Eugene Rivera

Eugene Rivera is a fictional character played by Nelson Vasquez in the HBO drama "Oz".

Character overview

A Latino Correctional Officer and a former member of the Los Diablos gang, he is an enemy of Latino inmate Raoul "El Cid" Hernandez. After seeing Rivera at work, Hernandez tells disgraced Latino Miguel Alvarez that he can get back into El Norte by blinding Rivera. Miguel goes through in doing this and is charged with attempted murder and sent to solitary confinement. In Season 3, Alvarez is released from solitary on the condition that he attend interaction sessions with Eugene and his wife Tina. These sessions do not go well and Alvarez is sent back to solitary. Later, a guide dog program is set up in Oz, Miguel enrolls in it to redeem himself. He asks that Rivera get his dog and Rivera cautiously accepts despite his wife's objections. This is because he wants to make life easier for those who take care of him. Alvarez accomplishes a minor miracle with this dog as he teaches the dog how to guide and respond in both English and Spanish commands. The Riveras speak Spanish at home and as a result, Miguel does a good thing for a man he wronged.