Activism

Open Letter: Black Oakland Demands in Light of COVID-19 and Rates of Black Death

Published

6 years ago

April 23, 2020

Cat Brooks – Anti Police-Terror Project/Justice Teams Network Carroll Fife – AACE Action Tur-Ha Ak – Community READY Corps/Anti Police-Terror Project Desley Brooks – Community Citizen Harold Mayberry – Senior Pastor, First AME Church Patrisse Cullors – Co-founder Black Lives Matter BK Woodson – Faith in Action Jackie Byers – Black Organizing Project Saabir Lockett Zach Norris – Ella Baker Center/Oakland Not For Sale Mama Ayanna Davis – MXGM-Bay Area/Congo Angola Capoeira Institute/Healthy Black Families Keith Brown – Teacher/President OEA Derrick Muhammad – ILWU Esther Goolsby Ayodele Nzinga – BAMBD CDC/LBP, INC Dr. Noha Aboelata – ROOTS Clinic Candice Elder – East Oakland Collective Allyssa Victory – Afrikan Black Coalition Kampala Taiz-Rancifer, OEA – Black Women’s Caucus James Burch – Anti Police-Terror Project/St. James Infirmary Jakada Imani John Jones III Pastor Anthony Jenkins Jahmese Myers – Schools and Communities First Kev Choice – Musician/Educator/Activist/Oakland Arts Commissioner/Recording Academy-SF Chapter Secretary Lateefah Simon Melina Abdulla – Black Lives Matter Los Angeles Gerald Lenoir, Other & Belonging Institute Allies George Galvis – Communities United for Restorative Youth Justice Annie Banks – Anti Police-Terror Project/Justice Teams Network Daniela Kantorova – Healers for Abolition Dan Siegel – Attorney, Siegel & Yee Tony Douangviseth – Youth Together

Black People are being infected and dying at disproportionate rates from COVID-19.

This past Saturday, Community Ready Corps (CRC) and The Anti Police-Terror Project (APTP) virtually convened a range of Black leaders in Oakland to develop a set of demands around how we expect Oakland to respond to this crisis.

Despite the mainstream media narrative that Black people are “unhealthy” or live “risky lifestyles,” the reality is that for 400 years Black people in this country have been pushed down to the bottom of every indicator that would lead to a healthy and thriving quality of life.

This is true in Oakland. Black people make up the majority of the unhoused and displaced, live in the neighborhoods with the highest concentration of air pollution and have the least access to healthcare and healthy food. As a result, Black bodies are more susceptible to the ravages of COVID-19.

Oakland should have moved preemptively to stop the spread of this virus in Black neighborhoods and ensured Black residents had accurate information, cloth masks, hand sanitizers; but this work was instead left up to grassroots organizations like Community Ready Corps.

In San Francisco, new data revealed that Blacks and Latinos make up the majority of the 1,126 cases in the city. We can be sure that this will hold true in Oakland as well. The City of Oakland needs to release similar data immediately and work with trusted Black community leaders and organizations to respond.

The coalition’s demands are both short and long-term in a wide range of areas from housing to education to testing and healthcare. Some of these include: Free, full, accessible testing and retesting sites, both walk-up and drive-through, in East and West Oakland and at encampments, No criminalization of youth-related to COVID 19 precautions such as wearing a mask, etc., Immediate paid sick days for all essential service workers, Rent abatement for the duration of the administrative closure followed by percentage rent through 2020 for tenants coupled with mortgage forgiveness for landlords.

Access the full document at www.antipoliceterrorproject.org

Cat Brooks – Anti Police-Terror Project/Justice Teams Network Carroll Fife – AACE Action Tur-Ha Ak – Community READY Corps/Anti Police-Terror Project Desley Brooks – Community Citizen Harold Mayberry – Senior Pastor, First AME Church Patrisse Cullors – Co-founder Black Lives Matter BK Woodson – Faith in Action Jackie Byers – Black Organizing Project Saabir Lockett Zach Norris – Ella Baker Center/Oakland Not For Sale Mama Ayanna Davis – MXGM-Bay Area/Congo Angola Capoeira Institute/Healthy Black Families Keith Brown – Teacher/President OEA Derrick Muhammad – ILWU Esther Goolsby Ayodele Nzinga – BAMBD CDC/LBP, INC Dr. Noha Aboelata – ROOTS Clinic Candice Elder – East Oakland Collective Allyssa Victory – Afrikan Black Coalition Kampala Taiz-Rancifer, OEA – Black Women’s Caucus James Burch – Anti Police-Terror Project/St. James Infirmary Jakada Imani John Jones III Pastor Anthony Jenkins Jahmese Myers – Schools and Communities First Kev Choice – Musician/Educator/Activist/Oakland Arts Commissioner/Recording Academy-SF Chapter Secretary Lateefah Simon Melina Abdulla – Black Lives Matter Los Angeles Gerald Lenoir, Other & Belonging Institute Allies George Galvis – Communities United for Restorative Youth Justice Annie Banks – Anti Police-Terror Project/Justice Teams Network Daniela Kantorova – Healers for Abolition Dan Siegel – Attorney, Siegel & Yee Tony Douangviseth – Youth Together

Posts by Cat Brooks – Anti Police-Terror Project/Justice Teams Network Carroll Fife – AACE Action Tur-Ha Ak – Community READY Corps/Anti Police-Terror Project Desley Brooks – Community Citizen Harold Mayberry – Senior Pastor, First AME Church Patrisse Cullors – Co-founder Black Lives Matter BK Woodson – Faith in Action Jackie Byers – Black Organizing Project Saabir Lockett Zach Norris – Ella Baker Center/Oakland Not For Sale Mama Ayanna Davis – MXGM-Bay Area/Congo Angola Capoeira Institute/Healthy Black Families Keith Brown – Teacher/President OEA Derrick Muhammad – ILWU Esther Goolsby Ayodele Nzinga – BAMBD CDC/LBP, INC Dr. Noha Aboelata – ROOTS Clinic Candice Elder – East Oakland Collective Allyssa Victory – Afrikan Black Coalition Kampala Taiz-Rancifer, OEA – Black Women’s Caucus James Burch – Anti Police-Terror Project/St. James Infirmary Jakada Imani John Jones III Pastor Anthony Jenkins Jahmese Myers – Schools and Communities First Kev Choice – Musician/Educator/Activist/Oakland Arts Commissioner/Recording Academy-SF Chapter Secretary Lateefah Simon Melina Abdulla – Black Lives Matter Los Angeles Gerald Lenoir, Other & Belonging Institute Allies George Galvis – Communities United for Restorative Youth Justice Annie Banks – Anti Police-Terror Project/Justice Teams Network Daniela Kantorova – Healers for Abolition Dan Siegel – Attorney, Siegel & Yee Tony Douangviseth – Youth Together

Up Next

Amid Budget Cuts and Economic Uncertainty, School Board Increases Spending on Top Administrators

Don't Miss

Oakland Frontline Healers Request Mayor Release Impact Funds for Emergency Housing During COVID Pandemic

Click to comment

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

To enlarge your view of this issue, use the slider, magnifying glass icon or full page icon in the lower right corner of the browser window.

Oakland Post

Posts by Oakland Post

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.