Activism

Former Prisoners Offer Training to Youth on How to End Hostilities on the Streets

“…we need to use all forms of street credibility that we have to seek an end to these hostilities and work with the Post, the Chaplains, AASEG and the many Formerly Incarcerated groups to get the community involved with us to help end these hostilities, said Minister King X, also known as Pyeface.”

Published

3 years ago

October 7, 2022

Oakland Post

Formerly Incarcerated Giving Back (FIGB) members (from left) Ricardo, also of the Black August Organizing Committee; Elmo Hamin Dill of community and Youth Outreach C.Y.O.; Minister King X Pyeface of California Prison Focus- K.A.G.E. Universal and FIGB Founder Richard Johnson.

An exclusive interview with Minister King X with the Post Staff and Richard Johnson

Minister King X, also known as Pyeface, said he was inspired by Richard Johnson’s call to the community to have former gang leaders and formerly incarcerated persons to spread the word through our networks with the message that these shootings and violence activities will unwittingly play into the hands of those who want to incarcerate them as the only solution.

“We need to be smart about how to resolve our various problems by not using guns,” he told the Post.

He told Johnson and Jonathan Jones from the African American Sports and Entertainment Group (AASEG) that he wants the youth, gang members and the Oakland Chaplains “to hear my story on how I wound up in the (California) Youth Authority (CYA) and did five years in federal prison for a bank robbery charge.”

“I served over 20-plus years in prison. I was a foot soldier in the beginning, upholding what I perceived as my principles and morals when I thought cleaning up my own mess was something honorable.

“Then it backfired on me when I was charged for possession of a prison-made weapon and was sent to solitary confinement, and I was subjected to a prison validation based upon false confidential information for a few more years.”

Caption B: Rapper Common joined with some groups in North and West Oakland who were responding to Richard Johnson’s call last week for groups to seek a truce to stop the violence. Common, known for his positive lyrics, also said that leaders must provide solutions and hope for youth and communities as he pledged to support Johnson’s call for a community-wide gathering to “save our youth by stopping the violence with unity around jobs, housing and family respect.” Minister King X Pyeface from California Prison Focus/K.A.G.E. Universal is shown above talking with Artivist Common regarding Richard Johnson’s initiative published in the Oakland Post. Common and Minister King X Pyeface talked about how we all could establish a parallel society and create Peace on the streets. Photos courtesy of Minister X and Jonathan Fitness Jones.

Despite his rude awakening, he said he was the youngest Black to join and help organize the California Prisoners’ Hunger Strikes at the same time that there were also elder prisoners held in solitary confinement for decades because of following the custom of settling their own quarrels among each other and other oppressed groups.

“And, while I was in Pelican Bay, I petitioned to establish an ‘anti-hostility’ campaign to promote the Agreement to End All Hostilities (AEH) inside and outside of California prisons.

“I then, through K.A.G.E. Universal, began to work inside the prison with other elders to organize an agreement to end all hostilities,” Minister King X said.

“That’s why we need to use all forms of street credibility that we have to seek an end to these hostilities and work with the Post, the Chaplains, AASEG and the many Formerly Incarcerated groups to get the community involved with us to help end these hostilities.”

While the shooting was occurring in East Oakland at the Sojourner Truth School site Minister King X said the Oakland Unified School District had given his organization a contract to teach the AEH curriculum within the 4th module of their afterschool program.

He also said the Comcast Rise program decided to help promote their AEH agenda via a 90-day campaign on all of their social media platforms.

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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

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.