CA - Massive fire at Oakland warehouse party, 36 dead, 2 Dec 2016 #2

[alucardsdream]

There are no words that can make this situation any easier but you have an entire internet family supporting you, Gitana.

 

[pugmom]

Our beautiful Jennifer has been identified. She died without suffering. She was unconscious in 15 minutes and was not touched by the fire. She died of smoke inhalation.

Thank you all for your incredible support. And love. And assistance. And a special thanks to Tricia and Linask who kept my confidences and communicated for me. A special thanks to Linask who drove over two hours round trip to pick me up and taken me to the Family Assistance Center and who saw things there that were incredibly difficult for her to see and who used such discretion in protecting the privacy of the families and officials she saw and spoke to and whose intense pain she witnessed. I know it shook her. But she was there for me.
You are all my cyber family.

I am so, so sorry. When something like this happens to someone in our community, the world seems a lot smaller. Keeping you in my prayers.

 

[MsMarple]

You have become sister to so many here, Gitana. we hurt if you hurt. There are no words adequate I can say except I am beside you. Relieved that identification has finally been made. May love wrap its arms around your brother through this very difficult time. The days ahead are going to be tremendously difficult for him --- but it is when things settle down that his heart will hurt the most. Stay in close touch and be there for and with him.

Much love and support for you, Gitana,

'Many thanks to LinasK for being there to take care of anything you could. You are the best of the best.

'Thanks also to Tricia, for keeping in touch with our friends here, and for giving us this place to call "home"

Well said - thank you!

Gitana - we love you and we're here for you. We can't fix things but please know that you're in our hearts and minds!

:grouphug: :loveyou:

 

[elendast]

as a creative woman in her 20s who goes to these types of shows often...i've been following this thread really closely. this situation is so incredibly nuanced and complicated. hi guys! :greetings:

i wanted to share something (with permission) that my electronic musician friend (in his 40s) wrote to me via text today:

like there is zero attempts to get into the mindset that is not just his, but wide spread and cultural
maybe he’s a bad master tenant
but it could have been any number of dudes i have known, worked with
who build these communities because they are rad
and again the media will only say
but you did this KNOWING FULL WELL that it was UNSAFE
like just hammering this point over and over like a autistic
there will be, from no official or mainstream media, any attempt to sympathize more than needed
except to say “beautiful lives cut short”
“she was a musician, a bright light of creativity, a light…that tonight, as candle lit vigils outside of warehouses nationwide burn…has sadly been extinguished”
as a nation reels in shock over the deadliest fire in oakland history, questions over where to place blame
place blame
thats the only way things go now
like blame fixes problems, like blame will change culture
like blame will make an easy pathway towards basic safety in weirdo non-commercial spaces, galleries, warehouses, parties
people become scofflaws when the laws are too stupid, corrupt, expensive, when they don’t apply to realities. california building codes are enforced harder on underprivledged and easier on rich people that are aligned with the corrupt politicians and their city plans, who line their pocketbooks with money from big developers
developers that can afford to hire the big contractors and architects
my dad just spent $40,000 on a handicap ramp for a piece of property that has a car stereo store in it. had to completely re-do the parking, had to meet with code guys from various agencies who told him various things. if you dont fight back they will make you pour so much money into tiny things that most landlords or master tenants eventually just avoid them at all costs
no one wants to look at that
thats too subtle and complex a real situation that deeply needs reform than is easy to compact into a zippy shock value news segment
Todd P has been trying to get his venue up to code and work with the city for the last 10 years in new york
and they raided him and shut him down over nothing
just last month
for “storing liquor in the same room as a temporary permitted event that restricts the sale of alcohol”
because the workers hadn’t shown up yet to prep for a show they hadn’t gotten a liquor license for
and moved some boxes
so they shut the venue down
the police post tweets of a grand triumph
swat team showed up
some punk kid is like, setting up for a concert later
meanwhile across the street some more square club just opens up, no problems
this extreme bias is rampant
and it creates defensive scofflaws that will never open the door for a fire inspector. thats like rule number one of living in a warehouse
never open the door for suprise inspections “oh we just are popping by on routine checks” NO. they never are. those are stings.
the fire department has to set up pre-scheduled inspections with the landlords and master tenants. and they go thru these places and make sure there are exit signs, exit paths in conformity with capacity, sprinkler systems that work, extinguishers, not too many lamps plugged into outlets. dude the way i have ***** plugged into my wall for my studio is not up to fire code. it would be impossible for me to run my stuff in this apartment the way it is currently wired for power. this house is wired 60 years ago to have like, two table lamps per room. thats it. i have lived in places like this my whole life. the land lords took out the fuses in the fuse box and hard wired the electricity. so if something over-heated, there would be no blown fuse, there would just be fire. its insane
but to blame this one guy for a systemic tone-deafness that is so rampant
i dunno
ive lived in houses built in the 1900s which dont hold up to modern fire code
for most of my life
one of them burned down in 1997 and i lost all my *****
no fire-breaks between floors in the walls, no fire retardant insulation, no re-wiring of electricity to keep up with modern life demands
if they crack down on warehouses, they should crack down on everyone
and create ways for landlords to do it without having to raise rents to a point that displaces everyone except the people that can afford modern condo living

i find it fascinating to hear insider points of views on all sides of the spectrum. hope it's ok to share!

 

[human]

Wow. Almost worthless! The owner was making $60 k in rent. Derrick was making $72 k or more in a property worth $42 k

 

[crhedBngr]

Crying. So sorry Gitana.

