"I miss my son every single day. There isn't a moment that goes by that I don't think about him. This verdict doesn't bring him back, but it gives me some peace knowing someone was finally held accountable for what happened to Gemmel."
"Today's verdict set a precedent. The verdict is about holding not just Ed Buck accountable, but West Hollywood accountable for continuing to turn a blind eye to the exploitation of the most marginalized members of the gay community under the guise of 'partying' and 'sexual freedom.'"
"What this verdict says is that you can no longer hide behind the lie that just because someone makes themselves available for abuse, it is 'consensual.' It also says your money and power is no longer a defense against predation."
A federal jury unanimously found Ed Buck liable for the death of Gemmel Moore, a 26-year-old Black man who died from a lethal drug injection in July 2017. Buck was previously convicted in 2022 of all nine felony counts related to Moore's death and sentenced to 30 years in federal prison, with his appeal upheld in October 2024. The jury awarded Moore's mother, LaTisha Nixon, $2 million in damages. The verdict establishes accountability not only for Buck but also addresses systemic exploitation within the community. The family's attorney emphasized that wealth and power cannot shield individuals from predation and called for the community to address enabling behaviors masked as personal freedom.
Read at LGBTQ Nation
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]