A well-known staffer for the American Civil Liberties Union of New Mexico — who “distinguished himself as a fiery advocate for equity and justice, especially in the criminal legal system” — died in his sleep Friday night, the organization announced Tuesday. 

Barron Jones, the investigation and research manager for ACLU NM, was 54. A cause of death has not been announced.

In an interview with City Desk ABQ, Deputy Director Leon Howard said Jones was an “advocate’s advocate” who was integral in getting several pieces of criminal justice legislation passed including the New Mexico Civil Rights Act. He also successfully pushed for limitations on the use of solitary confinement, requiring law enforcement officers to wear body cameras and “ban the box” in employment situations so those living with criminal convictions could have a foot in the door.

But he also always went above and beyond to make people feel comfortable and “worked tirelessly to amplify the voices of the most downtrodden among us,” Howard said.

“If somebody in the community — it didn’t matter who it was — needed him he would drop everything and be there,” he said. “Anytime there was food left over at gatherings he would pack it all up — it was just a habit of his — and go out and pass out food to unsheltered people.”

Paul Haidle was a criminal justice advocate at the ACLU who hired Jones in 2018. At that time, Haidle said, the organization was specifically looking to hire people with lived experiences in the criminal justice system and Jones really stood out. 

“He liked to talk a lot about the sort of false distinction between incarcerated and formerly incarcerated people and crime survivors and really highlight the fact that so many people, including himself, were victims of just tremendous crimes and for a variety of reasons wind up on the other side of the bars,” Haidle said.

Jones grew up in Detroit, Michigan but had lived in New Mexico for more than 20 years. He had served time in prison and worked as a reporter for the Rio Grande Sun in Española. In his bio for the ACLU, he described himself as a “proud papa of two rescue dogs, Holmes and MeToo.” His long-time partner did not respond to a message by publication time.

“I came to find out that Barron was the same guy his whole life — it didn’t matter if it was the last couple years at ACLU or when he was at the Rio Grande Sun or even in prison,” Haidle said. 

Jones served time in the Central New Mexico Correctional Facility in Los Lunas, his former “bunkie” Fermin Gonzales told City Desk ABQ. The two attended college in prison around 2007 and were in the same treatment facility, Gonzales said. 

“He was all into his studies, just like I was,” Gonzales recalled. “We were talking about when we got out we’re not going back and we’re going to help people out.”

The two men were paroled around the same time and both went on to do advocacy work. More recently they served together on the Bernalillo County’s Detention Facility Advisory Board and advocated for criminal justice reform at the state Legislature.

“One thing I’m going to miss is going up to Santa Fe with him every February,” Gonzales said. “I remember us going up there to one of the lobby days and us looking at each other and talking. You know 16 years ago at this time we would be sitting down at a chow hall in prison and look at what we’re doing today.” 

As news of Jones’s death began to circulate over the weekend, Howard said he’s heard from people “down on their luck” as well as from professors at the University of New Mexico, the Bernalillo County Sheriff and various lawmakers. 

“He had such an impact on this city,” Howard said. “It’s only dawning on me now and it’s really, really hard.”