Justice
A Path Toward Protecting DIY Spaces
In the aftermath of a warehouse fire in Oakland, artists nationwide aim to keep their buildings open and secure.
As Melissa J. Frost sat in her house in Philadelphia on December 2 and watched the fire rage on at the Ghost Ship live-work space in Oakland, she was devastated. But her sadness was tinged with a sense of inevitability.
Frost has organized and lived collectively in these kinds of unconventional urban dwellings for years. As an architecture undergrad in Philadelphia in the late 2000s, Frost bought a house for $10,000. It had no power, no water, and no electricity; she had to figure all that out all on her own. Then she began booking the place out for concerts and shows.