OAKLAND

my condolences to you both anthony & sarahell

The guy who ran Ghost Ship seems like a culty pretentious douchebag, the living embodiment of everything shitty about squats and DIY spaces:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=35RHugrfL94&feature=youtu.be

He's gone on social media lamenting the loss of his "self worth" but not the loss of life.

this is just the worst thing. today's chronicle & tribune just underscored how horrid it all is. Many work colleagues are tapped into this scene - to all of them and all of you I express my deepest sympathy.

I love these kind of spaces but the majority of them are firetraps. Worse, the people who live there treat fire codes as if they are just another form of harassment, and flaunt them as a form of defiance. It's been a problem for years.

The squats in the east village in the '80s and '90s -- glass house, bullet space -- and worse, full of people who were careless with candles, cigarettes, combustable art material, and often drunk and high.

Here's the d-bag who ran the space

https://www.facebook.com/derick.ion.9?fref=ts

the guy does seem like a douche but I"m not sure directing ire at him is productive in any way

This is horrific. Thoughts with you all.

You're right, but it's been a problem in these scenes for a long time. It would be nice to find a DIY space or commune or art collective that wasn't run by a egomaniac culty dickhead.

http://heavy.com/news/2016/12/derick-ion-micah-allison-facebook-post-ghost-ship-fire/

It would be nice to find a DIY space or commune or art collective that wasn't run by a egomaniac culty dickhead.

I ran a DIY space in Oakland for 10 years.

and you did a great job! and I guess, when it looked like it was going to be too expensive to make the code adjustments demanded by the city, you closed it down. also: your place(s) never seemed unsafeto me.

the thing is, there are code violations that are "worse" than others in terms of being more dangerous. Everything I've read/seen pictures of about the space where the fire was, it was basically the fire hazard checklist the Fire Department issues with every box checked "yes, this hazard exists". The space I ran, had a couple "yesses" but mostly met code. But there is no "mostly" when it comes to the City and Group Assembly. This fire is what the whole permitting process and code checklists exist to prevent ... prevent the City being liable for.

Say Oakland prioritized enforcement of fire safety issues -- especially the worst of them -- and separated them from other kinds of zoning/use policy enforcements. You know, so just like "sanctuary city" policies mean you can report crimes w/o fear of immigration issues, you could report fire issues and have it be dealt with pragmatically w/o fear of the whole ton of bureaucratic bricks coming down on people.

Would this have help in these kinds of situations?

These aren't inexpensive repairs. Making a building like that "safe" for public assembly would have cost hundreds of thousands of dollars.

really horrifying story, well wishes to everybody impacted <3

Another issue is that people were living there, and it wasn't up to code as a residence, either.

this is so horrible, sympathy to those who have lost friends and loved ones

Chelsea hosted my birthday party this year. Her partner is posting photos of her now. He was there that night, hasn't slept since. Doesn't seem real to me.

Sorry lukas. That one is hitting me hard, even though I didn't know her. I got into her music through Joel and knew of her partner from back in the Myspace days (met up with him once years and years ago). Earlier this year I read an article about the two of them and it made me really happy. Just devasting.

prosaic issues are coming up now. Roommates of the deceased are trying to make rent. Who is going to adopt the deceased's pets? There's a candlelight vigil planned for tomorrow. The imps in my brain wondered if a candlelight vigil with actual candles was appropriate to commemorate fire victims.

are you going to that?

(I am) (also, they are asking for no candles)

Yes, just saw that. I think I will go. I live nearby.

I hope this isn't the wrong place to post, but here in Baltimore there's a live/work warehouse space that's being evicted right now with no notice. Fire marshal and police showed up and told everyone that lives there that they have an hour to get their things and leave before they board the place up. I imagine things like this will be happening all over the country now in reaction to the fire in Oakland. Really fucked up.

Tonight's Matmos show at Gray Area has been rescheduled to next Tuesday and will be a fundraiser. Very understandable move, I was thinking about this earlier today:

http://grayarea.org/event/rml-presents-matmos/

Very sadly, a further note, which didn't surprise me given his reputation on this front:

Barrett Clark, the Katabatik engineer and musician, was due to run the audio for the SF Matmos lineup also passed away in the fire. He and all of the others who were trapped in the warehouse tragedy will be severely missed.

