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Lake Merritt Circle of Peace Vigil, a Prayer for Change in Oakland

Last Sunday, approximately 200 people came to Lake Merritt’s Amphitheater to shift energy in Oakland, where, after a 12% dip in violence in 2022, the city has seen an unprecedented number of car break-ins and crimes of opportunity in 2023. Event organizer Tanya Dennis said that though she had expected a larger crowd based on commitments voiced by several groups, the shared mission by Adamika Village and Oakland Frontline Healers to bring peacekeepers together to pray and reflect for peace in Oakland was a success.

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Daryle Allums, founder of Adamika Village, speaks while members holding signs of deceased loved ones listen at the Circle of Peace event. Photo by J. Prado.
Daryle Allums, founder of Adamika Village, speaks while members holding signs of deceased loved ones listen at the Circle of Peace event. Photo by J. Prado.

By Post News Staff

Last Sunday, approximately 200 people came to Lake Merritt’s Amphitheater to shift energy in Oakland, where, after a 12% dip in violence in 2022, the city has seen an unprecedented number of car break-ins and crimes of opportunity in 2023.

Event organizer Tanya Dennis said that though she had expected a larger crowd based on commitments voiced by several groups, the shared mission by Adamika Village and Oakland Frontline Healers to bring peacekeepers together to pray and reflect for peace in Oakland was a success.

Members of Adamika Village held signs with images of deceased loved ones lost to violence, COVID-19 or old age.

Several speakers said they believed that Oakland can transform if people focus on peace rather than violence.  Others reflected on how different the outcome might have been for their loved ones lost to violence if Oakland practiced a culture of peace.

One participant shared that her brother had been killed in a road-rage incident and cautioned listeners not to respond in-kind to people on the freeway who are angry.

Other speakers present were Deana White, Adamika Village; Davina Kerrelola, senior program manager for Love Never Fails; and Kristin Clopton, manager of the Office of Violence Prevention for the City of Oakland

Alameda County Board President Nate Miley and Supervisor Keith Carson honored the day with a county proclamation, proclaiming, “April 8, as Oakland’s “Day of Peace.” Carson encouraged organizers to make the Circle of Peace an annual event.

Daryle Allums, founder of Adamika Village, leads a “Celebration of Life” during the Circle of Peace event. Photo by Darren White of Realized Potential.

Daryle Allums, founder of Adamika Village, leads a “Celebration of Life” during the Circle of Peace event. Photo by Darren White of Realized Potential.

Daryle Allums, founder of Adamika Village, did a “Calling of Names,” honoring those who have passed on in a Celebration of Life, with Tanya Dennis, CEO of Adamika Village finishing with an African libation, a call to ancestors to empower and support peace in Oakland.

When asked what the purpose of the vigil achieved, Dennis responded, “We are the foundation of restoring Oakland’s peace.  Thanks to the support of SAVE and St Paul’s Episcopal Church, who held sacred space on the north end of the lake, positive healing energy was sent throughout our city.  I checked OPD records and there were homicides on April 5, 6 and 7, but none that I can find on the day of our vigil, April 8.

“Shifting energy is real,” Dennis continued. “For the past four years there have been no homicides when Adamika Village hosts its annual “No Yellow Tape Day” at the end of the year.  Imagine when more people start to believe and start focusing on peace.  We have to be careful, focusing on violence attracts more violence.  We are what we think.  Think peace.”

On Thursday, Miley reached out to Dennis to thank her and Adamika Village for their hard work and dedication and to congratulate them on the event’s success. The violence experienced in Oakland parallels what’s going on in other cities.

“This is a national challenge that each of us experience daily — directly and indirectly– every single day, not only in the City of Oakland but throughout the East Bay,” he wrote.

There continues to be a need to address society’s ills, he noted, but a change in mindset is also critical.

And the Circle of Peace spoke to that mindset of raising consciousness about how people can treat one another better.

“Treating every person the way we would want to be treated must be at the very center of moving to experiencing daily peace,” he said.

Adamika Village and Oakland Frontline Healers will be supporting their sister agency, the Violence Prevention Coalition in hosting a citywide peace summit on June 24 at Laney College.

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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

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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

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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.

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

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.

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.

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