OAKLAND — On the night that the Ghost Ship warehouse caught fire and 36 people lost their lives, one of the men held responsible for the inferno testified Monday that he went inside after stamping the hands of entering party-goers and saw a glow coming from the back.
Once he realized it was a fire, he ran to his own studio near the front and grabbed a fire extinguisher, but it malfunctioned, Max Harris said. “There was something like a voice in my head. … It said ‘get out.’ “
Harris said even though the lights had gone out by then, he was able to see and ran out the front door, screaming to others to “use the lights on your phone” toward the front stairs. After he escaped, he saw at least 10 more people exit as he stood by the front door. “Eventually people stopped coming out,” he said.
With his long hair pulled back, wearing an orange shirt and checkered pocket square, Harris took the stand in the weeks-long trial on his own behalf as his defense attorney, Tyler Smith, began the questioning by saying, “We finally get to hear from you.”
Harris, 29, and his co-defendant, Derick Almena, face 36 counts of involuntary manslaughter each for the three dozen people who perished in the Ghost Ship warehouse fire on Dec. 2, 2016.
Harris answered questions in an almost conversational tone, nodding in agreement at times and occasionally directing his attention to the jury seated to his immediate right.
He described himself as a vegan, practicing Buddhist and a “child of God,” as well as a jewelry maker and tattoo artist who graduated from the Massachusetts College of Art and Design. He said he often would lend an ear or shoulder to cry on during disputes between residents at the warehouse on 31st Avenue.
Prosecutors have said he was the second in command to Almena, even introducing as evidence some messages Harris sent a potential date where he boasted about managing the warehouse space. They also had presented video evidence from a police body camera of Harris allegedly lying to police that no one lived in the warehouse.
Defense attorneys have tried to cast blame on the city and the warehouse’s owners for neglecting to rid Ghost Ship of dwellers; Harris and Almena are merely scapegoats, they have argued.
Harris said when he first visited the warehouse in October 2014, he considered the space “amazing” and “was almost awestruck.”
He said Almena eventually became his mentor and friend.
Harris described the communal living environment inside the warehouse as one were there were “no hard or fast rules.” He would sweep or do the dishes occasionally.
At first, the way rent was collected was “organic” and confusing, but after a tenant stole some rent money Harris said he began helping to pool the rent from other residents in a can every month. Almena gave him the number to directly deposit the rent to a Wells Fargo account that belonged to the landlords, the Ng family.
Harris said he initially was given the informal title of “creative director” or “executive director.” At an arts festival, when a group of people asked if they could hire their art collective, called Satya Yuga, Almena introduced him as its “creative director,” Harris said.
“It was a surprise to me, but I kind of rolled with it,” Harris said. “I shrugged it off, but I also held onto it.”
He used the title in emails with the landlords to “sound important,” Harris said.
Harris said he eventually he talked with Almena and his wife about doing a “work trade,” where in exchange for doing chores, he didn’t have to pay rent. He said several others had a similar arrangement.
He said the warehouse’s electricity came from the auto shop next door, but went out at least once a month, even after the landlords hired Ben Cannon to do some electrical work for them. As previously reported by this news organization, Cannon was unlicensed and hired for repairs, without city permits.
Harris testified that he had little to do with the music party event that was set up for the night of Dec. 2, 2016. A friend, Micah Danemayer, had asked if that date was available for some performances about two months before, and Harris had told him, “Yeah, of course.” Danemayer died in the fire.
About a month after his conversation with Danemayer, near Thanksgiving, Harris said he met Ryan O’Keefe, who helped set up the event and reminded him that it was happening on Dec. 2.
When asked by his attorney what he knew of the event that night, besides naming some people who were performing, Harris said he was looking forward to the event.
“I knew it was going to be awesome, I can tell you that much,” Harris said.
Harris is expected to continue testifying Tuesday.