Activism

Celebration of Life for George Floyd Held on Steps of S.F. City Hall

Published

6 years ago

June 11, 2020

One of the speakers at the celebration of life for George Floyd seen in the foreground of the event at S,F. City Hall. Photo Courtesy Wealth and Disparities in the Black Community – Justice 4 Mario Woods.

About 1,000 people who came to the plaza in front of San Francisco’s City Hall on Tuesday got more than a typical rally for George Floyd, a Black man killed by Minneapolis, Minn., police two weeks ago.

The Kneeling 4 Justice Part 2 – Memorial for George Floyd organized by Wealth and Disparities in the Black Community – Justice 4 Mario Woods, led by its founder Phelicia Jones included prayer and a eulogy for Floyd.

Wealth and Disparities in the Black Community have been fighting for justice for Black people since the 2015 killing of Mario Woods by San Francisco police.

The event was presented as a Socially Distanced Protest asking participants to wear gloves and masks that were provided for those who didn’t have them.

Jones timed the event to coincide with Floyd’s funeral, which was held in Houston, Texas. Floyd’s death on May 25, 2020, set off a worldwide protest on police brutality and systemic racism.

She wanted people to experience the way the Black church would honor Floyd, which includes memorial and a celebration of his life.

The celebration began with prayers from Rev. Joseph Bryant of San Francisco’s Calvary Hill Community Church church a song performed by Clara McDaniel. Several members of the Bay Area Black community spoke, including Rico Hamilton, Darryl Robinson and David Williams, whose brother was recently killed by police in Texas.

Rev. Thomas Fisher of the Second Baptist Church of Redwood City gave the eulogy.

San Francisco Mayor London Breed also spoke at the event. “Yes, I am the mayor of San Francisco, but I am a Black woman first,” she said, her voice halting at times. “And I struggle with the pain every time this happens. So it’s not just George Floyd: it’s my cousin Charles Breed, Eric Garner, Mario Woods.

“I see my family, friends and community time and time again continuing to be destroyed. I got into office so I could change these things,” she said.

They then all kneeled for eight minutes and 46 seconds, the time Floyd lay on the ground under the knees of the Minneapolis police until he died.

Gwen Woods closed out the event. She is the mother of Mario Woods, who was killed Dec. 2, 2015, in San Francisco in a hail of bullets by six San Francisco that was caught on tape. Former District Attorney George Gascon declined to file charges.

Jones told the crowd that on this day, Floyd was finally at rest and the attendees should honor his memory and rest as well. “Go home. Or go to the beach,” she advised them.

Then Jones insisted that the DJ put on some music so people could dance. Within minutes, the crowd had organized itself into a massive ‘Electric Slide.’

Miki A. of Fairfax, California, Marin County, said, “I feel like it was important to be here today. I drove out from Fairfax this morning to be here. The mayor’s speech was amazing and

Isaiah Miggin of Santa Rosa simply stated, “Love the mayor!”

“It’s nice to see so many white people out here and so many people with anti-police signs. Things are definitely amazing out there” sad Sasha Saeed of Berkeley. “You are seeing Asian-Americans, Filipino-Americans, Latino-Chicano voices come out in support of Black people and Black lives. It shows that this represents different kind of movement….”

S.F. Newsfeed contributed to this story.

By Post Staff

Posts by By Post Staff

Activism

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

3 days ago

March 1, 2026

Oakland Post

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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

2 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.