu-
tionary political theory. He
began acting as a_jailhouse
lawyer, fighting against insti-
tutional corruption through
constitutional and civil rights
lawsuits. He and others organ-
ized hunger strikes, work stop-
pages and other actions to
create reform. He eventually
became one of the "seven
other prisoners” whose civil
suits were merged into what
later became the landmark Es-
telle v Ruiz victory for prison
reform against the Texas De-
partment of Corrections.
While in Huntsville, he
met Ricardo Adalpe Guerra, a
Mexican national who had
been convicted of killing a
Houston area police officer.
Guerra convineed of his inno-
cence, which would have a
lasting impression on him.
After serving 16-years in
prison, Xinachtli was relcased.
However, he soon had run-ins
police, which led to him being
brutally beaten by Alpine po-
lice. He responded by success-

fully suing the Pecos Sheriff’s
department. These two inci-
dents further politicized Xi-
nachtli and gave birth to his
long carcer and dedication as
an anti-prison and anti-brutal-
ity acti

Throughout the *90s, Xi-
nachtli worked as the national
coordinator for the Ricardo
Aldape Guerra Defense Com-
mittee, which led the struggle
to free Mexican national Al-
dape Guerra from Texas' death
row after being framed by
Houston police. The commit-
tee led a campaign that suc-
cessfully stopped two
scheduled exccutions of Al-
dape Guerra and won his
eventual the release in 1997.

In March 1993, Xinachtli
was a non-governmental or-
ganization (NGO) delegate be-
fore the 49th session of the
United Nations Commission
on Human Rights in Geneva,
Switzerland. Before the U.N.
General Assembly, he exposed
the U.S. government's dismal
human rights record and its
human rights violations of
US. political prisoners.

In addition, Xinachtli spear-

headed the National Move-
ment of La Raza, Stop the Vi-
olence Youth Committee and
the Prisoners Solidarity Com-
mittee in Houston. He spoke
frequently at many colleges,
universities and conferences
around the country, addressing
issues ranging from injustices
in the criminal system against
people of color, to self-deter-
mination, human rights and
political prisoners.

On July 18, 1996, Sheriff
Jack McDaniel of Alpine,
Texas, went to arrest Xinachtli
at his home on a charge of ag-
gravated robbery (later di
missed with Xinachtli as his
own counsel). No warrant for
the arrest was issued. When
the unarmed Xinachtli ques-
tioned the sheriff's action, the
officer drew his weapon. Be-
fore he could shoot, Xinachtli
disarmed him and fled.

Xinachtli was aware the po-
lice had been monitoring him
since his arrival in Alpine and
had often expressed fears he
would be assassinated by the
police.

At his trial, police said they
felt Xinachtli was a "trouble-

maker" and Xinachtli knew
his history as a barrio organ-
izer made him a target of law
enforcement who were used to
little resistance from the Chi-
cano/Mexicano community.
The polic in west Texas have
a history of abuse, frame-ups
and brutality against Mex
canos. 90% of felony indict-
ments are against Chicanos in
a county whose population is
50% Mexican-American.

In fear for his life, Xi-
nachtli cluded police. Days
later, he returned to his
mother's house. A heavily
armed law enforcement con-
tingent converged on the
home. Without ~identifying
themselves, police began
shooting indiscriminately at
the house, cars parked in front
and at the public strectlights.

Los Angeles Anarchist Black Cross PO Box 11223 Whittier CA 90603

Los Angeles Anarchist Black Cross PO Box 11223 Whittier CA 90603