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That fire was not deemed suspicious by investigators, but the closure left a void in Bushwick’s queer clubbing scene. In January, Bossa Nova was heavily damaged and forced to shut down when a fire started in an apartment above it, seriously injuring the tenant and killing the tenant’s dog. Afterward, the nightclub announced it had “updated security protocol.” In September, there was a stabbing at Bossa Nova that injured a 43-year-old man and rattled partygoers. Last August, another Brooklyn queer bar, C’Mon Everybody, had a brick thrown through its window. But even before the fire at Rash, some clubbers were already on edge.
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Rash was among one of several well-known queer-friendly venues in the area, including Mood Ring, Happyfun Hideaway, and the Bossa Nova Civic Club. It had a dimly lit back room that was able to create “a large rave feeling at a small venue – very hard to accomplish,” said Moise. The bartenders, the security – if they even got a hint of someone not feeling well, they would go check on them immediately.”ĭespite its short existence, Rash had become quickly embraced as a go-to spot for young queer partiers. They were really good about making sure people weren’t harassing anyone. Moise said that Rash had felt like a “genuinely very, very safe space for queer people of color. Terri Moise, a 27-year-old resident of Bushwick who lives five blocks from Rash and frequently saw shows there, said he felt “heartbroken” and shaken after the fire. But their current priority is to raise money to help with the victims’ medical costs on GoFundMe, where a statement from Rash called the fire “a cruel act of violence”. Sillen said that they’re determined to rebuild the venue. “There’s a whole community and ecosystem that relies on this place, and I don’t know what all these people are going to be able to do without it.” Now many of those performers could lose work. “It’s possible some weeks we were paying 30 to 40 performers,” the co-owner said. Rash was a relative newcomer along the Myrtle Avenue strip, a popular nightlife district in Bushwick, a historically Hispanic and industrial part of Brooklyn.The club saw itself as a launchpad for up-and-coming acts, especially queer artists who “maybe hadn’t had bookings like this before, haven’t performed at this scale before”, said Sillen.īefore it burned, the club was organizing seven shows a week, some shows with up to six DJs. The interior of Rash night club after a suspected arson attack.