Bay Area
Unhoused Residents Challenge Legality of City Run Eviction
As the City of Oakland continued evicting unhoused people living in the Community of Grace by East Oakland’s Home Depot, two unhoused residents filed a complaint requesting a temporary restraining order against The City, Mayor Libby Schaaf, and Oakland’s Police and Public Works Departments in an effort to ensure the eviction only happen if it followed the law and the City of Oakland’s own policy.
“The Court holds that the City may remove Plaintiffs and their property…only if it fully complies with its own stated policies,” wrote Northern District of California Judge Carl R. Breyer, ruling on March 3, 2020, in response to the complaint filed on Feb. 28.
When Judge Breyer’s ruling came through on March 3, about a dozen unhoused residents still remained at the site. Residents and housing justice advocates claim that unhoused people have lived by East Oakland’s Home Depot, some in tents, some in vehicles, others in self-made structures, for at least five years and that the site’s population was over 100.
The City of Oakland has been clearing the site of inhabitants since mid-February and plans to finish the process by mid-March. Some people living in RVs and trailers moved across the street to a sanctioned safe parking site where the city is allowing them to stay. The site, operated by a non-profit called The Housing Consortium of The East Bay, has room for about 40 vehicles.
The Oakland Post counted over 60 vehicles that appeared to serve as homes at or near The Community of Grace on Jan. 23 and also noted dozens of tents and self-made homes. The safe parking site does not allow people to live in tents or self-made homes and bans children. One resident had her child move in with another family so she could stay at the site.
The Community of Grace’s plaintiff’s complaint alleged that recent Oakland evictions and actions The City were taking related to their current eviction had violated their 4th, 8th and 14th amendment rights.
“These evictions and the failure to follow policy are cruel and unusual. They cause us depression, trauma, and stress. They cause us deeper instability…We lose vehicles we live in, store belongings in and materials we use to make ends meet. We lose countless personal property including money, medication and family photos,” The Community of Grace plaintiffs wrote in their complaint to the court.
The Community of Grace plaintiff’s complaint claimed the city was required to provide alternative shelter and an opportunity to retrieve property that The City confiscates from them. While Judge Breyer ruled against their request for alternative shelter, he agreed the city was required to store confiscated belongings for pick up.
Judge Breyer emphasized that The City’s policy states they can’t “remove belongings from a site when the occupant is present” unless those belongings cause an immediate public health or safety risk.
Amy, a Bay Area resident of about 10 years who says she needed extra time to gather and organize her possessions due to a brain injury, claims she lost almost everything when the city destroyed her self-built home in the Community of Grace in late October 2019, citing fire code violations.
While she had arranged with a Department of Public Works (DPW) worker to get extra time, it wasn’t enough to ensure her belongings would be safe.
“He didn’t happen to be there when my place was destroyed, no one listened to me, and they demolished everything,” Amy said.
During the recent eviction, DPW workers and housing justice advocates helped Amy move her belongings off of the site and unto a nearby street. Amy, who lives in a tent, is now cut off from her former community and is trying to obtain an RV so she can move into the safe parking site. She didn’t lose possessions during the recent eviction.
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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Activism
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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Activism
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.
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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