Fury at the man behind illegal artist enclave where up to 33 died in fire: Organizer of ‘death trap’ Oakland commune makes self-pitying statement complaining that ‘everything I worked for is gone’
December 4, 2016 in News by RBN Staff
- Derick Ion Almena has been identified as the operator of the Ghost Ship venue and Satya Yuga Art Collective where a fire broke out Friday night
- He wrote: ‘Everything I worked so hard for is gone. Blessed that my children and Micah were at a hotel safe and sound’
- ‘It’s as if I have awoken from a dream filled with opulence and hope…. to be standing now in poverty of self worth,’ he continued
- Officials said at least nine people died in the massive fire that was held in the Oakland warehouse
- Fire Chief Teresa Deloche-Reed said that at least another 24 people are still unaccounted
- Officials say there was no sprinkler system in the two-story building and firefighters saw no evidence that smoke detectors were activated during the blaze
- City officials also revealed that the warehouse had no permits that allowed for a party to be held or for residential occupation
- Crews found flames on three sides of building when they arrived to scene after fire started around 11.30pm
A man who allegedly organized the illegal artist commune where up to 33 people died in a fire late Friday night is being heavily criticized for a Facebook post about his own material losses following the blaze.
Derick Ion Almena has been identified as the operator of the Ghost Ship venue and Satya Yuga Art Collective in Oakland where the fire broke out.
Shortly after the blaze erupted he wrote: ‘Confirmed. Everything I worked so hard for is gone. Blessed that my children and Micah were at a hotel safe and sound… it’s as if I have awoken from a dream filled with opulence and hope…. to be standing now in poverty of self worth.’
On Saturday evening, authorities confirmed that at least nine people had died and another 24 dozen were still unaccounted for as investigators continued to recover bodies from the wreckage.
City officials also revealed that the warehouse had no permits that allowed for a party to be held or for residential occupation.
Those who were able to make it out to safety told of how they struggled to get through the cluttered warehouse while fire crews noted the were impeded by a massive amount of clutter, including furniture and art, as they tried to tackle the fire.
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Derick Ion Almena has been identified as the operator of the Ghost Ship venue and Satya Yuga Art Collective in Oakland where the fire broke out
He has been heavily criticized for a Facebook post (shown above) in which he wrote he was grateful his family was not there at the time but saddened at the loss of the collective
Almena had lived in the space with his wife, Micah Allison, and children who were staying at a hotel during the electronic music party held there on Friday night, SF Gate reported.
The event featured musician Golden Donna’s 100% Silk West Coast tour.
Almena’s Facebook post on Saturday was quickly hit with criticism over his concern of his ‘material possessions’ rather than mentioning the lives that were lost in the deadly blaze.
‘ARE YOU SERIOUSLY POSTING ABOUT THE LOSS OF YOUR MATERIAL POSESSIONS (sic) WHEN YOUR DEATH TRAP MURRRRRRDERED OUR FRIENDS????? I WANT BARRETT AND JONATHAN AND JOEY BACK! F**K YO S**T,’ Luna Xix wrote.
Trevor Shane added: ‘Only someone who would be worried about their s**t burning in this kind of situation is the kind of person who would run an unkempt, unsafe space. So shocked that you are mad about your s**t burning.
However, others suggested Almena may not have been aware that people had lost their lives at the time of his post.
Flames rise from the top of a warehouse, which caught fire during a dance party in Oakland on Saturday.
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