I’m in the bay area for work this week. Local news keeps calling them “artists.” I can tell that this is code for something freakish, but not sure what it is.
They showed some pre-fire photos inside the place. It was a complete dump with plenty of safety problems.
No fire alarm system. No sprinklers. No fire exits from the upper floor.
I saw the photos, too, and the decor was certainly freakish.
I’m no expert, but I think the term “satanic” could be a good adjective choice here, too.
This is interesting in light of the recent discovery that satanic ritual is called “art” by its participants.
Could this be a satanic cult?
And that is apparently why the Commune Leader is not in jail. This is an 'Artist Community'. I live in the Bay Area, and this tragedy has been occupying the 'news' shows for the past week. It has morphed from the tragedy coverage, to how the Bay Area needs to do more to keep the 'Artist Community safe. I am sure that there is a realization that there are many of these Warehouse squatters throughout the Bay Area, inhabited by leftists who chose not to apply themselves in School (or to find a useful trade) and have defined themselves as 'artists'. The Journalists and Politicians in this area are are very sympathetic to this ilk, and I suspect 'Ion' is going to get away with a slap on the wrist.
Normally I'd have some sympathy for the fellow - not the lifestyle, but understanding that people can blind themselves to hazards around them - but this guy reeks of a conman. Someone here posted a 2014 yellow page (poor man's Yelp) review that stated that the guy was a belligerent psycho, and his place was a death trap (a prescient call). And then I heard that he was on probation for having received stolen property, an RV, - which he denied. If I heard correctly, this stolen RV was found hidden amongst the wreckage in the warehouse.