Team | Peace and Justice Law Center

Staff

Sean Garcia-Leys

Executive Director

Sean Garcia-Leys is a civil rights attorney and public safety advocate who works to end racial disparities and counterproductive gang suppression strategies in the criminal legal system.

He has successfully fought gang injunctions in LA, Orange, and Ventura counties; was instrumental in reducing the number of people in the CalGang database from 200,000 to 20,000; successfully advocated for the closure of Central Juvenile Hall in Los Angeles, and has testified as a gang expert in immigration court where he has successfully helped stop deportations.

His research has been published by Oxford University Press, in white papers by the UC Irvine Law School and the Urban Peace Institute, and he is a frequent source for the news media regarding gang policing and juvenile justice.

He is the recipient of the 2017 Chicano Hero award from Chicanxs Unidxs and the 2018 Equal Justice award from the ACLU of Southern California.

Before becoming an attorney, Sean worked as a high school teacher in Watts and East LA, and as a labor organizer. He is also a former commissioner of the Los Angeles County Probation Oversight Commission.

Ameena Qazi

Of Counsel

ameena@pjlawcenter.org

Ameena Mirza Qazi's work focuses on police misconduct, First Amendment and policing, and open government issues.

Ameena has extensive experience as an attorney and community advocate in Southern California. As Executive Director of the Los Angeles chapter of the National Lawyers Guild, Ameena worked on protecting our rights to political protest and dissident speech, as well as movement building after the Presidential Election in November 2016.

Formerly the Deputy Executive Director and Staff Attorney for the Council on American-Islamic Relations—Greater Los Angeles Area Chapter (CAIR-LA), the largest American Muslim civil rights and advocacy group, cases she worked on include co-counseling a wrongful death action and §1983 claim against LAPD that resulted in a $1.7million verdict (Chaudhry v. LAPD), and co-counseling a class action lawsuit with the ACLU of Southern California and Hadsell, Stormer and Renick, LLP against the FBI for unlawful surveillance of the Southern California Muslim community.

A member of the California State Bar, Ameena graduated with Cum Laude honors from Wayne State University School of Law, and graduated Magna Cum Laude from UCLA with a BA in Political Science. She has also proudly served on the boards of the ACLU of Southern California, the Public Law Center, and the National Lawyers Guild Orange County.

Luis Rojas

Community Legal Advocate

Luis@pjlawcenter.org

Luis Rojas is a zealous advocate with a background in both the legal field and in social work. Rojas has expertise in community organizing, civil rights litigation, criminal defense, high profile product liability cases and police misconduct.

Rojas grew up in Orange County and began his career by volunteering in grassroots organizing and providing legal advocacy to people in lower socio-economic areas. His educational background is in English, Latin American Studies, and Paralegal Studies. In August 2025, he will obtain a Master’s in Social Work with an emphasis on Social Change and Innovation from the University of Southern California which will further propel his career in public service.

Rojas prides himself for having a positive attitude and collaborative energy. Aside from
helping his community, on his spare time, Luis is also passionate about music, art,
being outdoors, hiking, running, playing soccer and lounging at the beach.

Vanessa Cerda

Organizer

Vanessa Cerda is an organizer and dedicated resident of Santa Ana, known for her influential work and strong commitment to her community. She actively strives to empower the working-class residents of Santa Ana, aiming to break through the intergenerational barriers that may hinder their progress and success. With her positive work ethic and determination, Vanessa Cerda works tirelessly to create opportunities for individuals to overcome the obstacles they may face and achieve upward mobility. Her efforts have made her a respected figure within the community, as she continues to impact the lives of many in Santa Ana.

Vanessa Cerda is actively involved in building and maintaining coalitions in Orange County, California. One of her primary advocacy goals is the full implementation of the Racial Justice Act to address systemic racial disparities within the criminal justice system. Additionally, Vanessa organizes an advisory committee that guides the work of the PJLC’s. This committee is composed of community members who are most affected by the issues at hand. Through their collective expertise and lived experiences, the advisory committee helps shape the PJLC's strategies and initiatives, with a specific focus on fostering a harmonious culture among the most impacted individuals in the community, particularly those who face the greatest challenges.