Activism

COMMENTARY: Earthquake Would Say No To Liz Cheney

Earthquake is not a California peril, but the name of one of Dave Chappelle’s favorite comic mentors. Earthquake or Mr. Quake, as the New York Times might call him on second reference, gets political in his current Netflix special.

Published

4 years ago

August 27, 2022

Oakland Post

Emil Guillermo is a veteran journalist and commentator. He is at www.amok.com

Emil Guillermo,

What’s up with Liz Cheney and her one-woman crusade to save democracy? Is she really speaking to us in the BIPOC community?

I got some guidance from a legendary Black comedian.

“You can’t say no, you can’t tell a Trump supporter nothing about Trump; they love Trump,” says Earthquake in the appropriate key of urban Southeast DC. “People ask me all the time, ‘Quake, what kind of woman are you looking for in your life, and I say, (n word expletive) I’m looking for a woman like a Trump supporter. No matter what she hears about me that woman don’t believe in nothing. She say, ‘You got another woman, you say ‘Baby, that’s fake news.’”

Of course, Earthquake says it with more flair in a live setting where the crowd howls, but you get the point. We all know how belief in Trump is cult-like, and a threat to our democracy.

Which brings us back to Liz Cheney. She’s like a new Uncle Sam pointing her finger at us. But not like a “Karen” wagging her finger saying she wants to speak to the manager. She wants to make sure Trump is never the manager of us again.

It’s just if she’s serious, she’ll need a lot more BIPOC support than anyone thinks.

Cheney lost big recently in Wyoming when her own Republican Party acted as if under a spell cast on them by a man known in Florida search warrants as FPOTUS.

That, of course, stands for the defeated “Former President of the United States.”

But how can we assure he stays defeated? Perhaps if we answer Cheney’s call.

In the Wyoming primary, Cheney lost to her opponent by 37 points, 66% to 29%. That’s some rebuke for someone from a legacy Republican family. It was a public betrayal.

But you have to admire Cheney’s willingness to pay the price — the loss of her job, her seat in Congress. And all because of an ultra-principled belief in the Constitution and her unwillingness to join in the zombie chorus of Republican election deniers who stand by their FPOTUS.

So I’m open to Cheney when she pitched herself to America during her concession speech.

There’s at least one thing we agree on. The defeated FPOTUS must stay out of government. As a single issue that may be enough to join her American pro-democracy movement.

“Freedom must not, cannot, and will not die here,” Cheney said in Wyoming.

“This is a fight for all of us together,” she said. “I’m a conservative Republican.”

Then came the pitch.

“But I love my country more,” she said. “So I ask you tonight to join me. As we leave here, let us resolve that we will stand together, Republicans, Democrats, and independents, against those who would destroy our Republic.”

BIPOC members who have an independent, even a slightly conservative streak, may find her message attractive.

But I’m not so sure. Cheney didn’t vote for the Inflation Reduction Act which includes more than $750 billion for climate change, Obamacare extensions, prescription cost limits in Medicare, plus a 15% automatic tax on wealthy corporations.

During the FPOTUS administration, Cheney’s votes favored rich, white, and corporate special interests 100% of the time.

She voted against restoring the Voting Rights Act, LGBTQ issues, and all but the most obvious civil rights issues. For example, she voted for the Juneteenth holiday. Was it because rich whites got the day off too?

Newsweek reported Cheney voted with Trump 93% of the time.

That puts her at 7% soul. Not enough to get me to switch parties and vote Republican to help Cheney defeat Trump in 2024. Better idea: just make sure you vote and support the party that got us this far. That would be quite enough to beat Trump. It was the last time.

As for Cheney? Support in spirit, but she’s not for us.

And I think Mr. Quake would concur.

Emil Guillermo is a veteran journalist and commentator. He is at www.amok.com

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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

1 week 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.