Bay Area

City Council Scheduled for Discussion Impacting the Fate of Geoffrey’s Inner Circle

On Jan. 16, the Oakland City Council is scheduled to decide whether to greenlight a new up-market estate tower, despite overwhelming opposition in the Black community. If approved, it would threaten the future of Geoffrey’s Inner Circle, a longtime entertainment venue and cultural institution at 410 14th St. owned by Geoffrey Pete, and the surrounding downtown area in the Black Arts Movement and Business District that the council created in 2016 as a way to protect and enhance the historic and cultural legacy of the city’s African American community.

Published

2 years ago

January 9, 2024

Oakland Post

Rendering of Tidewater Development’s proposed 1431 Franklin Street residential tower. Rendering by LARGE Architecture.

By Ken Epstein

On Jan. 16, the Oakland City Council is scheduled to decide whether to greenlight a new up-market estate tower, despite overwhelming opposition in the Black community. If approved, it would threaten the future of Geoffrey’s Inner Circle, a longtime entertainment venue and cultural institution at 410 14^th St. owned by Geoffrey Pete, and the surrounding downtown area in the Black Arts Movement and Business District that the council created in 2016 as a way to protect and enhance the historic and cultural legacy of the city’s African American community.

San Francisco-based Tidewater Development corporation’s proposal, which already has the full backing of the city’s planning commission and planning department, would construct a 40-story residential tower with 381 dwelling units, of which 10% (38 units) might be affordable for low-income Oakland residents.

At stake for many people in Oakland, who spoke with the Post about what this vote could mean for the city’s future, is whether the culture and heritage of Oakland’s Black community will be honored and maintained and whether Pete’s club will be allowed to flourish in an economic environment that is hostile to small business and in which everything is subservient to gentrification and the interests of corporate market-rate real estate interests.

Many point to the policies and decisions that have led to the dramatic decline of the African American population in Oakland, which has decreased from 47% in the 1980s to 22% currently. City efforts to privilege the desires of wealthy developers over the needs of the Black community have been a major contributing factor this decline.

The conflict over Geoffrey’s and the Black Arts district reached the Oakland City Council Dec. 19 after working its way through the city’s planning process for several years.

According to backers of Geoffrey’s and the Black Arts Movement district, there were many flaws in the process that led to the planning commission’s approval of Tidewater’s proposal.

Planning commissioners acknowledged publicly that they were unaware that the Black Arts Movement and Business District even existed when they were conducting their hearings.
. The commission ignored the fact that Geoffrey’s was entitled to critical protections as a recognized historic resource.
The commission ignored the fact that Tidewater had not sought permits or permission to alter Pete’s building, although such alterations are an integral part of Tidewater’s proposal.
Ignoring mandatory deadlines, the commission also failed to provide, in a timely manner, relevant Public Records Act information requested by Geoffrey’s.

Further, the planning department staff has refused to meet with Pete throughout the appeal process, nor did the city utilize its own Department of Race and Equity to examine the equity implications of this matter.

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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

5 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.