Activism

Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao Launches Human Trafficking Advisory Council

Oakland Police Department, also a part of the advisory council, shared that in partnership with the FBI, they completed 26 critical investigations where 14 minors were rescued, 27 individuals were arrested for solicitation, and 14 individuals suspected of human trafficking were arrested.

Published

2 years ago

November 5, 2023

Magaly Muñoz

Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao, center, with members of her new Human Trafficking Advisory Council. Photo by Magaly Muñoz.

By Magaly Muñoz, Post Staff

On Wednesday evening, Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao launched her Human Trafficking Advisory Council. Collaborating with several agencies, the council aims to devise strategies to prevent and investigate human trafficking crimes, as well as assist victims in healing from these crimes.

Thao was joined by City Council President Niki Fortunato Bas, the Alameda County District Attorney’s Office, the Oakland Police Department, the Oakland Department of Violence Prevention, the Alameda County Sheriff’s Department, and a coalition of survivor advocate groups and community organizations.

“It is our job as a whole community, as neighbors, as stewards of humanity to ensure that we are protecting our boys and girls, men and women, to ensure that they do not have to face a life of being trafficked,” Thao said.

Earlier this month, Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price unveiled six new billboards at Oakland International Airport that are part of her campaign against human trafficking in the Bay Area.

The billboards will feature QR codes and phone numbers, offering victims and survivors access to helplines and resources. The information displayed on these billboards will be available in three languages.

Thao said they are looking into the option of putting up additional billboards around the city but will leave it up to the Council to find the best solutions to raising awareness about sex trafficking.

Alameda County is identified as the third-largest hub for sex trafficking in the country, with 4,700 youth victims.

“It [human trafficking] is a billion-dollar industry, and our efforts have to step up to that,” Price said during her press conference.

The council identified the streets and neighborhoods between International Boulevard, East 14^thStreet, and East 15^th Street, also known as “the Blade,” as the most active zones for trafficking in Oakland.

When asked how she will ensure that the community doesn’t see an increase in police presence in the streets as a negative, Thao said there are two sides to the issue.

First, the role of police partnerships is to look out for pimps and perpetrators of sex trafficking and to enforce the relevant laws. Second, victims need resources like housing, jobs, and food. This is where community organizations come into play.

Venus Morris from Survivors Healing Advising and Dedicated to Empowerment (SHADE) shared that the isolation brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic made it easier to exploit people because of idle time that perpetrators’ had coupled with the lack of resources accessible to survivors and victims.

She said her work with SHADE goes towards diffusing the epidemic of sex trafficking and helping kids feel like selling their bodies and walking the streets is not the only option to getting some stability in their lives.

“Awareness isn’t a campaign. It’s an action,” Morris said.

The mayor stated that the council will regularly convene to discuss strategies concerning resources for victims, proper intervention and enforcement of these crimes, and examine the underlying issues that make victims vulnerable.

Magaly Muñoz

A graduate of Sacramento State University, Magaly Muñoz’s journalism experience includes working for the State Hornet, the university’s student-run newspaper and conducting research and producing projects for “All Things Considered” at National Public Radio. She also was a community reporter for El Timpano, serving Latino and Mayan communities, and contributed to the Sacramento Observer, the area’s African American newspaper.

Muñoz is one of 40 early career journalists who are part of the California Local News Fellowship program, a state-funded initiative designed to strengthen local news reporting in California, with a focus on underserved communities.

The fellowship program places journalism fellows throughout the state in two-year, full-time reporting positions.

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Magaly Muñoz

A graduate of Sacramento State University, Magaly Muñoz’s journalism experience includes working for the State Hornet, the university’s student-run newspaper and conducting research and producing projects for “All Things Considered” at National Public Radio. She also was a community reporter for El Timpano, serving Latino and Mayan communities, and contributed to the Sacramento Observer, the area’s African American newspaper. Muñoz is one of 40 early career journalists who are part of the California Local News Fellowship program, a state-funded initiative designed to strengthen local news reporting in California, with a focus on underserved communities. The fellowship program places journalism fellows throughout the state in two-year, full-time reporting positions.

