Activism

Advocates for Unhoused Residents Protest Eviction Lawyer

Published

6 years ago

January 30, 2020

Dayton Andrews (standing, forth from left) and other advocates for unhoused Oakland residents protest outside of The Evictors and The Law Offices of Alan J Horwitz in Oakland on Jan 27. Photo by Zack Haber.

A small group of advocates for unhoused residents gathered outside of The Evictors and The Law Offices of Alan J Horwitz on Monday Jan. 27 to protest the firm’s agreement to represent Game Changer LLC in their effort to evict nine unhoused Oakland residents from land the company has owned but left unused for years.

In advance of the protest, Alan J Horwitz wrote an email to the advocates and taped a copy to the door of his offices, at 501 3rd Street in Oakland.

“When you appear at my office later this afternoon,” reads Horwitz’s email, “I am sorry to say that no one will be present. I have instructed my office to go home because it is not fair for them to suffer through a hostile attack by a misguided mob.”

Although Horwitz and his staff had already left their offices, protesters still gathered around 3 p.m. to hold signs, chant, and talk with media. Before ending the protest around 5 p.m., they taped some of their signs to the doors of Horwitz’s offices, matching his gesture.

“The heart of the West Oakland Wood Street community is a private lot that’s owned by Game Changer LLC,” said Dayton Andrews, an advocate who works with unhoused residents who live on or near Wood Street in West Oakland. “They’ve been trying to push the community out so they can ultimately develop it.”

Some Oakland residents have lived along Wood St. between West Grand Ave and 26th St. in West Oakland for about eight years. Sitting about as far west into West Oakland as you can get, many of its residents have found it’s offered decreased conflicts from neighbors and police than other sites. Some residents claim police directed them to the site from other areas of town. As time passed and space on the street filled up, residents began to move onto tracts of land just west of Wood St owned by Game Changer LLC and Caltrans.

By the time the City of Oakland moved to clear the tracts of land on Nov. 5 and 6 2019, at least a hundred vehicles were on site, some abandoned, as well as dozens of people who lived in tents and self-made structures. Many then moved onto Wood St. The city has laid out plans to lease Game Changer’s land for one dollar a year for 18 months and possibly three years in order to make a city-run safe parking site for residents that live in vehicles. But residents and advocates claim such a site would only be temporary, and would be unavailable to residents who don’t live in vehicles.

At least nine residents stayed on Game Changer’s tract of land, defying the city-run clearance, with the support of over three dozen protestors. Game Changer has hired Horwitz’s firm to remove the remaining residents.

“Your protest is, quite honestly, perplexing,” wrote Horwitz in his email to the protestors. “It appears that the city and my client are attempting to deliver exactly what you are demanding: a safe place for those without housing to park their vehicles and be provided with basic human needs, like potable water, garbage removal and sanitation.”

The proposed safe parking site wouldn’t be available to those who live on the site but don’t live in a vehicle.

The Oakland Post emailed Horwitz and asked if there was a plan for residents that don’t live in vehicles, but he didn’t respond. Since other city-run safe parking sites limit stays to six months, some advocates and residents worry the Wood St. residents will soon have no safe place to go.

“What people are asking for is exits out of homelessness…not just temporary reprieves from being on the street,” said Dayton Andrews. “So in lieu of that folks would also like to remain in place with expanded services. Those are the two things people are demanding and that’s not what we’re getting.”

Zack Haber

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Related Topics:The Evictors and The Law Offices of Alan J Horwitz Zack Haber

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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

Published

2 days ago

March 1, 2026

Oakland Post

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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.

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.