Humberto Guizar: From the Streets to the Courtroom

Humberto Guizar is a blast from the past, offering a unique perspective as he describes the drastic changes at California State University, Northridge from when he was a student and the societal norms influencing those changes. As he talks his eyes move rapidly, taking in the campus and students as though his time here had all been a dream — which is exactly how he describes his return, dream like.

During his student days at CSUN in the late 70s, graduating in 1980, Humberto painted a picture quite different from the ones current students may experience today. He describes how the Chicana/o Studies students represented a small percentage of the campus total, only 800 Chicana/o students out of 9,000 students total—compared to today, where Hispanics make up approximately 40 percent of the student population. Because of the small community, he described how Chicana/o students wore their traditional clothes to stand out and show their pride — a constant fight against the oppression they felt. As we continued to talk, he describes how “it just blows my mind, none of this was here and the Chicano students did not interact with the white kids.”

With his experience and witnessing this change within our society, Humberto uses his knowledge for good. He has become a successful criminal defense attorney and is called an expert in gang-related crimes. He uses the education he received at CSUN to become a modern-day Robin Hood, fighting for those poorly treated by the system. As a criminal defense attorney he uses his position as a vehicle for social justice against police brutality and oppression in the Los Angeles area. Humberto has been practicing law for 27 years and is currently a principal partner in the civil rights law firm of Guizar, Henderson & Carrazco in Tustin, California where he continues to practice.