Residents Protest Closing Of Richmond Punk-Music Warehouse

RICHMOND (CBS SF/AP) — Residents and supporters of an East Bay warehouse and punk-music venue known as the "Burnt Ramen" protested its closing after a deadly fire at an illegally converted warehouse in Oakland.

A few dozen supporters of the Burnt Ramen carried protest signs to a Richmond City Council meeting Tuesday night, asking for time and guidance to fix safety and other code problems.

"They're not letting us fix our home," former resident Brandon Bailey, 29, told Bay Area media at a small rally before the meeting.

Richmond officials closed the warehouse last week and evicted its six residents. Fire officials say the problems included people living in crawl spaces and bars and chicken wire covering windows.

Continuing Coverage: Deadly Oakland Warehouse Fire

City Manager Bill Lindsay said authorities were willing to work with the venue's owner to make the building safe and legal.

"I do hope that things happen expeditiously and responsibly, so we can get this facility back to occupancy," Lindsay said.

The Dec. 2 fire that killed 36 people at the Ghost Ship warehouse in Oakland prompted the crackdown on the Burnt Ramen, Richmond Mayor Tom Butt said.

Similar steps against unpermitted warehouses used by artists have been taken around the country since the Ghost Ship fire, which was the nation's deadliest building fire in more than a decade.

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