City Government

Greenlining Institute Moves to Oakland

Published

11 years ago

March 28, 2014

The Greenlining Institute was created 21 years ago to fight against the practice of denying economic opportunities to people of color. Continuing its mission, it is now going to transform and renovate the former Bank of America building in Downtown Oakland into the organizations headquarters.

“We have to practice what we preach,” said Executive Director Orson Aguilar. “We are sticking our neck and showing that it can be done, and doing it from the bottom up [to] revitalize Oakland.”

Orson Aguilar

Located at 360 14th street, Greenlining plans to use the 23,000 square foot building for its office space but will provide 7,500 sq. feet of affordable rental space to mission driven non-profit organizations. Another 8,000 sq. feet of conference space will be made available for local businesses and organizations to host meetings.

With Oakland’s diversity and realm of economical issues, Aguilar says Greenlining’s move to Oakland makes a lot of sense and aligns with the core mission of the institute.

“Their move to Oakland is good for the economic vitality of our city but specifically the organization’s mission is about economic fairness,” said Jason Overman, spokesperson for Councilmember Rebecca Kaplan. “As we try to generate more economic opportunity throughout the city of Oakland, we do feel its important to work with organizations like theirs.”

According to a released statement, this nationally replicable redevelopment project “focuses on reclaiming blighted property, revitalizing an old building, and transforming it through a collaborative, sustainable model” and hopes to “redefine the process by which not-for-profit organizations, government, individuals, and corporations invest in communities.”

To continue this discussion, Greenlining will host its economic summit, “The 21st Century Majority: Empowering a New Nation”, on April 4th at the Downtown Marriott and looks to bring community and government voices together to discuss concrete and practical models of change.

The summit also pays tribute to the life of former OCCUR Executive Director David Glover, who was a founding board member of the Greenlining Institute.

“On behalf of our OCCUR Board and Advisory Committee, I pledge our support to Greenlining in building a shared agenda among people and organizations that continue to build an inclusive, multi-racial, multi-cultural alliance of residents and community based organizations transforming the City to ensure that every Oakland resident has the full opportunity to become all that they are capable of being,” said OCCUR Executive Director Sondra Alexander.

For more information about the Greenlining Institute, visit www.greenlining.org. To register or obtain more information about the summit, email Yurida Ramos at yuridar@greenlining.org.

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Remembering George Floyd

BLACKPRESSUSA NEWSWIRE — Minnesota State Attorney General Keith Ellison acknowledges that the Floyd case five years ago involved a situation in which due process was denied, and five years later, the president is currently dismissing “due process. “The Minnesota Atty General also says, “Trump is trying to attack constitutional rule, attacking congressional authority and judicial decision-making.” George Floyd was an African American man killed by police who knocked on his neck and on his back, preventing him from breathing.

Published

3 days ago

June 2, 2025

Oakland Post

Mural showing the portrait of George Floyd in Mauerpark in Berlin. To the left of the portrait the lettering "I can't Breathe" was added, on the right side the three hashtags #GeorgeFloyd, #Icantbreathe and #Sayhisname. The mural was completed by Eme Street Art (facebook name) / Eme Free Thinker (signature) on 29 May 2020. (Wikimedia Commons)

By April Ryan
BlackPressUSA Newswire

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The death forced then-Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden to focus on deadly police force and accountability. His efforts while president to pass the George Floyd Justice in policing act failed. The death of George Floyd also put a spotlight on the Black community, forcing then-candidate Biden to choose a Black woman running mate. Kamala Harris ultimately became vice president of the United States alongside Joe Biden. Minnesota State Attorney General Keith Ellison prosecuted the cases against the officers involved in the death of Floyd. He remembers,” Trump was in office when George Floyd was killed, and I would blame Trump for creating a negative environment for police-community relations. Remember, it was him who said when the looting starts, the shooting starts, it was him who got rid of all the consent decrees that were in place by the Obama administration.”

In 2025, Police-involved civilian deaths are up by “about 100 to about 11 hundred,” according to Ellison. Ellison acknowledges that the Floyd case five years ago involved a situation in which due process was denied, and five years later, the president is currently dismissing “due process. “The Minnesota Atty General also says, “Trump is trying to attack constitutional rule, attacking congressional authority and judicial decision-making.” George Floyd was an African-American man killed by police who knocked on his neck and on his back, preventing him from breathing. During those minutes on the ground, Floyd cried out for his late mother several times. Police subdued Floyd for an alleged counterfeit $20 bill.