The Los Angeles County Democratic Party issued a statement on Wednesday afternoon following the arrest of Ed Buck, a Democratic donor and LGBTQ-rights activist who was charged with operating a drug house and providing drugs to man who ultimately survived an overdose.
“We thank Los Angeles County District Attorney Jackie Lacey and her team of investigators for conducting a thorough investigation in the tragic deaths of Gemmel Moore and Timothy Dean. We know that the judicious approach to the investigation took some time, but we hope that the District Attorney’s action will lead to more than just his arrest last night. For Mr. Moore’s and Mr. Dean’s families, we hope his arrest is the first step toward justice for their families,” Mark J. González, the president of the LA County Democratic Party, said Wednesday.
“For our community, a predator with a Jekyll and Hyde personality is now off the streets. And it is due to the ongoing support and pressure from many activists and community groups including Black Lives Matter, Jasmyne Cannick and more.”
In court documents filed on Tuesday, prosecutors say Buck supplied an unidentified Joe Doe with multiple doses of methamphetamine and refused to provide any aid to Doe, despite him demonstrating symptoms of an overdose. Doe ultimately fled Buck’s residence and survived after receiving medical aid. But as court documents note, two other men have been found dead of apparent methamphetamine overdoses at Buck’s home: Gemmel Moore in 2017, and Timothy Dean last January.
Buck has donated more than $116,000 to Democratic candidates and organizations over the past decade, according to the New York Times. He formerly served on the Stonewall Democratic Club Steering Committee, but was kicked out after Dean’s death.
“For Mr. Moore’s and Mr. Dean’s families, we hope his arrest is the first step toward justice for their families,” González said in the statement.
Buck’s lawyer, Seymour Amster, could not immediately be reached for comment.