Members of the Fort Davis community gather for
a thanksgiving Mass on the day the standoff ended.

Republic of Texas group: "Independence"

When several Republic of Texas separatists holed up in the west Texas town of Fort Davis on April 27, 1997, hundreds of Texas Rangers, state troopers and sheriff's officers descended on the Davis Mountains Resort, where a week-long standoff ensued.

The group, which claims that Texas was illegaly annexed into the United States in
1845, wants a statewide
referendum on
independence.

In the end, Rick McLaren and his loyalists signed a "treaty" and surrendered, but two of his followers escaped. One was shot dead in the nearby mountains, while a second remains at large.

Some say the "ROTs," as local residents call the renegades, were the second coming of the Texas patriots that died at the Battle of the Alamo in 1836, while others say they are nothing more than bullies and frauds.

The El Paso Herald-Post sent reporter Raul Hernandez and I to cover the standoff. We, along with our editors, chose to cover what the standoff was doing to the Fort Davis community; we would let the Associated Press cover the breaking news for us. The standoff was a frustrating experience for media covering the event. A DPS checkpoint about 10 miles from the site of the standoff was as close as anyone could get.

Above right, Lawmen gather to plot strategy. Right, Ron Beames, a friend of Republic of Texas renegade holdout Rick Mclaren, weeps after not being allowed to see his friend.

Fort Davis residents prepare burritos in the kitchen of St. Joseph's church. The food was for law officers involved in the standoff.	A pizza delivery vehicle is thoroughly checked by DPS trooper.

Davis Mountains Resort teens sleep in crowded conditions in the home of a
friend because they are unable to go home because of the Republic of
Texas group standoff with lawmen.

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©1997 Billy Calzada