The College Perspective by Lindsey

A fire in a warehouse called the Ghost Ship in Oakland, California has resulted in at least 36 dead. The warehouse was a place where concerts were regularly held and many artists lived there for lower rent prices than at a regular apartment building. The couple who ran the warehouse, not the owner, had several complaints filed against them at this location and others for hazardous living conditions as well as a buildup of trash outside of the residence. The couple also didn’t have permits for other people to live there or concerts to be held. Many of the residents reported that the place was a fire trap with improper construction and boarded up exits. However, an inspector can only enter the residence if the owner or a resident lets them in, which nobody would do for fear of being evicted, so officials have had a hard time getting things in motion. The couple also hid these living conditions from the owner of the warehouse. Besides these roadblocks, many of the other warehouses and similar buildings in the area have been used for illegal residences for artists and others who don’t want to pay full rent anywhere else, so officials are swamped with requests to check all of these buildings out for illegal issues.

I believe this story is newsworthy because when tragedies like this happen, people always look for someone to blame and it’s often the owners of the place who comes under fire but the system itself is what is barring officials from truly helping people. The audience is people outside of Oakland, California who don’t know much about the area, as there are maps and many descriptions of what the area is like, something people in the area would already know.

Since this story has been out for several days, I believe the lead was effective, because it sets a story about the complaints that have been piling up instead of talking about the blaze which most people already know the details of. This article is the story behind why the fire could have been able to happen in such an environment.

The story definitely has a point of view against people living illegally in the buildings, emphasizing how difficult it was for officials to make a difference because of the way of life the couple who ran the warehouse were helping promote, making a dangerous environment for their tenants. Not much is missing except the article could maybe use some more quotes from the couple who ran the place, as they only have their initial statements of sorrow at losing many close friends in the fire.

The link to the original story can be found here: http://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/05/us/oakland-fire-ghost-ship-warehouse.html?hpw&rref=us&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&module=well-region&region=bottom-well&WT.nav=bottom-well&_r=0