Members from the Seattle Arts Commission met with city officials Tuesday to advocate for increased safety measures for Seattle artists.
The meeting comes just over a month after a warehouse fire in Oakland, California that killed 36 people.
The ‘Ghost Ship’ warehouse, that served as a performance space and housing unit for artists, was not up to city codes operated without a permit.
On Tuesday the Commission asked the city to use prudence following the Oakland fire.
In a letter to Seattle Mayor Ed Murray, the Commission said, “As we bear witness to a rash of evictions of warehouses in other cities following the Oakland tragedy, we emphasize that reactionary shutdown of essential community spaces is not an appropriate, sustainable or equitable response.”
The Commission offered eight recommendations to ensure artist safety in Seattle.