LOS ANGELES — Earlier this week, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department reported that a man was found dead at the home of Ed Buck, a prominent political donor to primarily Democratic political candidates. The tragedy follows the July 2017 death of Gemmel Moore at Buck’s home under eerily similar circumstances.
According to the Los Angeles Times, when investigating Moore’s death, police found “24 syringes with brown residue, five glass pipes with white residue and burn marks, a plastic straw with possible white residue, clear plastic bags with white powdery residue and a clear plastic bag with a ‘piece of crystal-like substance” at the scene when Mr. Moore’s body was found. Mr. Moore’s death was immediately determined to be an accidental methamphetamine drug-related overdose and the Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office declined to file charges.
Moore’s journal was later published, and in it he blamed Buck for giving him his first methamphetamine injection and suggested that he was responsible for coercing continued drug use in Buck’s home. Since Moore’s death, other young men have stepped forward to confirm Moore’s account and share their own stories about Buck’s alleged practice of injecting Black men with various illicit and dangerous substances.
In reaction to the news, the California-based Courage Campaign has called on all recipients of political contributions to Ed Buck to donate his money to charities focused on supporting LGBTQ youths of color in the California area. Eddie Kurtz, executive director of Courage Campaign, explained:
“Not only should Ed Buck be investigated and held accountable for his for his actions, but all lawmakers and institutions that took his money should call for a full and immediate investigation of Buck, and donate any funding they’ve received from him to racial and LGBTQIA justice organizations immediately.
“The days of systematic and unchecked abuse and exploitation of black and brown LGBTQIA communities must end now.”
Earlier today, Rep. Ted Lieu announced that he would be donating more than $18,000 in campaign contributions from Ed Buck, to charity.
SEE OTHER RECIPIENTS OF BUCK’S POLITICAL CONTRIBUTIONS HERE: https://www.opensecrets.org/donor-lookup/results?name=ed+buck&order=desc&sort=D
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