Activism

Oakland Knows the Difficulty of Police Reform

“We know something is wrong, when one side in the bargaining process eventually amasses such an imbalance of power that it seems to operate as an autonomous unit, almost independent of its employer,” said Henderson.

Published

5 years ago

May 26, 2021

Mia Lane

Photo Creds: Kyle Cleveland

On the one-year anniversary of the death of George Floyd, one is tempted to consider a sense progress. Perhaps if you’re hopeful and optimistic. For the realists, any report card of progress would have to be a bit delusional.

Yes, within a year, former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin– who placed his knee on the back of the neck of George Floyd long enough to cause asphyxiation–has been convicted on all three counts of murder.

As expected, it’s on appeal while he’s imprisoned. But Chauvin was not defended by his chief, let alone the ranks of those upholding police standards and training in the Minneapolis Police Dept. And that was a big deal. To me, it was the reason the perp, a cop, was convicted.

That’s a lot in one year.

But does it herald a sustainable difference in policing anywhere, let alone Minneapolis? Will it radiate justice, or is it just a one-off?

It can’t be a one-off if indeed #BLM. But that’s where we appear to be one year after George Floyd.

We are still taking baby steps towards the promised land.

If you don’t think so, consider the history of policing in Oakland in just the last 20 years.

Consider the notorious Riders case around the turn of the millennium, where some Oakland cops were accused of kidnapping, planting evidence, kicking down doors, searching without a warrant. And all against East and West Oakland residents who posed no threat to the arresting officers.

There was a class action lawsuit against the police that ended in the largest negotiated settlement agreement (NSA) in Oakland municipal history on March 14, 2003.

It called for the city to pay $10.9 million to the class members. And it included 31 reforms to be made by the department, included policies on use of force, racial profiling, and updating technology like wearing cam-recorders.

Simple, right? Obtainable within a year or two, of course….not.

To this day, Oakland has had a new chief every two years, and many of the NSA’s reforms have not been fulfilled.

One chief, brought in from the internal affairs division, looked like he would make a breakthrough, but in 2006, a sex scandal within the department involving a victim of sex-trafficking snared 12 officers.

The real scandal, however, was that chief’s failure to disclose the scandal to the court’s monitor. That was his undoing.

This accounting all comes from the honorable Thelton Henderson, the now retired federal judge who oversaw that NSA. In a lecture given this Spring at Berkeley Law School, Henderson expressed his frustration that the NSA he oversaw had been passed on to a new judge.

But the fact that we are now 18 years trying to bring about police reform, show how near impossible it is.

“Herculean,” said Henderson. He believes it’s because policing has taken the “war on crime” idea literally, turning police into “soldiers, or an occupying force with battle armor and tanks and assault weapons ready to do battle with the communities they have vowed to protect and serve.”

Add to that the labor unions, who constantly remind the public of the dangerousness of the job.

But no one understands the danger the unions play in public safety.

This is from the judge who oversaw the negotiated settlement in the Riders case. Henderson’s indicating the real power that unions have to put the needs of the police above the city and its people.

The police unions have taken collective bargaining to the point where they harm our democratic society.

You see why to assess where we are one year after George Floyd is way too soon.

Police reform? America is hamstrung by labor policy.

Without labor reform we’ll be inching along toward the policing we deserve.

Emil Guillermo is a journalist and commentator. Twitter @emilamok; Watch his vlog on Facebook @emilguillermo.media ; Or on www.amok.com

Mia Lane

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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

Published

4 days ago

March 1, 2026

Oakland Post

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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

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.