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Activism

Oakland Post: Week of March 4 – 10, 2026

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of March 4 – 10, 2026

Published

4 days ago

March 7, 2026

Oakland Post

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Oakland Post: Week of February 25 – March 3, 2026

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of – February 25 – March 3, 2026

Published

1 week ago

March 1, 2026

Oakland Post

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Activism

Chase Oakland Community Center Hosts Alley-Oop Accelerator Building Community and Opportunity for Bay Area Entrepreneurs

Over the past three years, the Alley-Oop Accelerator has helped more than 20 Bay Area businesses grow, connect, and gain meaningful exposure. The program combines hands-on training, mentorship, and community-building to help participants navigate the legal, financial, and marketing challenges of small business ownership.

Published

3 weeks ago

February 21, 2026

Oakland Post

Bay Area entrepreneurs attend the Alley-Oop Accelerator, a small business incubation program at Chase Oakland Community Center. Photo by Carla Thomas.

By Carla Thomas

The Golden State Warriors and Chase bank hosted the third annual Alley-Oop Accelerator this month, an empowering eight-week program designed to help Bay Area entrepreneurs bring their visions for business to life.

The initiative kicked off on Feb. 12 at Chase’s Oakland Community Center on Broadway Street, welcoming 15 small business owners who joined a growing network of local innovators working to strengthen the region’s entrepreneurial ecosystem.

At its core, the accelerator is designed to create an ecosystem of collaboration, where local entrepreneurs can learn from one another while accessing the resources of a global financial institution.

“This is our third year in a row working with the Golden State Warriors on the Alley-Oop Accelerator,” said Jaime Garcia, executive director of Chase’s Coaching for Impact team for the West Division. “We’ve already had 20-plus businesses graduate from the program, and we have 15 enrolled this year. The biggest thing about the program is really the community that’s built amongst the business owners — plus the exposure they’re able to get through Chase and the Golden State Warriors.”

According to Garcia, several graduates have gone on to receive vendor contracts with the Warriors and have gained broader recognition through collaborations with JPMorgan Chase.

“A lot of what Chase is trying to do,” Garcia added, “is bring businesses together because what they’ve asked for is an ecosystem, a network where they can connect, grow, and thrive organically.”

This year’s Alley-Oop Accelerator reflects that vision through its comprehensive curriculum and emphasis on practical learning. Participants explore the full spectrum of business essentials including financial management, marketing strategy, and legal compliance, while also preparing for real-world experiences such as pop-up market events.

Each entrepreneur benefits from one-on-one mentoring sessions through Chase’s Coaching for Impact program, which provides complimentary, personalized business consulting.

Garcia described the impact this hands-on approach has had on local small business owners. He recalled one candlemaker, who, after participating in the program, was invited to provide candles as gifts at Chase events.

“We were able to help give that business exposure,” he explained. “But then our team also worked with them on how to access capital to buy inventory and manage operations once those orders started coming in. It’s about preparation. When a hiccup happens, are you ready to handle it?”

The Coaching for Impact initiative, which launched in 2020 in just four cities, has since expanded to 46 nationwide.

“Every business is different,” Garcia said. “That’s why personal coaching matters so much. It’s life-changing.”

Participants in the 2026 program will each receive a $2,500 stipend, funding that Garcia said can make an outsized difference. “It’s amazing what some people can do with just $2,500,” he noted. “It sounds small, but it goes a long way when you have a plan for how to use it.”

For Chase and the Warriors, the Alley-Oop Accelerator represents more than an educational initiative, it’s a pathway to empowerment and economic inclusion. The program continues to foster lasting relationships among the entrepreneurs who, as Garcia put it, “build each other up” through shared growth and opportunity.

“Starting a business is never easy, but with the right support, it becomes possible, and even exhilarating,” said Oscar Lopez, the senior business consultant for Chase in Oakland.