Crime

Activists Urging Lacey to ‘Do Her Job’ in Second Ed Buck Death

Los Angeles Sentinel — Local activists are urging District Attorney Jackie Lacey to “do her job” and find that the evidence presented to Los Angeles Sheriff’s is probable cause to immediately charge and prosecute Ed Buck in spite of his “Whiteness, wealth, and her political ambitions,” in the death of Timothy Dean, the second man to die at Buck’s residence.

Published

7 years ago

July 30, 2019

Oakland Post

By Jennifer Bihm

Local activists are urging District Attorney Jackie Lacey to “do her job” and find that the evidence presented to Los Angeles Sheriff’s is probable cause to immediately charge and prosecute Ed Buck in spite of his “Whiteness, wealth, and her political ambitions,” in the death of Timothy Dean, the second man to die at Buck’s residence.

“We’ve done all that we could do to aid the sheriff’s investigators with their investigation,” said community activist and advocate, Jasmyne Cannick.

“Once again, we gathered evidence and brought the sheriff’s other young men who could speak directly to their experiences with Ed Buck. I hope that this time around, the political will and prosecutorial creativity that we’ve seen used so often against Black people is used to bring charges against Ed Buck for the deaths of Gemmel Moore and Timothy Dean. Two men have died on the same mattress, in the same living room, of the same drug, at the same man’s house within months of each other …”

Dean, 55, died in Buck’s home of a methamphetamine overdose, according to the L.A. County Coroner, just months after Gemmel Moore, 26, died of the same cause. The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department announced that Dean’s death was accidental. Moore’s death was also deemed accidental.

But activists say nothing about either death was an accident. In fact, they said, Buck targeted, recruited and enticed at least Moore, for sexual acts. 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.”

Meanwhile, Dean’s roommate came forward to say that he never saw Dean use drugs, though Buck’s attorney has maintained the man was high before even reaching Buck’s residence.

“I lived with him, and he never did drugs. I’ve never seen him on drugs, ever,” he told KTLA.

Buck, who is in his sixties and is gay, is a regular campaign donor to the Democratic party. According to an L.A. Times report, Buck waited 15 minutes before calling 911 for Dean. Moore’s family has accused Buck of injecting him with meth and forcing him to watch “hardcore gay male pornography which played loudly on a large flat-screen television set while engaging in sex acts.”

“My life is at an all-time [sic] high right now & I mean that from all ways. I ended up back at Buck [sic] house again and got manipulated [sic] into slamming again,” reads another entry from Moore’s journal.

“I even went to the point where I was forced to doing four within a two-day [sic] period. This man is crazy and it’s [sic] sad. Will I ever get help?”

Attorney Nana Gyamfi says, “Los Angeles County District Attorney has a duty to charge and prosecute Ed Buck for the murders of Gemmel Moore and Timothy Dean and for all the crimes he committed against the Black gay men he targeted for torture and harm, for his pleasure and amusement.”

Moore family co-counsel Hussain Turk added, “The district attorneys overseeing the Ed Buck investigation have sat idly for almost two years, while evidence brought to them by eyewitnesses continues to spoil. From the moment Gemmel Moore’s body was found in Ed Buck’s drug infested apartment, there was enough evidence to file charges. From the moment Timothy Dean’s body was found on the same mattress, in the same room, dead from having ingested the same substance as Gemmel Moore, there was enough evidence to file charges. This is not about having sufficient evidence; this is about a widespread administrative failure to treat evidence with the care and attention it deserves because the victims are Black gay men and the suspect is a rich White benefactor of the Democratic party.”

On Saturday, July 27, family and friends of Moore will gather in front of Buck’s West Hollywood apartment to mark the two-year anniversary of his death. The event is free and open to the public. For more information, visit rememberinggemmelmoore.eventbrite.com and justice4gemmel.org.

This article originally appeared in The Los Angeles Sentinel.

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Activism

Oakland Post: Week of May 6 – 12, 2026

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of may 6 – 12, 2026

Published

4 days ago

May 10, 2026

Oakland Post

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Activism

Up to the Job: How San Francisco’s PRC Is Providing Work Opportunities That Turn Into Lasting Stability

Each year, PRC serves more than 5,000 clients through a wide range of programs. These include housing navigation, legal advocacy to ensure access to health and public benefits, supportive housing, job and life-skills training, and residential treatment programs.

Published

3 weeks ago

April 26, 2026

Oakland Post

Black Leadership Council (BLC) Advocacy Day in Sacramento. BLC works to advance meaningful change through policy engagement to unlock the full potential of Black and low-income communities. Photo courtesy of PRC.

By Joe Kocurek, California Black Media

Seville Christian arrived in San Francisco in the 1990s from Kansas City, Mo., a transgender woman coming from a time and place still hostile to who she was.

