Fourteen Stories About Colorado DIY After Ghost Ship: From Evictions to Organizing

A mural posted to Flux Capacitor's Facebook page reads "DIY OR DIE." Flux Capacitor's Facebook page.

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It's been a rocky few weeks for DIY communities. Oakland's Ghost Ship fire killed 36 people, at a dance party in a warehouse that had not been inspected in thirty years. That triggered cities across the country to ramp up their inspections of DIY spaces. Here in Colorado, Rhinoceropolis, Glob and Flux Capacitor have all been shut down — the latter permanently. Last week, the DIY community surfaced as a political coalition, Amplify Arts Denver, to improve conditions for the local underground scene, and Seventh Circle Music Collective survived an inspection.

Catch up on what's been going on since the Ghost Ship fire below.

Bree Davies

Rhinoceropolis eviction order.

1. Rhinoceropolis DIY Venue Shut Down by Denver Fire Department for Code Violations

The entrance to Rhinoceropolis may be low-key, but during DIY shows, the energy inside was palpable.

Tom Murphy

2. Rhinoceropolis Founder Pens Letter to Congresswoman Diana DeGette

The banner image at the top of the benefit concert's Facebook page is a collage honoring victims of the Oakland fireFacebook Event Page for the Oakland Fire Benefit Concert

Facebook Event Page for the Oakland Fire Benefit Concert

3. Musicians Organize Benefit Concert for Ghost Ship Fire Victims at Aztlan Theatre

Rhicoceropolis

Ken Hamblin III

4. Musician and Urban Planning Expert on the Economic and Social Value of DIY Spaces

Itchy-O performs at a benefit for the Ghost Ship fire victims.

Scott Lentz

5. DIY Solidarity Shines at Denver's Ghost Ship Fire Benefit

Flux Capacitor mourns eviction.

Flux Capacitor Facebook Page

6. Colorado Springs Fire Department Shuts Down DIY Venue Flux Capacitor

A mural in Flux Capacitor's entryway.

Tom Murphy

7. Why Evicted DIY Organizer From Flux Capacitor Won't Give Up

Read on for more stories about Colorado's DIY scene in the wake of the Ghost Ship fire.

Friendly faces greeted guests and performers alike at Rhinoceropolis before it was shut down.

Ken Hamblin

8. Denver: Quit Kicking Your Artists Out

Slow Slow Loris at Denver Noise Fest 2016.

Tom Murphy

9. DIY Music Isn't Dead in Colorado. Denver Noise Fest 2016 Proves It

Fantasia 2016 at Rhinoceropolis last fall.

Ken Hamblin III

10. RiNo Art District Pushes City to Stop Surprise DIY Venue Visits, Work With Artists

Charles Lillybridge captured turn-of-the-last-century life in Denver.

Denver Public Library

11. Rhinoceropolis and Glob Win a Special 2016 MasterMind Award

Tenants move their things out of the DIY space Rhinoceropolis at 12:05 p.m. on December 9.

Lindsey Bartlett

12. Amplify Arts Denver Aims to Give Voice to Denver's DIY Scene

DIY artists and musicians gathered at RedLine to discuss the future of Denver's underground art scene.

Kyle Harris

13. DIY Denver Weighs Working With the City Against Freedom in the Shadows

Seventh Circle Music Collective

Anthony Camera

14. DIY Venue Seventh Circle Passes Inspection by Denver Fire Department