I have to tell you a bit about Ed.
Ed had a girl friend who was little more than a tramp. She had three small children and lived in an apartment in the building nearest the front of the street.
He thought he was in love. I swear if he was over 18, he sure didn't look it then.
One day she came over to me with her food stamps. She said she needed money to buy diapers. I didn't think any of her kids were in diapers although they were young. She knew that I had cash. She wanted to trade food stamps for them. I said no, I couldn't do that. She kept insisting claiming she was desperate finally I told her I'd give her thirty dollars and she could pay me back when she got it. I figured I'd never see the money again. She stuck the food stamps in my hand and again I said no, I didn't want them. She said hold them for her then till she could pay me back.
When she got money again she spent it all. I demanded my cash back. She said I had her food stamps. I was really upset. I couldn't have spent her food stamps even if I wanted to which I didn't. I told Ed. I told him I didn't want her food stamps, I wanted my cash. He told me then that she had lied to me, which I already knew. None of her kids wore diapers.
She wanted the money for cigarettes. She would go for a walk with me sometimes and if she saw a butt on the sidewalk she'd pick it up. I asked her why. She said she took them home and took them apart saving whatever tobacco was left in them to roll new smokes. I was disgusted.
Ed gave me back the cash out of his pocket. Then he took the food stamps and made her go to the store with him to spend them on food for the kids. He was embarrassed.
A few weeks went by and I was looking out my kitchen window while I did the dishes. Ed was standing out there begging me quietly to help him. He had blood all over him. His face was smashed up pretty well. Or would that be pretty bad?
I got him in the apartment and called for an ambulance from post. He was in the army, too. I asked him what happened. He said two black guys had beat him up in the alley. I believed him. Later I heard they were his girlfriends new bed fellows and it was her way of telling him it was over. He was distraught. I would not have put it past him to kill himself over it. What he did do shocked me.
In the apartment next door to us a black guy lived. He was in his thirties and he was gay. He admitted to it. We were friends with Walter. I could have fun talking with him about things and shopping together. I don't know why he did it, but one day Ed accused Walter of raping him.
* I found an old notebook where I wrote down what happened that night. I still beleive that Walter was innocent.
I just couldn't see that. I'd never been friends with a gay guy before but Walter was just not violent or pushy. I didn't believe Ed. It didn't matter.
April 1 1980
Tonight I witnessed two policemen take a prisoner at gunpoint.
Earlier, my neighbor Walter Harris tried to rape my other neighbor Edward Carmen. (that's what Edward said)
We have known Walter for about a month. We knew he was gay but we never really believed he'd try anything with Ed or Tom.
Susie Perkins our landlady kicked him out today because he didn't have the rent. He was going to leave in the morning to go back to Tennessee. He left his baggage with me and Ed and Wendy told him he could sleep on their couch tonight.
Walter bought some wine and we all had some to drink. Tom and I went to bed while Ed and Walter and Wendy went to their place.
Ed and Walter went out for more wine.
Walter got Ed to get in a van with him supposedly for a ride back from the liquor store. There were two white males, blonds in the van.
They went somewhere to a house and tried to rape Ed in the bathroom.
Ed managed to run out and walk home. (This just doesn't ring true)
He was crying loudly when he got to my house. I called the police for him.
They sent two officers. One an officer "fink" took Ed's statement. That was at 12:00 PM midnight.
Ed and Wendy went home at 2:00 and I tried to sleep with a loaded revolver under my pillow and several bouts of barfing due to the wine.
About two thirty, Walter was pounding on my door.
I jumped out of bed, grabbed my thirty eight and called the police. I was totally nude and its very cold here. I whispered what I wanted while Walter beat on the door cussing.
I had to run or rather creep, hunched over so Walter couldn't see my shadow through the curtains, back into the bedroom to try to explain to Tom who was asleep for the most part. He went back to sleep and never heard a word I said.
The lady on the phone told me she wanted me to stay on the phone. I explained about Tom.
She had me relay Walter's movements as he went to Ed's door and tried to get in. They of course ignored him while at the same time praying I would call the cops.
Walter returned to my door. I was crouched right by it with the phone. He pounded again. The dispatcher said, "Is that him at your door?"
I said, "You might say that."
After several tries to get me to wake up he went in his old apartment. I told the dispatcher I was naked and shivering and she let me go get some clothes on.
I came back and talked to her awhile. I told her I had a loaded revolver and I'd been in the Army so I knew how to use a gun.
She said she'd tell me when the officers arrived so I wouldn't shoot them. I said I wasn't going to shoot anyone. Some how we were cut off but I did call back so the phone wouldn't ring. She said, "Thank God!"
Walter came back to my door again.
The officers arrived. I heard Walter say, "He didn't need an ID, it was his apartment. He went inside. The officers pulled their guns and stood one on either side of the door and ordered Walter to come out with his hands over his head.
I really got scared then. I could see through a crack in the curtain and with my outside light on. I was so scared I'm still shaking as I write about it.
Walter finally came out with his hands over his head. What happened in two minutes seemed like two hours to me.
He kept yelling for me. They put hand cuffs on him after they frisked him. One of the officers knocked on my door and asked me to identify him. I said yes, he's Walter. they took him away, begging me for his cigarettes. They wouldn't let me give them to him.
After about five or ten minutes, I peeked out and they were all gone so I went over to Ed's and knocked and told them it was me. It took about seven tries before they'd let me in, they were so scared.
I told them it was all over and they could go to sleep now.
Then I came home to write this all down while I'm still shaking too much to sleep
Edie Hicks
I called his mom collect. She was all upset when I told her what happened. She said her boy didn't like white boys. I knew for sure then that I was right and Walter was innocent. Mary and I were both friends of Walter's. Ed was ok till he got mixed up with the slut. Both of us knew Walter couldn't have done it but there was no way to prove it.
We talked it over with Tom and he agreed. Mary and I, and I think ,Tom went with us the first time, visited Walter in jail as soon as he was allowed visitors. First they booked him and then he went to court again and was sentenced to three months for being a vagrant. I really think that his being from out of state and only being there a month before might have had something to do with it but his being black and gay was the big thing we both agreed.
He mostly wanted smokes and to know how his mom was dealing with it. She called me a few times. I would give messages back and forth between them. When his time in jail was up they allowed him to pack his things, but he had to leave town. We said goodbye and I never heard from him again, either. That's a big thing about being in the military. Your friends are never there long. Either you get sent somewhere else or they do. You learn to live with it.
I figured I'd never see Edward again either but it wasn't long and he was hanging around again. I think Tom was the only friend he had. The only thing they had in common was the army and even then they didn't do the same jobs. Maybe Tom just felt sorry for him. I'll never know.