A mother’s cry filled a Los Angeles Superior Court hearing in downtown Long Beach Oct. 30 as crowds of local activists, LBCC students and faculty supporters witnessed Kaizann Guerrero appear, trailed by six officers.
“I’m not saying my son is an angel, but he’s never been violent,” Karina Guerrero said about her son’s temperament.
Kaizann Guerrero, a Long Beach resident, diagnosed with schizophrenia has been in state custody since his arrest in August 2025.
Before his current criminal court proceedings, Kaizann Guerrero was represented by a public defender in mental health court, which is intended to steer eligible defendants with qualifying mental health conditions away from the traditional criminal court process.
After being evaluated and deemed mentally fit to stand trial, Kaizann Guerrero stood in criminal court with a private lawyer.
Kaizann Guerrero was arrested and accused of starting a small dumpster fire near his supportive housing community in the Washington neighborhood, but his mother Karina Guerrero, who was there at the time of the incident, disputes the claim against her son.
Karina Guerrero riling up the crowd gathered for her son, Kaizann Guerrero’s, court hearing and pushing them to continue showing up for him, in front of Governor George Deukmejian Courthouse in Long Beach on Oct. 30. Kaizann Guerrero, diagnosed with schizophrenia, has been in state custody since his arrest in August 2025. (Araceli Juarez)
The ‘Justice for Kaizann’ activist group and the family claim that LBPD mishandled his arrest, becoming aggressive with both Kaizann and Karina Guerrero at the time of the incident and heard an officer say, “We can do this the easy way or the hard way,” Karina Guerrero said.
While in state custody, Kaizann Guerrero has been given medication different from what he is normally prescribed for schizophrenia. According to his mother, he told her the medication “makes him feel like a zombie.”
According to Karina Guerrero, he had reached a breakthrough with his new medication plan in his supportive housing community.
With community support, the Guerrero family was able to afford a private criminal defense attorney, Omid Haghighat.
The fundraising efforts by the ‘Justice for Kaizann’ group, led by community organizer Josh De Leon and National Alliance for Filipino Concerns (NAFCON) coalition members, allowed the family to retain a lawyer for Kaizann Guerrero.
Prior to this, the family has faced multiple difficulties going through public defenders with Kaizann’s father, William Guerrero, claiming that Billy Edwards, their previous public defense lawyer, asked if both him and Kaizann Guerrero were Native American in front of the judge, which has no relevance to their case.
Documentarian John Haas, director of the documentary “Reach Out,”was in attendance at the court hearing in the Hollywood courthouse, where according to Haas, Edwards asked to have the press removed.
“This is someone handling mental health, I would expect more care,” William Guerrero said in reference to their experiences with the public defenders.
The court hearing on Oct. 30 rallied a crowd of supporters who filled the courtroom, during which Kaizann Guerrero was brought out with an accompaniment of six police officers.
“Seeing all those officers there, it was intense,” Karina Guerrero said about the number of officers escorting her son into the courtroom.
The constant moving and oversaturation of court dates alongside improper medication has left Kaizann Guerrero depressed and lethargic, with Karina Guerrero claiming that Kaizann Guerrero asked her, “Mom, am I ever going to get out?”
“Justice for Kaizann” members showing their support of Kaizann Guerrero in front of the Governor George Deukmejian Courthouse in Long Beach on Oct. 30. The group advocates for Guerrero’s release, and better systems for people with mental illness going through the justice system. (Araceli Juarez)
Activist RJ, a member of LBCC Students for Justice in Palestine, encourages students to continue the fight for social justice.
“Join student groups on campus, join international organizations in solidarity and oppose human rights violations,” RJ said
Karina and William Guerrero continue to fight for their son’s release and encourage members of the Long Beach community to come out to his court hearings to show Kaizann all the support he has.
Kaizann Guerrero’s next court date will be on Dec. 13.
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