Prominent Democratic donor and LGBT activist Ed Buck has been charged with running a drug house after a man overdosed last week at his West Hollywood home, the third overdose there since 2017…. Buck, a former fashion model and well-known LGBT activist in Los Angeles, has donated thousands to Democrats including Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton and Rep. Ted Lieu (Calif.)…. In the first case, 26-year-old Gemmel Moore died of a methamphetamine overdose in Buck’s apartment in July 2017. He was found naked on a mattress in the living room with syringes, sex toys and other drug paraphernalia nearby. …In his journal, the Los Angeles Times reported, Moore appeared to write: “I’ve become addicted to drugs and the worst one at that. Ed Buck is the one to thank. He gave me my first injection of chrystal meth.” … The second man died six months later, in January 2019. … Outrage exploded over the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office’s previous decision to decline to charge Buck.
Moore’s mother, LaTisha Nixon of Texas, has questioned whether Buck’s ties to elected officials and differences in race and class influenced the investigation. Buck, who is 65 and white, is a longtime political donor, onetime West Hollywood City Council candidate and a well-known figure in LGBTQ political circles. Moore had been homeless and had worked as an escort. …
“We’re just completely ecstatic,” [said Jasmyne Cannick, a political consultant and spokeswoman for Moore’s mother]. “Black gay men’s lives matter. The whole black LGBT community is going to be celebrating this evening because our lives matter, and people need to know that. Even if we’re sex workers, even if we’re on drugs, even if we’re homeless, we’re still part of the black community, still part of the LGBT community.”
This would be the lead story on every news site in America if the headline said “Republican donor.” https://t.co/f9j2jXxQoA
— Ben Shapiro (@benshapiro) September 18, 2019
I guess there is a limit to Hollywood liberal privilege
— Jim Hanson (@Uncle_Jimbo) September 18, 2019
And it's 3 OD'ed young black men in your apartmenthttps://t.co/n5SKt8DsQK
7 Comments for “Donor Entitlement Enabled Evil”
posted by Jorge on
“Black gay men’s lives matter. The whole black LGBT community is going to be celebrating this evening because our lives matter, and people need to know that. Even if we’re sex workers, even if we’re on drugs, even if we’re homeless, we’re still part of the black community, still part of the LGBT community.”
*Cringes.*
Maybe the homeless sex worker drug addicts can settle for being part of the human race? The victory is a felony prosecution, not a stripe on the flag.
Yes, I know, they won’t. The drug runner is the one who is inhuman. The first overdose victim accused him of ruining his life.
posted by Kosh III on
“This would be the lead story on every news site in America if the headline said “Republican donor.”
Hyperbole. I saw it on several spots prior to this but maybe the news got squeezed out by all the graft and corruption of Trump and his axs licking of the Saudi dictators.
posted by David Bauler on
I thought homocons want to legalize drugs and prostitution. As part of some Ayn Rand fantasy? hmmm
I dont think his politics protected him. More likely it was his money. plently of Republican celebrities get away with all sorts of things because of money.
posted by Tom Scharbach on
“This would be the lead story on every news site in America if the headline said “Republican donor.
I did a reality check by searching for Ed Buck on Bing, filtering for articles published during the last week. Among the mainstream media covering the story were: ABC News, CBS News, CNN News, NBC News, AP, Reuters, Newsweek, Time, Boston Globe, Chicago Tribune, Los Angeles Times, New York Times, New York Post, New York Daily News, Seattle Times, Washington Post, Washington Times, and so on, including many regional outlets.
The number of mainstream media articles covering the story is long. I’m puzzled at how the writer could have missed the coverage, unless the writer doesn’t read any mainstream media outlets.
I note that the story was also covered in the mainstream media (e.g. this article in the NYT) months ago, immediately after the deaths occurred but before the arrest.
So the complaint that sufficient coverage wasn’t given to the story seems to be the usual conservative whining, and nothing more.
posted by Jason on
It was not front page news and and has not received continuing and escalating coverage, as it would have if the parties had been reversed. They would not have stopped talking about it on CNN and MSNBC if the parties were reversed. Sorry if pointing out the reality of press bias seems like “whining” to you. It would not if the parties were reversed, I’m sure.
posted by Tom Scharbach on
It was not front page news …
Bunk.
Look at the NYT print edition for September 19. The story is on the front page, admittedly below the fold, but definitely on the front page and prominently displayed, not a side note.
and and has not received continuing and escalating coverage, as it would have if the parties had been reversed.
Again, bunk.
The story got extensive coverage. This is a list of articles appearing in the Washington Post on September 18 and September 19:
I am aware that “media bias” is a core article of faith for Republicans, but I think that it is exaggerated in this case, by you and others.
posted by Jorge on
As racism is an article of faith among African Americans and Republicans, for different reasons.
To me this is probably a story of some advocate force (probably the deceased’s mother) that refused to give up. It was more successful with more hard-hearted people than it recognized, and in spite of my own indifference I think their message is an important one. The Black Lives Matter movement is at a stage where it has become a sincere source of inspiration.