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Oscar Grant Coalition Moving Ahead With Recall Effort of Alameda County D.A. Nancy O’ Malley

It was that report that prompted Grant’s family to ask O’Malley to reopen the case.

Published

5 years ago

May 26, 2021

Mia Lane

Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

A coalition is moving forward with a campaign to recall Alameda County District Attorney Nancy O’Malley even though she has decided not to seek re-election.

O’Malley announced on May 18 that she will not seek a fourth term in 2023.

The Justice 4 Oscar Grant Coalition is moving ahead with the recall campaign following O’ Malley’s decision not to prosecute BART police Officer Anthony Pirone for his part in the shooting death of Oscar Grant III. Grant died after BART police Officer Johannes Mehserle shot him early on New Year’s Day 2009 at the Fruitvale BART station in Oakland.

“O’Malley does not deserve to be considered for the office of District Attorney, having demonstrated her willingness to disregard the law and morality when it comes to the police killing of black people,” the Rev. Wanda Johnson, Grant’s mother, said in a statement.

“There is a mountain of evidence to prove this case of felony murder, but O’Malley has refused to put that evidence before a jury,” Johnson said.

Mehserle was convicted of involuntary manslaughter for the killing. Pirone knelt on Grant prior to the shooting and used a racial slur several times while pinning Grant to the ground. Pirone later said he was repeating what Grant was saying to him.

A 2009 report by former Oakland City Attorney Jayne Williams and then-attorney Kimberly Colwell of the law firm Meyers Nave that was released publicly a decade later arguedthat “Officer Pirone’s overly aggressive and unreasonable actions and conduct in violation of policy and acceptable standards contributed substantially to the escalation of the hostile and volatile atmosphere during the course of the incident.”

It was that report that prompted Grant’s family to ask O’Malley to reopen the case. The Grant family alleges that Pirone played a larger role in their family member’s death than just pinning the young man to the ground.

Pirone brutally assaulted Grant and held him down on the BART platform to let Mehserle shoot him in the back, according to the coalition.

The charge against Pirone would have to be premeditated murder because the statute of limitations has run out on the lesser charges of murder.

“While Pirone’s overly aggressive conduct contributed to the chaotic nature of what transpired on the BART platform,” the district attorney’s office said in a report on its decision not to charge Pirone, “there was no evidence that Pirone knew in advance that Mehserle was going to shoot Mr. Grant.”

Elected officials from all over the Bay Area have urged O’Malley to pursue charges, including state Sen. Nancy Skinner, D-Oakland, and now-state Attorney General Rob Bonta.

O’Malley told Johnson on April 29 that prosecutors would not seek charges against Pirone.

Once O’Malley’s term is up, her replacement could seek premeditated murder charges against Pirone as the statute of limitations does not expire on first-degree murder.

Other support for an investigation of Pirone has come from Alameda County Supervisor Keith Carson, who is now president of the Board of Supervisors and the board itself, Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf, the Oakland City Council, the Oakland Police Commission and BART’s own board.

Still, the coalition said, O’Malley will not let a jury weigh in.

The coalition believes O’Malley is unfit for office and it does not want her to retire with benefits and potentially ordain her successor.

“The recall of Nancy O’Malley will not only guarantee O’Malley will never again be positioned to obstruct justice but also will send a strong message to all those who would seek to be Alameda County D.A., that the people of this County, the seat of which is Oakland, will not elect anyone not committed to bringing the Oscar Grant case to justice,” said Alicia Garza, Black Lives Matter co-founder and a long-time supporter of the Justice for Oscar Grant Movement, in a statement.

The coalition said the recall effort is gaining ground.

Mia Lane

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Oakland Post: Week of March 4 – 10, 2026

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of March 4 – 10, 2026

Published

5 days ago

March 7, 2026

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 weeks 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

3 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.