Further from Gray Area, from the YouCaring fundraising page:

https://www.youcaring.com/firevictimsofoaklandfiredec232016-706684

We are working with the Oakland Mayor's Office, The Red Cross and other fundraisers to be the main fund for this effort. We will work to use the Red Cross' knowledge of the appropriate format for distribution of these funds. We are working every minute to figure this out. Please keep sharing and donating....

Although close to $200,000 has been raised as of Sunday December 4th at 9:28PM, with the assumed number of 40 victims, this leaves only $5,000 per victim, which is easily the cost of a few medical bills or a small memorial service. At this time we ask for your continued support in spreading the word of this fund to continue to fundraise in advocacy of the victims. We will continue to update the fundraising goal as support pours in to foster as many contributions as possible for those affected.

We are forming an oversight committee, talking with Oakland authorities, and will be sure the funds are allocated appropriately to fire victims and with due diligence. There will be public disclosure through the fund page and via Gray Area disclosing how these funds are spent, while also maintaining anonymity for the grieving friends and family members affected by this event. We are waiting on official word from authorities prior to making further decisions but our hope is to provide relief for Funeral, Medical and Health related expenses first and foremost.

The current amount through this effort is now at $275,000.

Finally for now, Gabe Meline's piece is well worth the read and share:

https://ww2.kqed.org/arts/2016/12/04/it-could-have-been-any-one-of-us/

how terrible. my heart goes out to all those who've suffered a loss.

It's a good piece, but lacking in some of the nuance and specifics that led to this happening. That there are places that are sketchy to live in but you just would not have a big party there, if you had sense, if you were the one that could be held responsible. People come to shows at places like this, lots of people, and in the back of their minds they believe there is some responsible person that will make sure it's safe, that will shoulder the burden if things go wrong. And the people that are responsible are not all the same: some are knowledgeable, conscientious, make efforts for basic safety. Others aren't. I'm angry that people didn't have the common sense not to have a show in that space, to find some place less hazardous.

I understand that this is in response to coverage that is demonizing and oversimplifying the circumstances. Sometimes you want broad strokes to combat broad strokes (how many thousands of posts have dealt with this on the election thread?), but I'm tired of reading thinkpieces blaming gentrification and the housing crisis, because people will gravitate towards places like that regardless. And there is a lot to be said for unity in the face of tragedy, but there are differences, and there are hazards that are more hazardous, and there are a lot of people who know this.

I'm angry at my friends and friends of friends who weren't thinking about how sketchy this place was. But I also love my friends, and care about these friends of friends, and that's just how they were, as people. And I spent over a decade putting on shows like this, in places I tried to make as safe, and also as welcoming (in the "safe space" sense) as possible. Nothing like this ever happened. Nothing even close. I look at the names and pictures, and I remember taking their $5 and stamping their hands, and I remember telling them not to stand on a rickety piece of non-furniture, not to leave their bikes blocking the back exit, not to smoke inside ... and it's just senseless. Their deaths are senseless, but also it makes me feel that how I spent a large part of my life was senseless, because of what I ultimately couldn't do.

Yeah, my first reaction was thinking "what can I do to make DIY shows safer" but its a real short walk from that to "how do I get all DIY shows shut down and eventually moved to even more dangerous places"

Ion Almena has finally said something new:

"In my previous Facebook post, I had no idea there was a loss of life. This tragic event consumes me every moment. My heart is broken. My heartfelt condolences to the family and friends who have suffered the loss of loved ones."

Further, had missed that there's been an initial reaction from the family of the building's owner, with these details:

“I’m sorry but we do not have any comment, we are also trying to figure out what’s going on like everybody else,” the family wrote in a statement to the NBC Bay Area Investigative Unit. "We’re so sorry to hear about the tragedy. Our condolences go out to the families and friends of those injured and those who lost their lives.”

