Oakland

This is like the third or forth thread I've seen about that fire. I'm not seeing the huge deal. A handful of candy ravers died.

*toke*

Oakland's always been an odd, "other" kind of place. Always being in the shadow of a superstar can create some pretty damn cool, under-the-radar vibes, in people and in places, and Oakland has plenty.

I've never been a huge fan, but I've experienced a few of those vibes in my time and have had some damn good times in that town.

I'm sure everyone involved with that place and all the kids who went to the "parties" there thought it was the coolest place ever.

And it probably was pretty cool, especially for people of that age.

Such a damn shame. Such a classic example of youthful ignorance and of no one wise in charge.

"Common' man, it's cool! Nothing bad will happen."

Bill Graham used to say that SOMEbody needs to know the difference between the gutter & the curb. In this case it doesn't look like anyone there knew the difference.

Such a damn shame.

I like that Bill Graham quote. So true. Where can it be found so I can get the context?

*toke*

Same to you Roar, and hopefully for a long to come.

Good to see both you stellar Zoners here.

Are we going to wait for Wino to start a Giants Thread Tom?

Looks like we got inside track on Meloncon. Wonder who the Pirates might want for McCutchen?

I saw that some of the folks who were unaccounted for have been found.

Continued vibes to all

tweny four bodies found so far

RIP

Oakland reminds me of Brooklyn, in a good way

Death count continues to rise.

Horrible :(

Love Oakland (and the East Bay) - when I first moved to the Bay Area, I wound up in Oakland. This is a horribly sad story. Just awful.

Eli's Mile High Club

Lake Merritt

Golden State Warriors

Parkway Movie Theater

Oakland A's (preparing promising players to make big $ elsewhere)

Paramount Theater

Fox Theater

Joaquin Miller Park

Redwood Regional Park

Morcom Municipal Rose Garden

Mountain View Cemetery

These are a few of my favorite things...

Free dress rehearsal performances at Woodminster. 

Even though I was born in Berkeley, my first home was in Oakland in a cabin near the top of Broadway Terrace.

I so wish we supported artist's right to safety.

>>>I so wish we supported artist's right to safety<<<

What does that mean exactly?

Yes, Roarshock.

I mean had more publicly funded studio space, perhaps with safe areas to sleep. I don't have specifics, Lance. Or that artists could get at leasts minimum wage as they "perfect" their craft.

from the gubmint, judit?

That's my feeling some days, fish, right after food, access to excellent medical care, warmth, protected water and air, freedom from fear.

This says better than I can

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

I think all that sounds great Judit, but anyone can call themselves an artist, and there are always going to be more aspiring artists than any subsidized situation could handle.

Roarshock had it right; if people want to support artists they need to go out and purchase their art. Unfortunately that of course means that the artist must actually be at least sort of GOOD, not just young & full of lofty ideas, with lots of tatoos and cool clothes and calling their rooms "a space". And if you're actually good enough to sell your work you could probably afford to have a safe studio.

But whether you're any good or not it's damn cool to be an "artist" so places like this are always going to be around. It's up to the people in charge/making the money from them and the tenants themselves to take on the responsibility of basic safety.

For years I've rented a little room - excuse me, a space - in San Jose in a warehouse type setup that is partitioned into a two story labyrinth of small rooms for bands & individuals to rehearse, practice, make general noise (that would be me on my drums) that is accessible 24/7 and is similar in ways to this Ghost Ship building. The difference is that the owners make sure the electrical outlets are set up properly, that there is a quality emergency sprinkler & lighting system in place, that we all have working fire extinguishers & flashlights in our rooms, that we keep our rooms cleaned up (I get dinged on that at times) and that no electrical units like amplifiers, stereos, lights, etc. are left on. Also absolutely no candles or smoking is allowed, or parties or anyone living in their room. Of course people do but the owners are on top of all of that and they evict tenants all the time because of it. Lots of the younger musicians especially think the owners are assholes and too punitive, but they're just doing what no one did in this sad Oakland situation.

My place is still risky because there are no windows and only a few exits and I have thought often about how it could very easily be a bad scene, especially for the people upstairs if the place caught on fire, but the owners have the proper permits and they're diligent about making sure it's set up and maintained as well as it can be. They're still making bank on the place, and I understand that the artists were paying for their spaces in the Oakland building so those running that place almost certainly were cashing in as well.

But those people just didn't want to deal with all of that; the owner clearly not wanting to spend the money to make his building safe, and common' man, how uncool it would be to enforce no candles, smoking or living in the building! We're artists man! We're off the grid! 

But what's going to happen to them now is going to cost them much more, and it will definitely be more uncool.

With a little common sense and responsibility people can still make their money and even amateur schmucks like me (and like many of those young artists) can have a space to create their art and still be reasonably safe, subsidized or not.

El Nino,

These are some beautiful photos included in your link above.

As with most everything, this disaster provides more complexity than many people would like to deal with.

I strongly believe that local govt. needs to do what is necessary to protect its people and promote the health and safety of the community.  That being said, the artists need affordable housing and work space.  And the cultural underground has often been an important part of any community, IMHO.

We need to grieve, then look for answers...

i first visited California and Oakland for the 5 NYE shows in 81/82.  I believe it rained hard most every day and night of those 5 shows. I was like a wet soaked Wharf rat scurrying around finding it nearly impossible to stay dry. I saw little of Oakland. Spent most of my time in San Francisco.  

My heart goes out to all those effected by the tragedy and loss of friends and loved ones. May their soles RIP.

...

Such a terrible tragedy.  My heart aches for the victims and their families.  

