Biography
Apache/Chicano indigenous rights activist convicted in California of the murder of two police officers, a case supporters say was a frame-up tied to his organizing. Held at Kern Valley State Prison.
Luis V. Rodriguez was an Apache/Chicano activist. He was raised in an atmosphere of political and social involvement and later joined the Brown Berets, a Chicano-Native American militant organization, which formed against racism and other social injustices. Framed and convicted of killing two California Highway Patrol officers, Luis fought with determination to prove his innocence for 37 years.
He faced constant violence from guards at Pelican Bay State Prison where he was originally incarcerated; when he was beaten to the point of not be able to walk anymore, he was not provided a wheelchair or cane as a further act of cruelty. He later was moved to other prisons, fearing retaliation for a pending lawsuit and FBI investigation, and eventually died in 2016 at age 60.
Chicano political prisoner held in California's Pelican Bay State Prison, identified in PFOC Breakthrough magazine as part of the network of Chicano/Mexicano political prisoners supported by anti-imperialist organizing. Documented in PFOC Breakthrough magazine.
