Responding to the Ghost Ship tragedy and getting our houses in order.
I am ok.
My friends are ok.
We are... 'fortunate' doesn't seem like the right word... i guess we got off easy in that we didn't know anyone personally, but we're definitely one connection away from some of them.
Of course my reaction to this is profound not only as this is our community, but also as I myself was at the front-line of two warehouse fires.
But my burden is chiefly empathy, we've been mercefly spared the first hand trauma.
My heart goes out to those who perished, to those who survived, their friends, their family. To those who lost their home and workspace. To the brave emergency responders who fought the fire well int the next day, and have the grim task of recovering remains… Lastly to all the denizens of similar artist live and work spaces who will be under siege and evicted in the coming backlash.
To that end I'd like to share a few thoughts i posted in reply to conversations going on in the wake of Ghost ship tragedy this weekend in Oakland. (Please forgive the x-posting and speaking in some absolutes, but i do think this so very important.)
Events ripple out and so must our our response... both humane and practical.
Our first reaction should of course be to support (thoughts and actions) in any way the direct victims of this absolute tragedy. This part comes easy, and were doing a great job. If you are looking for avenues Josette Melchor/ Grey Area Foundation has started a fundraising page.
The second order of business should be looking after the wider community, check-ins, communications; go a little slower and hug your friends and collaborators a little longer than usual. I'm already seeing this.
Third, I think there needs to be a beat to reflect and learn: Many of us artists and doers get caught up in the creation and pursuit of beauty that we don't spend enough time on the practicals, like _safety_. We get too seduced by our vision, coddling it and not enough time standing outside it poking it with sticks. Most of the time it just means what we do is impractical... sometimes it can be deadly. I know I personally learned a lot about this when I began working with fire. I want to be clear, I'm not accusing or passing judgement on_ anyone_, I'm speaking from personal experience, and shared experience. I'm also not saying art shouldn't be dangerous. But the danger should be intentional, specific, calculated, mitigated and above all else engaged with consent. I think I've said more than enough, I don't want to dwell on this point: This was a painful object lesson. Let's all reflect and learn.
I am unfortunately convinced that the fourth order of business is going to be defending our live and work, and event and makerspaces. And this is going to come sooner than most of us are prepared for. People at all levels are going to be motivated to make sure this never happens here again, and rightly so. But the re/actions they take won't all be. Much of it will inevitably be arbitrary and heavy handed. Property managers, Agencies, Owners, Fire inspectors and building inspectors are all going to come down like a ton of bricks on all our spaces. Right now at this very minute as some of you may know there is an "Emergency Inspection" going through every studio, bay and container in American Steel. Even though we just went through months of painful clean-up, compliance and inspections. I'm sure this is going to be the new reality bay area wide for years to come.
I know grieving has just barely begun and there are literally victims still waiting to be recovered from GhostShip ... but this is coming, and it's not waiting for you to be ready. I wish it wasn't. The last thing we need is finger-pointing.
If you live, work, make, rehearse or perform and like of marginal artists space, as soon as you are able you need to make sure
#1 your space is safe
#2 as much as possibly you are up to code
#3 if any portion is not legal you are as buttoned up and low profile as possible.
A handful of specifics: Your exits are accessible, your paths of travel are clear, your hazardous materials are stored properly, your electrical is not sprawling or overloaded, you have smoke detectors, they work. You have fire extinguishers everywhere that are certified and current.
As i wrote this, Ian posted this: https://www.facebook.com/raindrift/posts/10154177527843437
read it, it's great
Following that we need to resource and be prepared to help each other.
Be be safety conscious when you visit your friends, be willing to spend a few hours pitching in on clean-up efforts, set a side some money for legal defence or relocations efforts, and unfortunately inevitably line-up/offer couches when folks are displaced.
Good luck everybody, to all of us with all of it.
My friends are ok.
We are... 'fortunate' doesn't seem like the right word... i guess we got off easy in that we didn't know anyone personally, but we're definitely one connection away from some of them.
Of course my reaction to this is profound not only as this is our community, but also as I myself was at the front-line of two warehouse fires.
But my burden is chiefly empathy, we've been mercefly spared the first hand trauma.
My heart goes out to those who perished, to those who survived, their friends, their family. To those who lost their home and workspace. To the brave emergency responders who fought the fire well int the next day, and have the grim task of recovering remains… Lastly to all the denizens of similar artist live and work spaces who will be under siege and evicted in the coming backlash.
To that end I'd like to share a few thoughts i posted in reply to conversations going on in the wake of Ghost ship tragedy this weekend in Oakland. (Please forgive the x-posting and speaking in some absolutes, but i do think this so very important.)
Events ripple out and so must our our response... both humane and practical.
Our first reaction should of course be to support (thoughts and actions) in any way the direct victims of this absolute tragedy. This part comes easy, and were doing a great job. If you are looking for avenues Josette Melchor/ Grey Area Foundation has started a fundraising page.
The second order of business should be looking after the wider community, check-ins, communications; go a little slower and hug your friends and collaborators a little longer than usual. I'm already seeing this.
Third, I think there needs to be a beat to reflect and learn: Many of us artists and doers get caught up in the creation and pursuit of beauty that we don't spend enough time on the practicals, like _safety_. We get too seduced by our vision, coddling it and not enough time standing outside it poking it with sticks. Most of the time it just means what we do is impractical... sometimes it can be deadly. I know I personally learned a lot about this when I began working with fire. I want to be clear, I'm not accusing or passing judgement on_ anyone_, I'm speaking from personal experience, and shared experience. I'm also not saying art shouldn't be dangerous. But the danger should be intentional, specific, calculated, mitigated and above all else engaged with consent. I think I've said more than enough, I don't want to dwell on this point: This was a painful object lesson. Let's all reflect and learn.
I am unfortunately convinced that the fourth order of business is going to be defending our live and work, and event and makerspaces. And this is going to come sooner than most of us are prepared for. People at all levels are going to be motivated to make sure this never happens here again, and rightly so. But the re/actions they take won't all be. Much of it will inevitably be arbitrary and heavy handed. Property managers, Agencies, Owners, Fire inspectors and building inspectors are all going to come down like a ton of bricks on all our spaces. Right now at this very minute as some of you may know there is an "Emergency Inspection" going through every studio, bay and container in American Steel. Even though we just went through months of painful clean-up, compliance and inspections. I'm sure this is going to be the new reality bay area wide for years to come.
I know grieving has just barely begun and there are literally victims still waiting to be recovered from GhostShip ... but this is coming, and it's not waiting for you to be ready. I wish it wasn't. The last thing we need is finger-pointing.
If you live, work, make, rehearse or perform and like of marginal artists space, as soon as you are able you need to make sure
#1 your space is safe
#2 as much as possibly you are up to code
#3 if any portion is not legal you are as buttoned up and low profile as possible.
A handful of specifics: Your exits are accessible, your paths of travel are clear, your hazardous materials are stored properly, your electrical is not sprawling or overloaded, you have smoke detectors, they work. You have fire extinguishers everywhere that are certified and current.
As i wrote this, Ian posted this: https://www.facebook.com/raindrift/posts/10154177527843437
read it, it's great
Following that we need to resource and be prepared to help each other.
Be be safety conscious when you visit your friends, be willing to spend a few hours pitching in on clean-up efforts, set a side some money for legal defence or relocations efforts, and unfortunately inevitably line-up/offer couches when folks are displaced.
Good luck everybody, to all of us with all of it.