President Barack Obama spoke about current issues in America such as gun laws, immigration and the presidential election at The Warfield Saturday. The speech, which included appearances by Kanye West and the Golden State Warriors, was a fundraiser for the Democratic Hope Fund.
“When I ran for president back in 2007, I didn’t say ‘Yes I Can.’ I said ‘Yes We Can,'” Obama said. “As America, we need to work together to build each other up.”
Obama also stressed how important it was to get young voters to the polls.
“Today’s event was inspiring and it motivated young voters like myself to get to the polls in the upcoming election,” said Modesto Junior College student Brian Perez.
Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf spoke briefly before the event about her love for Oakland and her support of the Democratic Party. The 2015 NBA Champions, the Golden State Warriors, also attended the event, with the championship trophy in tow.
“Thank you Bay Area. We have to get back to work so we can win ourselves another one of these (trophies),” said Warriors shooter Stephen Curry.
Kanye West performed for 45 minutes and rapped most of his hit songs like ‘Runaway’, ‘All Falls Down’ and ‘Good Life’. His wife, Kim Kardashian, and daughter, North West, showed their support from the front row.
The Warriors were escorted by security to BART at the end of the show, where fans hounded the team for photos and autographs.
“It was probably the most surreal situation I’ve ever been in,” said SF State environmental studies major Gabriella Angotti-Jones. “I’m completely speechless.”