Presentation By The CMPP:

Editor's Note - The following is an edited version of the presentation given by Tony Rodriguez at the National Raza Conference on Prisoners and Colonialism, on behalf of the Chicano Mexicano Prison Project.

Compañeras y Compañeros:

On behalf of the CMPP and the "Campaign To Free Alvaro Hernandez Luna ," we would like to thank everyone of you for being present here today. Your presence represents your concern for La Raza.

As some of you know, compañero Alvaro Hernandez is presently locked-up and facing charges on assaulting two police officers. Many of us know that what he is really being charged for is his activism in defense of nuestra Raza!

In fact, Comparñero Alvaro is the clearest/sharpest example of what a "Political Prisoner" is. Compañero Alvaro is in jail right now, because of his long history of political activism in defense of Raza.

The pigs, and not just the ones who wear the uniforms, but those who control the colonial system which oppresses the majority of nuestra Raza, are extremely angry at compañero Alvaro. They are angry with him because of his strong and vigorous defense of our people.

Compañeros y Compañeras, we know that the pigs are particularly angry at compañero Alvaro because he led the "National Campaign To Free Ricardo Aldape Guerra." Ricardo was a compañero who was falsely convicted of killing a Houston cop and spent 15 years of his life on death row. Most people thought that Ricardo Guerra would be executed. But today, because of the struggles of Alvaro and many other people like him, Ricardo is free!

The colonial system is angry because today Ricardo Aldape Guerra is Free! He was freed April 15 after he received word that the charges against him had been droped, after it was proven that the Houston pigs had set him up.

The freedom of compañero Ricardo Adalpe Guerra is a victory for nuestra Raza and it's a victory for nuestro movimiento, precisely because it was the movimiento that freed Ricardo Guerra. And it was compañero Alvaro Hernandez who led the struggle, as coordinator of the campaign to free Ricardo Guerra.

This is why the pigs are out to get compañero Alvaro. They are upset because he led our movement to deal the pigs a tremendous defeat. And this is why all of us should support compañero Alvaro. We, the movement, and the people, owe compañero Alvaro our support.

As some of you know, compañero Alvaro did most of his political work in Houston, Texas. But last year he went back to his home town of Alpine, Texas. As soon as got into town the pigs started to harass him. They were harassing him because of his political work in Houston and because he was organizing La Raza in Alpine.

Within days of arriving in Alpine, compañero Alvaro was "set-up" and falsely accused of robbery. This false accusation led to a confrontation with the pigs and this is why compañero Alvaro finds himself in jail today, waiting to go on trial.

Since his arrest last July, compañero Alvaro has been continuously harassed, placed in isolation, and transferred from one jail to another. Alvaro is presently locked-up in the El Paso County Jail. They have the compañero in isolation so that he won't organize the prisoners inside, and to keep him from effectively organizing in his own defense. But we know that they can put all the chains they want on camarada Alvaro, but they won't be able destroy his revolutionary spirit!

Compañero Alvaro will be going on trial on May 20th in Alpine, Texas. The "National Campaign to Free Alvaro Hernandez Luna" is asking all activists to do four things:

1) If at all possible, attend the first day of Trial on May 20th. We want as many people as possible present to show the colonial system that he has the support of nuestra gente and that we will not allow them to lock Alvaro up.

2) If you can't attend the trial, we want all activists and movement organizations to organize a "press conference and demonstration" in their areas in support of "Freedom for Alvaro" on May 20th the day he goes on trail.

3) We would like you to hold fund raisers (small or large) to help raise funds for the "Campaign To Free Alvaro Hernandez."

4) We also want you to send letters of support to compañero Alvaro and to protest his arrest to the Attorney General Janet Reno.

In closing, we have brochures with information on Alvaro and if you need more information, you can contact some of the campaign members that are here today.

¡Libertad Para Alvaro Hernandez!
¡Que Viva La Raza!