By Dina Boyer
On Monday October 8, 2012 President Obama paid another visit to the San Francisco Bay Area to raise funds and reach out to his constituency. One of the fundraisers was being held at San Francisco’s Bill Graham Civic Auditorium. This is the same building where many famous musicians played and where many Martin Luther King day events are sometimes held. Other buildings in the area are San Francisco’s City Hall, a California State building complex, Federal buildings and the Asian Art Museum, but all eyes were on the throngs of people who showed up to attend the fundraiser and concert, and the small crowd of non-Obama supporters. The whole area was blocked off to traffic and one intersection was even blocked by dump trucks(see Photo).
The Obama supporters screamed-out “4 MORE YEARS,” while the non-Obama supporters screamed out “4 MORE MONTHS.” The Anti-Obama crowd seemed to consist of medical marijuana activists, Romney supporters, Tea Party members, and anti-war activists. Also there was a small crowd of people who spoke out about NDAA or the National Defense Authorization Act. The pro-Obama crowd was also diverse, and seemed to consist of people who were all ages, ethnicities, and sexual orientations.
My pictures will show both sides, and the video will give you an idea of the atmosphere. I have also included video of the motorcade. One of the videos features an educator for Obama.
The cost to attend the concert was $200 per head, and to attend the dinner the minimum contribution was $20,000 dollars. The concert featured Michael Franti and John Legend. The VIP fundraiser or dinner was chef-ed/hosted by Alice Waters, and consisted of:
Fish tartare a la japonaise, Boudin blanc
Warm chanterelles on grilled toast
Fall tomato salad with homemade mozzarella
Fresh cheese with baked fig
Eggplant tagine with couscous
Duck confit with herb and frisee salad
Corncakes with mint and chive
Prosciutto and almonds
Pictures and Video by Dina Boyer
Please check out my blog http://dinaboyerphotography.wordpress.com/