Today, a man’s body was found in the West Hollywood home of California Democratic donor Ed Buck. All we know about the man’s death, so far, is that someone called 911 to report he was not breathing, and subsequently performed CPR. We also know that the man was black.
“From what I know, it was an old friend who died of an accidental overdose, and, unfortunately, we believe that the substance was ingested at some place other than the apartment,” Buck’s attorney, Seymour Amster, said in a statement to the Los Angeles Times. “The person came over intoxicated.”
Horrifically, this isn’t the first time Buck has been involved in the death of a black man. In 2017, 26-year-old Gemmel Moore died in Buck’s apartment of a drug overdose.
From the Times:
Moore died of a methamphetamine overdose in Buck’s apartment in July 2017, according to a Los Angeles County coroner’s report. Paramedics found him naked on a mattress in the living room, which was littered with drug paraphernalia, the report said.
Moore had been homeless and working as an escort before his death. Buck, on the other hand, is a 64-year-old, white, well-known gay Democratic donor who has contributed to campaigns for politicians including Hillary Clinton. He spent at least $23,600 in the most recent California elections.
After Moore’s death, Buck was investigated, but not charged with any crimes.
From the Times:
Prosecutors this summer declined to file charges against Buck, citing insufficient evidence, according to court records. In a charge evaluation worksheet dated July 26, the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office said that the “admissible evidence is insufficient to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that suspect Buck furnished drugs to Gemmel Moore or that suspect Buck possessed drugs.”
Authorities found a journal among Moore’s possessions, the Times writes, which included entries about Buck and coercive drug use.
“I’ve become addicted to drugs and the worst one at that,” Moore seems to have written. “Ed Buck is the one to thank, he gave me my first injection of chrystal [sic] meth.”
“I just hope the end result isn’t death.... If it didn’t hurt so bad I’d kill myself but I’ll let Ed Buck do it for now,” his final entry read.
According to The Advocate, multiple young black men have come forward since Moore’s death alleging that Buck has a fetish for injecting black men picked up on the street with drugs.
Homicide investigators told the Times that they are “conducting a thorough investigation” of the newest death, as well as “follow-up interviews and a secondary review” of Moore’s death.
Multiple City Council members have asked the Sheriff’s department to investigate the death as a homicide, according to Wehoville.
Jasmyne Cannick, a community activist who worked with Moore’s family, has announced a vigil and rally tonight outside of Buck’s apartment, 1234 Laurel Ave., at 7 pm PST.