On April 3rd a man walked into Rash NYC, poured gasoline on the floors and set the Bushwick bar on fire, causing an extensive amount of damage to the newly opened venue and injuring two people who were inside at the time. The man responsible for the arson would end up getting arrested just a couple days later with NYPD's Hate Crime Task Force pledging to look into the case, given the venue's status as local hangout for Brooklyn's LGBTQ+ community.
Having only opened just a few months prior, the attack was a heartbreaking blow to Brooklyn's DIY nightlife community, which had already been coping with the loss of other spaces due to the pandemic in recent months. Shortly after the attack, Rash set up a GoFundMe to cover the costs of restoration, workers' wages and the victims' medical bills. They also released a limited edition line of merch as a part of their fundraising efforts. Having raised roughly $120,000 out of their $200,000 goal, Rash's owners have indicated that they plan to reopen the bar some time this fall.
Now, Rash has teamed up with their fellow Brooklyn venue Nowadays to help do what they do best: throw a rave. Featuring a lineup of familiar faces and friends of the club, the fundraising event on Wednesday, June 15 will feature sets from Ren G, Jasmine Infiniti, Joselo, DJ Swisha, Sausha and DJ Fuck. All proceeds from the show will go towards construction materials and replacing equipment that was damaged in the fire.
"As we get further into our physical repairs we’ve been so humbled by the amount of fundraising you’ve all been organizing on our behalf! We can’t do this alone and we’re so grateful to every single one of you who have supported us," Rash wrote on Instagram. "This Wednesday 6/15 our friends @nowadaysnyc are opening their doors for us and hosting a fundraiser for our rebuild with an absolute all star lineup. Come through if you can, it’s been a while since we’ve had a night out in the name of Rash and we’d love to see all of your familiar faces."
Advance tickets are currently on sale here.
Photography: Charlie Rubin
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