Alvaro Luna Hernandez facts for kids

Alvaro Luna Hernandez (born May 12, 1952) is an activist from Alpine, Texas. He works for Chicano liberation and wants to change the prison system. He is known as a "Jailhouse Lawyer." This means he helps other people in prison with their legal cases. He tries to help those he believes are innocent or need help getting justice. He is currently in prison at the McConnell Unit.

Learning and Organizing in Prison

While in prison, Alvaro Luna Hernandez studied many important topics. He learned about Mexican-American history and how the prison system works. He also studied political ideas and laws. This helped him understand how to defend himself and others.

He worked to fight against unfair practices he saw in the prison system. He did this by filing lawsuits about constitutional rights and civil rights. He also took part in peaceful protests like hunger strikes and work stoppages. He was one of several prisoners whose lawsuits helped lead to a big change. This change was called the Ruiz v. Estelle case. It helped improve conditions in Texas prisons.

Alvaro spent a lot of his time in solitary confinement. This means he was kept alone, often because of his activism. But in 1991, he was cleared and set free. This happened partly because of news reports that looked into his case.

Alvaro's Activist Work

After being released, Alvaro Luna Hernandez moved to Houston, Texas. He quickly became a leader in helping Ricardo Adape Guerra. Ricardo was a Mexican citizen who had been found guilty of a crime. Alvaro helped get Ricardo's conviction overturned.

Alvaro also started a national civil rights group. This group was for Mexican-Americans and was called The National Movement of La Raza. He did a lot of work in the community. He helped with the "Stop the Violence Youth Committee." He also worked with the "Prisoners Solidarity Committee."

He even helped bring peace between different youth groups in Pasadena, Texas. This happened after there had been many shootings. Alvaro also worked on international issues. In 1993, he spoke to the United Nations General Assembly. He talked about how political prisoners were treated in the United States.

Alvaro's 1996 Arrest

In 1996, Alvaro was working to stop police brutality in Chicano communities. An officer came to his home on July 18 to arrest him. Alvaro says the officer pointed a gun at him. He knocked the gun away to protect himself and then ran. He later turned himself in to the police.

Alvaro was found innocent of the first charge. But he was found guilty of touching the police officer's gun. He was given a long prison sentence for this. Many human rights activists believe Alvaro is a political prisoner. They have asked groups like the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights to look into his case.

See Also

• Chicano Movement
• Prison abolition movement