To our members,
To our allies,
To the Mexicano People,
To the Friends of the Liberation struggle for Nuestra América,

It is with great pain and a heavy heart that Unión del Barrio informs the Mexicano Liberation Movement and its supporters that we have lost a leading figure of our cause. The co-founder of our organization and leading member, Ernesto Bustillos passed away the afternoon of March 26, 2012, from complications resulting from cancer.

Ernesto Bustillos was an unwavering and dedicated combatant to the cause of the poor, the exploited, and oppressed people’s the world over. He was a fervent anti-imperialist, anti-Capitalist, and anti-Colonialist, but most importantly he exuded a deep love for his people. Always an Internationalist and a National Liberation fighter, Compañero Ernesto stood tall among the struggling Mexicano people on both sides of the imperialist border.

Ernesto was a guiding political leader for Unión del Barrio, and for our movement, advancing at every turn the struggle for Raza self-determination and liberation. Before and since the founding of Unión del Barrio in 1981, he struggled everyday, and he never gave up la causa, completing tasks for the organization to his final days.

Ernesto was with his family and friends at the time of his passing.

Unión del Barrio

In Remembrance

It was with shock, disbelief and great sadness that we received the news of the passing of Ernesto Bustillos. Ernesto was a longtime friend in struggle, a former member of the Committee on Chicano Rights (CCR), founding member of La Union del Barrio, and a teacher at Memorial Jr. High. With the passing of Ernesto Bustillos, the Chicano/Mex-icano community, our movement and all oppressed people have lost a warrior in the historical struggle against oppression, repression and fight for self-determination.

Our people and community owe Ernesto a debt of gratitude for his tireless efforts and struggles to protect their rights.
As one of the early members of the CCR (1976) Er-nesto participated and helped organize numerous efforts to protect the rights of our community that included:

• The Protest March at the US/Mexico border to stop the Ku Klux Klan’s planned vigilante apprehensions of undocumented Mexicanos,

• The Chicano National Immigration Conference, representing 200 nationwide organizations, followed by a Memorial March at the US/Mexico border to protest violence perpetrated by the INS/Border Patrol against undocumented Mexicanos,

• The Chicano National Immigration Tribunal in San Diego to document violence and brutality against undocumented Mexicanos at the U.S./Mexico border,

• Community meetings to protest violation of the rights of Low Riders in National City by the NCPD,

• Education, re-zoning, police brutality, picketing the SD Union, etc.

Ernesto’s will be missed by all who knew and worked with him in the many struggles he organized with La Union del Barrio.

Personally, I will always remember Ernesto for his total commitment to the historical political principles of; struggle and self-determination.

The CCR extends our deepest and most sincere condolences to his family, students, and all who were touched by his life.
Descanse en Paz,

Herman Baca, President
Committee on Raza Rights