Thousands Gather in Oakland to Watch Inauguration

Organizers of an inauguration event at the Oracle Arena in Oakland say they expect 10,000 people to attend today.

The executive director of Building Opportunities for Self-Sufficiency, booma chema, said 7,000 tickets were sold ahead of time and organizers think at least another 3,000 people will buy tickets at the door today.

Chema said tickets cost $5, but organizers bought a large block of tickets for people who couldn't afford to pay, and also arranged transportation for them.

The event is called "Unity for the Sake of Change" and was organized by Alameda County Supervisor Keith Carson and other county officials.

At the head of the line to get into the arena when doors opened at 7:20 a.m. was Hayward resident Cassandra Kamara, who was raised in Oakland and attends the Acts Full Gospel Church in Oakland.

Kamara said she got in line at 5:30 a.m. and said, "I had no idea the line would be so long, but that's OK.

It's worth it."

Kamara said she attended a Martin Luther King Jr. celebration at her church Monday, and people talked about the significance of Barack Obama becoming the nation's first black president.

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