Activism

OPINION: MACRO, Oakland’s Civilian Policing Unit, Is Underutilized. Why?

The Coalition for Police Accountability hears from residents who associate CPA with the community advocacy and development of MACRO and are disappointed and concerned. We hear from MACRO responders who feel voiceless and frustrated. We hear from City employees who see obstacles unaddressed. We receive calls from people who hope that CPA can help them get an elusive MACRO response to a crisis because the only phone number they can find in connection to MACRO is ours!

Published

2 years ago

October 4, 2023

Oakland Post

Oakland’s MACRO was intended to relieve OPD officers from necessary but mundane calls that don’t require responses by armed officers, like writing a traffic citation. iStock image by N. Nesterenko.

By Millie Cleveland

In 2018, after Oakland police officers, guns, and cruisers amassed to respond to a “dark-skinned” homeless man asleep with a gun nearby, Joshua Pawlik was shot as he stirred. In the aftermath, Oaklanders began advocating for an alternative to police for certain 911 calls.

The Mobile Assistance Community Responders of Oakland (MACRO) Program is designed to provide a more appropriate, non-police response to non-violent/non-felony calls; a model unique to Oakland; a model that Improves OPD response time to urgent calls; a model based on community members helping their own communities; and, a program that can save the City money and lives, web sources say.

Many Oaklanders supported the development of MACRO utilizing community members who could provide support and de-escalate crises.

At the same time, officers wanted relief from low-level calls so they could focus on high-priority calls and serious crimes. With fanfare and press releases, the City Council passed a resolution to begin a pilot program to demonstrate that this approach could save money by redirecting police resources and providing more effective community support for low-level crises.

After 2020, other cities also implemented non-police crisis programs that are now responding to thousands of 911 calls, instead of police. Tragically, MACRO is not.

As the 18-month pilot ends, MACRO is being dispatched to only three or four 911 calls per day!

MACRO responds to approximately 10% of the emergency calls sent to similar programs in other jurisdictions. Why? Here are some of the reasons.

There is no separate number to request a MACRO response.
MACRO responders have not received adequate training, support, or supervision.
Oaklanders selected for the MACRO Advisory Board because of their expertise in community resources, referrals, and education have been sidelined. The meetings are not open to the public, despite promises.
There has been no community education and engagement campaign. The community excitement that created MACRO has never been harnessed – indeed it is actively rejected.
There is no pilot evaluation plan.

The Coalition for Police Accountability hears from residents who associate CPA with the community advocacy and development of MACRO and are disappointed and concerned.

We hear from MACRO responders who feel voiceless and frustrated. We hear from City employees who see obstacles unaddressed. We receive calls from people who hope that CPA can help them get an elusive MACRO response to a crisis because the only phone number they can find in connection to MACRO is ours!

Although Oakland politicians highlight MACRO while campaigning or discussing public safety, they have done little to oversee MACRO, require answers to residents’ concerns, or keep campaign promises on specific steps so MACRO succeeds.

We thank city leaders for increasing funding to MACRO in the new budget but to use that money effectively, responsible governance is needed. MACRO is easily fixable if politicians stop treating it as a campaign talking point and instead as a real program that begs for committed attention and problem-solving.

We urge city leadership to:

Assign senior-level staff to convene a working group of all city departments involved with MACRO implementation to ensure effective collaboration.
Require regular reports to the City Council and the public safety committee including tracking of data and issues, how to increase dispatched referrals, and instituting a meaningful program evaluation.
Consider moving MACRO directly under the city administrator for comprehensive management.
Make the Community Advisory Board a regular city commission, appointed by the City Council and with public meetings under the Brown Act.

Hundreds of Oaklanders worked to develop MACRO and stand ready to help. Currently, they are locked out.

If city leaders engage to ensure MACRO’s success, it can become the program that Oaklanders remain excited and hopeful for.

Oakland Post

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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

2 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

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.