After Gemmel Moore’s Death, New Victim Comes Forward and Recounts Ed Buck’s ‘Gates of Hell’
GEMMEL MOORE August 20, 2017
http://www.jasmyneacannick.com/after-gemmel-moores-death-new-victim-comes-forward-and-recounts-ed-bucks-gates-of-hell/
The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department is taking a first look at the July 27 death of Gemmel Moore. I said first look, rather second or closer look, because Moore, 26, was a Black gay male escort who was found dead on July 27 in prominent Democratic donor Ed Buck’s West Hollywood apartment. Buck is white and so the cause of death was immediately explained away and classified as an accidental meth overdose by the Los Angeles County Coroner. It was only when excerpts from Moore’s personal journal were published as well as various accounts from additional victims did the sheriff’s department decide–albeit weeks too late and most likely after any and all evidence is Buck’s apartment has been removed–to reexamine his death.
In his journal, Moore wrote, “I honestly don’t know what to do. I’ve become addicted to drugs and the worst one at that,” a December entry reads. “Ed Buck is the one to thank. He gave me my first injection of crystal meth it was very painful, but after all the troubles, I became addicted to the pain and fetish/fantasy.”
His last entry, dated Dec. 3, 2016 reads: “If it didn’t hurt so bad, I’d kill myself but I’ll let Ed Buck do it for now.”
But Moore isn’t alone. As news of Moore’s death spreads through Los Angeles, more and more young Black men are stepping forward out of the shadows to share their Ed Buck story painting a very disturbing pattern.
This is Blake’s story. Blake has “receipts” and his name has been changed to protect his identity.
Blake’s Story
Blake in Ed Buck's apartmentBlake in Ed Buck’s apartment.
Ed Buck’s name was first brought to Blake’s attention while in jail on a short stint for fraud.
“I ended up getting arrested and going to jail for fraud around 2014. Somebody told me about Ed Buck. Just randomly. ‘Oh he’d be good for you.’ And I’m like okay what’s that supposed to mean? I’m thinking they’re just being messy and they were like, ‘No, you’re going to meet him. I bet you meet him.’ I know the person from Hollywood– you know like being around Santa Monica [Boulevard].”
It wasn’t too much later that Blake said he had a chance meeting with who turned out to be Ed Buck on Santa Monica Boulevard near a porn store.
“Meeting Buck–I met him like just walking Santa Monica [Boulevard]. Like cause I was actually trying to sell dope or do whatever–sell drugs to do what I had to do you know to keep that room. I didn’t care.”
“It was like a little porno place,” he continues. “A little place. A movie little porno place and he walked up and you know he’s checking and he’s looking. Checked me out. Got in his car. And he was real like suspicious and you could tell he was like intoxicated. Cause I knew he would be a for sure. I didn’t know his name was Ed Buck. I didn’t know that was him.”
Blake who is 30-years-old, says that on his first meeting with the wealthy LA Democratic donor they sat in his car negotiating. He says that Buck asked him if he did crystal meth and was interested in “PnP.”
“PnP” is short for Party n’ Play among gay men. “Party” refers to drug use- most often meth and “Play” refers to sex.
Blake says that he told Buck that he’d tried smoking meth a year before he met him but had never used needles.
“I tried it [smoking crystal meth] and then I stopped. Because I just tried it that day and I was gone for like a weekend in my mind to me. So I was like okay I can’t do that. I can’t smoke that no more. I can say no. I can say no. With Buck I started again.”
Blake would go on to say that it was that chance encounter with Ed Buck that started him down the road of a crystal meth addiction. When asked about his first time with Buck and if it included doing meth Blake emphatically replied, “Oh hell yeah that’s the main thing. There’s no sex involved. That’s why I liked it.”
And by like, he made it clear he meant the prices. What Ed Buck agreed to. He didn’t have to have sex.
When reflecting on what Ed Buck would pay him Blake’s mood changes instantly and he starts to look around the sparsely crowded restaurant we’re sitting in.
“I don’t want nobody to hear us.”
I reassure him that no one is paying any attention to us and that the music playing in the restaurant would ensure that our conversation was private.