>>I mean had more publicly funded studio space, perhaps with safe areas to sleep. I don't have specifics, Lance. Or that artists could get at leasts minimum wage as they "perfect" their craft<<

My in-laws were both working artists. They both had gallery shows and sold many paintings through the years. They understood the difficulties facing artists, so they went to college, and grad school, in order to have the skills to support themselves and their art. 

>the artists need affordable housing and work space.  And the cultural underground has often been an important part of any community, IMHO.

Everyone needs more affordable housing, not just the artist.  The cities don't have the money to subsidize 'starving artists'. They're busy trying to feed starving kids. Building owners, due to high taxes/insurance/maintenance, can not give away housing.

I whole heartedly agree that the 'cultural underground' is an important part of our society but they must be able to sustain their own.  If you drop out of the mainstream to pursue your art expect lots of sacrifice.

Peace to all the families that are affected by this tragedy.

Such a sad, sad occurrence!  Feel sorry for the families and friends of those that lost their lives.

But this whack job should some how be accountable!  He may not own the building but I don't see an ounce of regret in him.  He had kids that lived there with him and he didn't care about their safety just like the owner of the building.

http://www.today.com/news/oakland-warehouse-manager-derick-almena-anguis...

Here is another story about the manager of the building.   Sounds like real swell dude:

http://www.oregonlive.com/today/index.ssf/2016/12/founder_of_artist_colo...

Oakland...still very much in my heart right now.

>> Eli's Mile High Club <<

I was the first white girl to work there.

Sometimes I am afraid of my living space.  I am afraid to ask for work to be done. 

This from a friend who many of you know, posted on facebook about how she knew one of the deceased. She's hurting from this. He sure sounds like a good young guy.

So sad.

"He was a light. A spirit so bright you knew he was special the moment you met him. An incorrigible mop of hair and a radiant smile to go with a wisdom that was well beyond his years. The last show we worked together was that day, a last minute rental, Bernie Sanders at Zellerbach. A clusterf*ck to put it nicely. But Griffin did what he always did. He handled it. He dealt with the grumpy old Berkeley hippies, the eager students, the clueless and the know-it-alls. He did... it with grace, charm, wit, and intelligence. As I was leaving that day, I stopped to hug him and tell him what a great job he'd done. He thanked me for telling him that and told me to have a great weekend. Then he went off to do another thing he loved, and mere hours later he was gone. A shining light turned dark in an instant. My heart is broken for his parents, his siblings, his girlfriend, and his friends. My heart is broken for all of us at Cal, especially for my students who are learning this horrible life lesson so early.

Life is brutal and horrifically short. Hug your friends. Call your mom. Make up with your ex. Forgive yourself. Know that you are loved. By me and likely a bunch of other people too. I hope Griffin knew what he meant to me and so many others.

May the four winds blow him safely home."

And the official announcement from Cal Performances...

"Dear Friends,

It is with incredible sadness that I write to inform you that a beloved member of our staff, Griffin Madden, perished in the fire in Oakland on Friday night. Griffin had been missing since last being seen there, and his death was confirmed yesterday evening....

Griffin was Cal Performances Audience Services Associate, recently winning that full-time position after having worked as a Cal student usher throughout his undergraduate career. He graduated from UC Berkeley in 2015 with a double major in Philosophy, and Slavic Languages and Literature. He was devoted to Cal Performances and had been an integral member of our staff for five years, starting as a freshman at age 18. Griffin was 23 years old."

Enjoy those sandwiches folks.

BTW, I sound pretty snarky in that post I put up there the other day. I'm not apologizing necessarily, but reading it again just now I don't like the snarky sound of that post.

This whole thing is very upsetting to me, hitting a little close to home in more ways than one.

Let's all carry on.

^Wow...

I have some light to share during this darkness.

This evening, I picked up my son, Kai, from his blacksmithing class with Trackers Earth, in Berkeley.  He took me inside to show me what the Trackers Community had gathered/donated over the last three days for friends and others who had survived the fire and were in desperate need for many things (some may not seem essential to live, but I am sure that they will be appreciated for those in need).

I was completely floored by the volume and quality of items that people wanted to share:

Instruments:

Clothing:

These are all pants:

The whole building was full:

Quietly emotional and powerful.

Here's the email that was sent to us last Sunday:

Dear Trackers Families,

Many of you may have heard about the tragic fire in the Oakland artists warehouse. Although she is fortunately physically safe, long-time Trackers staff member Carmen was a resident of the warehouse and lost all of her possessions in the fire.

Trackers is hosting a clothing and supplies drive at our Berkeley HQ for Carmen and the other displaced residents of the building (about 20 people, including 3 children). They have an immediate need for basic things like winter clothes, backpacks, shoes, and toiletries. A detailed list of requested items If you are able to contribute, please bring your donations to the building by end of day on Wednesday.  Anything not needed by the displaced residents will be donated to charity.

We will be open to accept donations from 9 AM - 6:15 PM Monday, 9 AM - 8:15 PM Tuesday, and 9 AM - 6:15 PM on Wednesday.  Please ring the bell if the doors are locked.

Please see this document for needed supplies. 

With gratitude,

Jess

Lance, so sad and so sweet.

John, thank you. That is light. And love.

Community is a powerful thing.

The whole thing is a very sad situation. I live in the Bay Area, and was talking to my neighbor yesterday,

he's an artist who is able to make his living off of it. He'd been in the Ghost Ship

building a couple of times, and from what he saw, he said he wasn't  surprised this tragic

fire happened.  He knew two of the people who passed away there.

Johnny, thanks for your post. It's wonderful when the community can come

together to help people after a terrible thing like this.

You all stay safe out there .

Thanks for your posts Johnny and Lance. I lived for about 10 years in Oakland and San Leandro. This is a harsh and complex tragedy that has happened. It's hard to imagine how fast all of this went down and all the signs that point to the potential of this happening. Really heartbreaking.