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Opinion: Snoop and Chappelle Rooted for Trump. Should You?

“(Trump) dishonors the Black community,” said the former Clinton aide, who then launched into Trump’s offenses against Black people. They include refusing to rent to Black people in the 1970s; leading a lynch mob against five Black and Brown kids in the Central Park 5 case in the 1980s; limiting the rise of Black casino workers in his casinos in Atlantic City in the 1990s; lying about Barack Obama’s birth certificate in the 2000s; and then during his presidency, attacking Black activist Colin Kaepernick, and election workers Ruby Freeman and Shae Moss.

Published

1 year ago

January 28, 2025

Oakland Post

iStock.

By Emil Guillermo

Are we creeping toward normalizing the new President 47?

Snoop Dog and Nelly performed at the Inaugural to majority White crowds. Gov. Gavin Newsom let the flags at half-staff for the late Jimmy Carter, go to full staff for Donald Trump’s inaugural. Tech billionaires were there on bended knee.

Too Many people seem to be accommodating No. 47.

Is it time to give the felon-in chief a shot like Dave Chappelle seemed to do recently.

The comedian, who likes to be a truth-teller took the high road last weekend on NBC’s “Saturday Night Live.”

Chappelle talked about the time President Carter met with Palestinians with “little or no security.”

“It brought tears to my eyes,” said Chappelle to applause. “I said, ‘I don’t know if that’s a good president, but that right there, I am sure is a great man.’ It made me feel very proud.”

“The presidency is no place for petty people,” Chappelle continued. Then the comedian challenged the president-elect.

“Remember, whether people voted for you or not, they’re all counting on you. The whole world is counting on you, whether they like you or not,” Chappelle said.

Then, the comedian made a direct appeal. “Good luck. Please do better next time, do not forget your humanity and please have empathy for displaced people, whether they’re in the Palisades or Palestine.”

However, I’m more like Keith Boykin on CNN.

“Trump isn’t someone Blacks should be associated with” Boykin said. “We should be challenging him. It dishonors the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.”

The inauguration was on the same day as MLK Day. And it is noteworthy that Michelle Obama did not attend.

But Trump showed why he’s no better now than the first term. He’s worse, because he knows which levers to pull.

Of the executive orders he signed on day one, the most contentious was the unconditional pardons for nearly all the 1600 insurrectionists convicted. Fourteen of them will have their sentences commuted. It includes leaders of the Proud Boys and the Oath Keepers, who are serving hard time for violent crimes involving the injury and death of police officers.

And Trump set them all free?

Senator Thom Tillis (R.-SC) said it now “raises legitimate safety questions on Capitol Hill.”

How about all of America?

Whether you voted for him or not, I can’t imagine anyone pleased with Trump’s J6 mass pardons.

Unless you’ve been indicted, too.

Then, anything is possible in the new Trump America. With a little luck, you too can survive and become POTUS someday.

About the Author

Emil Guillermo is an award-winning journalist, commentator, and storyteller. Watch his mini-talk show “Emil Amok’s Takeout” on www.YouTube.com/emilamok1

Or join him on patreon.com/emilamok.

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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.