OAKLAND, Calif. _ Money from the single largest Ghost Ship fire fundraising campaign will begin to be disbursed over the next few days to families and associates of the dead, displaced residents and survivors.
But the Ghost Ship's leader, Derick Almena, his wife Michah Allison and the promoters of the electronic dance music the night of the fire are not yet eligible for the funds, said Josette Melchor, executive director and founder of the Gray Area Foundation for the Arts Oakland Fire Relief Fund.
That's because people named in lawsuits related to fault of the fire, even residents displaced from the warehouse such as Almena and his family, will not receive money until the suits are resolved.
"We don't want to pass judgment; we just want to make sure if they had any fault proven by a legal court we are not giving funding to someone who might be at fault for loss of life," Melchor said Thursday.
Families of two of the 36 people who perished in the Dec. 2 inferno have filed separate lawsuits against Almena, Allison, landlord Chor Ng and her family, promoter John Hrabko and Joel Shanahan, aka Golden Donna, whose 100 percent Silk provided the electronic dance party that night.
Daniel Lopez and Omar Vega, neighbors who allegedly provided utility services to the Warehouse, and the city of Oakland and Alameda County were also named as defendants in the lawsuit that claims negligence led to the blaze.
Melchor said if the defendants apply for relief, the foundation will hold the money until the case is resolved to show they weren't found responsible for the deadly fire.
The Gray Area Foundation, an arts nonprofit, responded almost immediately to the calls for relief. Although significantly smaller, the foundation raised more money than the Oakland Athletics Community Fund, backed by the A's, Raiders and Warriors, and assisted by the Red Cross. The foundation raised $890,899 from 11,827 donors, $848,344 of which will go to people who filed 136 qualified applications during the first round of disbursement, the organization said in a news release.
There are plans for two more rounds of disbursements to those affected, as people continue to give and more applications for relief are filed. "Just this morning there were donations that came in," Melchor said.
The foundation is accepting relief applications until March 7, and forms can be found on its website. Eligible individuals include family of the deceased, including partners who were not married or immediately related to the victims; survivors; displaced Ghost Ship residents; and people who lost roommates and business partners in the fire.