Ng’s daughter Eva and son-in-law Edward Liou refuted claims by fire officials that the building’s makeshift staircase was made out of wooden pallets. They said the staircase was a permitted stairway. Survivors of the blaze said a single, shoddily built staircase hampered efforts to exit the warehouse.

Records show the warehouse and surrounding area have been the subject of nearly 10 blight complaints over the past decade.

xxpost i know it comes from a v personal place & it sucks to even have to lay that all out but that is truly an A+ post sarahell <3

Very much so.

Yeah, my first reaction was thinking "what can I do to make DIY shows safer" but its a real short walk from that to "how do I get all DIY shows shut down and eventually moved to even more dangerous places"

― Whiney G. Weingarten, Monday, December 5, 2016 1:45 PM (eight minutes ago)

one of the eerie, awful things about this, is that it happened 9 years to the day that a space I ran got busted by the cops and we had to deal with trying to get it up to code. And one of my arguments was, if you shut down this place, these shows are going to continue to happen and happen in more dangerous places with more clueless people running them.

And for the record (i guess), last night, Kiyomi's family notified her friends that she had been confirmed dead.

yeah her brother posted it on FB . still no official word on Ara but I think it's a given now.

Cherushii (aka Chelsea) is also officially gone.

the vigil was surreal -- the mayor got booed; the rabbi was followed by a girlfriend of one of the deceased who proclaimed they had the greatest sex and she was leaving a picture of her tits in the homemade shrine for him; Jello Biafra spoke, and I didn't really understand why.

I assume that the mayor was booed on account of being the mayor.

More from Ion Almena:

http://www.eastbaytimes.com/2016/12/06/ghost-ship-manager-derrick-ion-almena-apolgizes-defends-living-arrangement/

Gray Area's fundraiser is approaching $400,000; in combination with the Warriors/A's/Raiders fundraiser, it's good to see the results.

KQED also currently broadcasting live with people calling in with memories of the departed:

https://ww2.kqed.org/forum/2016/12/05/remembering-the-victims-of-the-oakland-warehouse-fire/

staff holiday party was last night, a lot of work friends who lost people. there was a weird energy about the whole thing, but it felt good at least to offer some measure of support.

By default I have to wonder about this:

http://www.eastbayexpress.com/SevenDays/archives/2016/12/06/oakland-officials-order-staff-to-withhold-public-records-related-to-ghost-ship-fire

I had to turn forum off on kqed. I understand why people want to talk about it but it's becoming misery porn and it made me too sad, started crying in the car

xp - Could be related to a "criminal investigation." The big issue on that front is the liability of the building owner -- whether she was negligent or whether the unsafe conditions were solely due to things done by tenants she had no knowledge of.

I know she is claiming no one lived there (whether she's doing this because she honestly didn't know or she's trying to cover for herself, dunno)

a lot of people don't know/understand the differences between types of leases and are assuming a lot is the owner's responsibility, which would be the case if it was a residential lease, but it is 99.9% likely it was an industrial gross lease, where just about everything is the responsibility of the tenant(s).

i think w/rental properties, especially industrial or business rentals, most landlords just find a tenant and never pay much attention to what's going on there unless you ask them to come out for a specific reason.

http://pitchfork.com/thepitch/1383-after-ghost-ship-fire-oakland-diy-grapples-with-a-broken-system/

the spaces mentioned near the end of the article were all places I've gone to shows, and weren't particularly safe either, though the one that burned was worse. I remember a Lightning Bolt show at LoBot in 2006 with 400-500 people, and they had just one door that was super heavy and sticky and didn't open out ... if something had caught fire, it would have been horrific.

Very moving post on Johnny Igaz/Nackt from his former partner:

https://medium.com/@hunterleight/johnny-johnny-i-love-you-8270dadc3353#.2lsofvh8o

At the risk of sounding crass, if there are any particular public pieces in memoriam about any of the dead who were musicians or DJs that are noteworthy, I'd love to see them posted here, as I would enjoy sharing them and more on the people they are about through my Link Bin column next week. Thanks.