San Francisco offered a deeper LGBTQ+ history and a more visible community of people like her, but even in a city known for acceptance, building a stable life from scratch was no small task.

After arriving in the city, she turned to Positive Resource Center (PRC) looking for work — and for a foothold — in a new place.

“PRC gave me my first job,” Christian said. “A simple gig — passing out magazines at the San Francisco Pride Parade.”

That first opportunity marked the beginning of a decades-long relationship with PRC, one that has seen Christian grow from client to valued employee, and eventually to policy fellow.

“Today, I’ve been with PRC for 27 years, going on 28,” she said.

Seville Christian’s decades-long relationship with PRC includes as a client, fellow and beloved employee. Photo courtesy of PRC.

Helping people access employment and build sustainable careers has been a cornerstone of PRC’s mission since its inception nearly four decades ago. In its most recent annual impact report, PRC served 443 clients through workforce development services, including career counseling, educational programs, hands-on training, and job search assistance. The average wage earned by PRC clients is $26.48 per hour — approximately 38% above San Francisco’s minimum wage.

To advance this work, organizations like PRC have benefited from funding through California’s Stop the Hate Program, which provides direct support to community-based organizations leading anti-hate initiatives.

Christian’s path was not without challenges. During some rocky years, she experienced periods of housing instability and struggled with addiction. Through PRC, she enrolled in a life-skills program that emphasized using her own lived experience as a means of helping others. The program helped set her on a path toward completing an associate’s degree and ultimately launching a career in case management.

“Today, whether someone is new to the city or has lived here their whole life, I know how to help them navigate to where they need to be,” Christian said.

Members of PRC’s Black Leadership Council meet with a lawmaker in Sacramento. Photo courtesy of PRC.

While PRC was founded to serve people living with HIV, its mission has expanded over the decades to meet the needs of people with disabilities, individuals experiencing homelessness, and those facing mental health and substance use challenges.

According to PRC’s Chief of Public Policy and Public Affairs, Tasha Henneman, some of the organization’s earliest programs remain as vital today as they were at the start.

“Our emergency financial assistance program helped more than 1,200 people this year pay rent, cover medical bills, and keep the lights on,” Henneman said. “And over 1,400 people reached out for legal advocacy, resulting in more than $2.5 million in retroactive benefits unlocked.”

Beyond direct services, PRC is deeply committed to community empowerment and policy change. Programs such as the Black Leadership Council support community leaders in advocating for systemic reform, while the Black Trans Initiative focuses on addressing the unique challenges faced by Black transgender individuals.

A recent study from the Williams Institute highlighted findings that 71% of transgender homicide victims in the U.S. between 2010 and 2021 were Black and that nearly a third of the transgender homicides during that period were confirmed or suspected hate crimes.

PRC’s direct and indirect services can be a lifeline for people experiencing hate and are an example of the resources people can get connected with through the state’s CA vs Hate hotline.

PRC is now also producing a film project that centers the lived experiences of Black trans clients, including individuals like Christian.

PRC welcomed guests to their annual Open House in April, an evening dedicated to connection, reflection, and learning more about the programs and people working every day to support San Franciscans experiencing housing instability, unemployment, and behavioral health challenges. Photo courtesy of PRC.

“Our film highlights the health journeys and lived experiences of some of PRC’s Black trans clients,” Henneman said. “Our goal is to give voice, visibility, and agency to the participants — and to bring their stories, both harrowing and inspirational, to policymakers and the broader public.”

The film, expected to be released later this year, is directed by Yule Caise, with assistant director Zarina Codes, a Black transgender San Francisco resident.

Today, Christian continues her relationship with PRC as an ambassador, reflecting on a journey that began with a single job opportunity and grew into a lifelong commitment to service.

“Sometimes I’ll be riding the bus or standing in a grocery store, and someone will come up to me from a women’s shelter,” she said. “They’ll say, ‘Oh, Miss Seville, I just want to thank you. You really helped me with what I was dealing with.’”

She paused, smiling.

“And in those moments,” Christian said, “I think to myself, “Well!.”

A single word that sums up pride in a journey to find the best in herself.

Get Support After Hate:

California vs Hate is a non-emergency, multilingual hotline and online portal offering confidential support for hate crimes and incidents. Victims and witnesses can get help anonymously by calling 833-8-NO-HATE (833-866-4283), Monday to Friday, 9 a.m.–6 p.m. PT, or online at any time. Anonymous. Confidential. No Police. No ICE.

This story was produced in partnership with CA vs Hate. Join them for the first-ever CA Civil Rights Summit on May 11, 2026. More information at www.cavshate.org/summit.