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