Yes, me too. Gitana and Family, all of you are in my thoughts.

 

[elendast]

Our beautiful Jennifer has been identified. She died without suffering. She was unconscious in 15 minutes and was not touched by the fire. She died of smoke inhalation.

Thank you all for your incredible support. And love. And assistance. And a special thanks to Tricia and Linask who kept my confidences and communicated for me. A special thanks to Linask who drove over two hours round trip to pick me up and taken me to the Family Assistance Center and who saw things there that were incredibly difficult for her to see and who used such discretion in protecting the privacy of the families and officials she saw and spoke to and whose intense pain she witnessed. I know it shook her. But she was there for me.
You are all my cyber family.

my deepest condolences

 

[MIKAYOYO]

Gitana, I am truly sorry for your loss. You and your family will continue to be in my thoughts and prayers.

 

[Rallibella]

Thoughts and prayers go out to you, Gitana.

 

[human]

.
This may work for your region, but your region is not representative of mine, nor the rest of the United State's. For example, another area I'm familiar with, where it is happening, is Naples Fla. They can't find caregivers b/c the caregivers can't afford the commute, and they've been priced out of Naples.. Naples is most definitely a wealthy, but aging community, and needs caregivers.

Don't live in the US anymore but where I lived in MN there were no immigrants so the jobs usually go to people who are getting off of welfare. Housing is really high because there are the wealthy then the slumlords who take advantage.

Are there no cheaper areas around Naples? I guess tge citizens might have to start paying state income tax to,provide for workers who can have decent wages and benefits,

 

[Lilibet]

Gitana, my deepest condolences to you, your brother and family and Jennifer's parents and family. This is heartbreaking. I wish I could turn back time so this never happened. Wrapping you all in love, hugs and prayer. Thank you for allowing us to be with you during these dark hours through LinasK. We are still here for you whenever you return. :heartbeat:

 

[cvaldez1975]

what!

im guessing the plot of land is worth a tad more without that on it

http://commercial-real-estate.findthedata.com/l/25570/1305-31st-Ave-Oakland-CA-94601

This is interesting. The property value of 1305 31 street and some history

 

[LinasK]

R.I.P. Jennifer Mendiola (1981-2016):rose::rose::rose: You touched many lives. And to Gitana and family my deepest condolences on your loss.

 

[MsMarple]

“Our beautiful Jennifer has been identified,” Anna said in a text message to The Sacramento Bee. “She died without suffering. She was unconscious in 15 minutes and was not touched by the fire. The cause of death was smoke inhalation.”
...
Mendiola graduated from Sacramento State in 2010 and began working on her psychology doctorate at UC Merced in 2012, studying how close social relationships influence risk behaviors and emotion under professors Anna Song and Matthew Zawadzki, according to the university’s website. She was due to graduate next year.

http://www.sacbee.com/news/local/article119558088.html

RIP Jen/Alana :rose:

 

[Jax49]

http://commercial-real-estate.findthedata.com/l/25570/1305-31st-Ave-Oakland-CA-94601

This is interesting. The property value of 1305 31 street and some history

I'm totally confused by the address. Google shows 1315 as the building which burnt. But the shop next to the Ghost Ship has 1309 visible on it.

I was beginning to think 1305 is the vacant lot, but that doesn't make any sense.

Here is the info for 1315.

http://commercial-real-estate.findthedata.com/l/3737116/1315-31st-Ave-Oakland-CA-94601

 

[Blondie in Spokane]

I am so sad and sorry this happened, Gitana. We love you.

Linas - thanks for being such a compassionate friend.

RIP beautiful Jennifer.

 

[LaborOfLobe]

Gitana, I am so profoundly saddened to hear the news about your precious Jennifer. My heart goes out to you, and to all those who knew her and loved her. Warm thoughts and hugs from Texas.

RIP beautiful lady :rose:

 

[human]

as a creative woman in her 20s who goes to these types of shows often...i've been following this thread really closely. this situation is so incredibly nuanced and complicated. hi guys! :greetings:

i wanted to share something (with permission) that my electronic musician friend wrote to me via text today:



i find it fascinating to hear insider points of views on all sides of the spectrum. hope it's ok to share!

This guy has chosen his level of risk for whatever reason.

I wonder how many people in the Oakland fire would have said that their lives were OK to be over for that rave?

 

[elendast]

This guy has chosen his level of risk for whatever reason.

I wonder how many people in the Oakland fire would have said that their lives were OK to be over for that rave?

i don't think anyone is saying that. i just thought sharing insider's perspective might allow us to understand why this happened and why it's happening all over the nation in terms of these spaces existing.

for the record - i hope to see responsible parties charged.

 

[SophieRose]

YUP my good friend grew up there. in fact, my mom grew up in palo alto (NOT EPA) and they were a working class family w 6 kids. think that could happen now? hell to tha no.

One of my friends grew up in Palo Alto and his parents still live in his childhood home. PA was never a poor area, like EPA (next to each other but not the same city and in different counties) but certainly had a middle class. Today my friend's 1800 ft track home is worth over $3 million. Another friend bought a house in nearby Mt View in the 1980s, her 1600 sq ft was worth $1 million in 2006, today it's worth $2 million. Years ago she and her husband were thinking of moving up and looking at houses in a more upscale neighborhood but thought again because of the taxes. Prop 13 keeps their property taxes down, imagine not only what these new owners are paying for the house but what their taxes are.