Tony Coleman Memorial Fund

After decades of community work and leadership, Tony Coleman’s battle with cancer has ended. He has been called home.

As the founder of Third Eye Movement, One Fam, and Bikes 4 Life, Tony’s visionary work touched the lives of many.

We set up this GoFundMe to cover memorial costs — and to help Tony’s legacy continue into the future.

We celebrate his deep commitment to justice and his community by remembering the work Tony did and the lives he touched.

Artist, Organizer, Social Entrepreneur. Tony Coleman held all of these roles and more. But most significantly, he was a leader, a loving member of the community, and to many, a hero.

Tony led a successful campaign to get a rogue killer cop fired from the SFPD for the Murder of Aaron Williams, an unarmed Black man who was pepper-sprayed and left to die in the back of a paddy wagon. Tony organized the coalition, including the Ella Baker Center and others, effectively putting these organizations on the map.

In Tony’s own words, “What made this so different was the introduction of hip hop activists, due to their unique way of using spoken word when addressing the police commissioners. The raw street flavor attracted many youth who’d had prior negative interactions with the police, making every hearing the ‘place to be’ for youth in the community.”

Following that campaign, Tony cofounded the Third Eye Movement. This led to the fight against Prop 21 and also to the start of One Fam in 2000. Tony worked to resurrect the movement as a means to empower and inspire West Oakland residents to seek and create positive change in their community. One Fam used popular education and Hip Hop culture as a vehicle by building a community.

Tony’s work in One Fam was focused on inspiring and engaging young people, developing them as community organizers and empowering them to be leaders. He dedicated his life to helping to politically uplift low-income/ working-class neighborhoods throughout the Bay Area.

Tony founded the Bikes 4 Life as the social enterprise wing of One Fam. The bicycle shop in West Oakland was at once a way to train up youth with marketable skills. Tony knew how important it was for Oakland residents to own and run businesses right where we live.

Bikes 4 Life also served as a community center touching many lives. Bikes 4 Life held events such as a historic bike tour of West Oakland. Riders went to the birthplace of the Black Panthers and the Pullman Porters and the 100-year history of DeFremery Park, learning of Oakland’s rich history of community activism. This bike ride attracted more than 75 diverse local residents, many of whom might have never met if not for the ride.

Tony was deeply involved with the Justice for Oscar Grant movement. The third annual Bikes 4 Life peace ride was held in honor of Oscar Grant III and all victims of police abuse. The theme in 2010: Peace from Police. Around this time, Tony was also a pivotal member of the movement to End Gang Injunctions, which he knew were leading to over-policing and overcriminalization of black and brown communities in Oakland.