“It was an autonomous place where everybody brought their insights to the table,” Max Harris said. “There was a lot of shared understanding among the residents as far as what’s appropriate behavior, appropriate conduct. Everyone understood what the space is.”
This 2014 photo provided by Ajesh Shah shows the interior of a portion of the 'Ghost Ship' warehouse, taken while he was on a tour as a potential tenant of the Oakland, Calif., building. Dozens of people died at a party after a fire that started on Dec. 2, 2016 and swept through the building.
“It was an autonomous place where everybody brought their insights to the table,” Harris said. “There was a lot of shared understanding among the residents as far as what’s appropriate behavior, appropriate conduct. Everyone understood what the space is.” Both men pleaded no contest to 36 counts of manslaughter last summer. But a judge scuttled the plea deal after victims’ families objected to their proposed sentences as too lenient.Harris’ lawyers say he was made a scapegoat for the tragedy. He calmly testified Monday that he was a struggling tattoo artist and jewelry maker when he found a Craigslist ad offering a studio within the large warehouse for $750 per month.
Although fire inspectors never determined the cause of the fire, prosecutors raised the possibility that the fire was caused by electrical equipment. Harris testified that when he first detected fire inside the warehouse, he repeatedly screamed “Fire! Get out!”, tried to put it out with an extinguisher he kept in his unit, and called 911. He said when the music stopped and the power went out, he turned on the flashlight on his cellphone to direct people to the front door.“Eventually people stopped coming out,” he said in a halting voice.
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