Biography
Ramon Arroyos was an El Paso Chicano activist, a member of Chicanos Unidos and an editor of its newspaper El Mestizo. His community work included drug-abuse programs and expanding Chicano access to broadcasting. He received probation after a disputed department-store firebombing conviction in 1976. On September 12, 1978, he was remanded to prison for an alleged probation violation following a drunk-driving arrest. He challenged the test used against him and produced medical evidence of a foot condition affecting his gait. His supporters regarded the prosecution as part of police harassment of Chicanos Unidos. He later became a Mexica spiritual leader and died on April 15, 2012.
With Alfredo Espinosa and Ruben Ogaz, Arroyos was known as one of Los Tres. Their initial arson prosecution followed the August 6, 1975 firebombing of the Popular department store; all three were held under $10,000 bail each before securing release. Prosecutors alleged that police found firebomb-making materials in their car, while supporters maintained that the case targeted Chicanos Unidos. Arroyos was convicted on September 9, 1976 and received five years' probation. His initial detention and his later 1978 imprisonment were separate custody periods; neither has a confirmed release date in the available evidence.
