BY EDWIN FOLVEN
BEVERLY PRES PARK LA BREA NEWS STAFF WRITER
West Hollywood Mayor Lindsey Horvath paid tribute on Aug. 2 to many people who advocated for the prosecution of Ed Buck, who was convicted of nine federal felonies on July 27 related to the deaths of two men who overdosed on drugs in his apartment.
Horvath made a special presentation during the City Council’s virtual meeting and expressed gratitude to supporters and law enforcement officials who worked tirelessly to ensure justice was served. She specifically thanked LaTisha Nixon, mother of Gemmel Moore, who overdosed and died at Buck’s apartment in 2017; Joyce Jackson and Joann Campbell, sisters of Timothy Dean, who overdosed and died at the apartment in 2019; community advocates Jasmyne Cannick, Jerome Kitchen and Cory McLean, who supported the families of victims; and Dane, Arthur and Cody, survivors of encounters with Buck who testified during the recent trial and have only been identified by their first names. Also recognized were Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department Sgt. Paul Cardella and detectives John Mundell and Quilmes Rodriguez, investigators in the case against Buck. “We know everyone who is featured here was dedicated to justice, committed to increasing public safety in our community and committed to making sure that people’s voices were heard,” Horvath said. “In the face of so much, all of these people continued, stood strong and fought for justice. And it’s also important that we as a community recognize that Black gay lives matter, and that survivors deserve to be heard and believed. We don’t discount people’s lives because of struggles with addiction, sex work or other issues. We don’t abandon them to be re-victimized. We fight for everyone’s life to be valued, and that’s what each person featured did.”
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