Last December was a tough time for the city of Oakland with the tragic fire at Oakland’s Ghost Ship warehouse. Due to this the Oakland police department put in a new policy that would require police officers to report any illegal gatherings inside a warehouse. That new policy did not last long, as it was revoked within the same week.
According to SPIN magazine, The order came down from acting police chief David Downing, according to an email that was obtained by CBS Bay area. The email read, “Effective immediately, any member of OPD (sworn and civilian) who encounters an unlawful or unpermitted gathering (such as a rave, party, cabaret) or an unpermitted living space/structure within a warehouse, shall send an email message before end of shift […]”
Later on in the evening it was retracted by the City Administrator Sabrina Landreth she stated, “We are in the process of developing communication protocols within the Oakland Police Department. The email sent at 1:57 p.m. to OPD personnel was distributed prematurely and has been retracted.”
The Warehouse fire that took place on December 2nd took the lives of 36 people, labeled as the deadliest music venue related death in the U.S. since 2003.
Leave a Comment