In 'protest suicide,' lawyer famed for gay rights cases burns himself to death in New York

[UpInArms]

Source: LA Times

A prominent lawyer known for his impassioned advocacy for LGBT rights and environmental issues doused himself with an accelerant and burned himself to death in a New York City park on Saturday to protest ecological destruction caused by fossil fuels.

The charred body of David Buckel was discovered by police officers, who were initially dispatched to Prospect Park around 6:10 a.m. to investigate what appeared to be a brush fire, police said.

A New York Police Department spokesman said a note was found at the scene and foul play quickly ruled out.
The Daily News reported that Buckel left a handwritten note that said, "My name is David Buckel and I just killed myself by fire as a protest suicide. I apologize to you for the mess."

Buckel also left a longer, typed note and sent a copy to the Daily News, which quoted the note at length. "My early death by fossil fuel reflects what we are doing to ourselves." He added that he hoped that his demise was "an honorable death that might serve others."

Read more: http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-lawyer-suicide-20180414-story.html

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[Ligyron]

1. My gawd

[GreenPartyVoter]

2. Oh, god!

[bucolic_frolic]

3. Oh my.

Isolation was his problem. His demise does not help his cause. His expertise is lost.

[Glorfindel]

4. Too sad for words.

I hope that - somehow - his sacrifice will not be in vain.

[Marthe48]

5. R.I.P.

I hope he prepared himself so he didn't endure prolonged physical suffering. He must have endured mental and emotional suffering for too long.

[BigmanPigman]

8. That is what I was thinking.

Burning alive is one of the most painful, long, agonizing deaths known to humans.

[sinkingfeeling]

6. How terrible. What passion

[MichMan]

7. Buckel must have had severe mental issues

[NickB79]

10. Do the Tibetan monks that immolate themselves have mental health problems?

Last edited Mon Apr 16, 2018, 07:49 PM - Edit history (1)

[Renoir]

12. Yes

[LanternWaste]

16. Predicated on what objective evidence?

Predicated on what objective evidence?

(bias doesn't count as objective evidence, by the way...)

[Kashkakat v.2.0]

19. Different cultural context - here, Im afraid such an act just inspires revulsion and sadness, or

even worse, indifference. Im afraid that there will be some who will consider it an example of "far loony left" behavior and nothing more..... would be sad if this man's act was just be written off by history as just another Ted Kaczinkski.

In N Ireland political martyrdom took the form of fasting to starvation and death(during the 80s protesting the treatment of political prisoners) but that kinda fit the Catholic culture (we know all about martyrs) and the whole country was either in support of the hunger strikers or at least knew about them cos their pics were plastered all over.

Or maybe its just a matter of numbers. If theres just one of you, you're mentally ill. If there's a bunch of you, then its a movement.

[LanternWaste]

15. Not at all surprising that's the only conclusion you're able to arrive at.

Not at all surprising that's the only conclusion you're able to arrive at.

[MichMan]

18. I'm sure we all know people who have set fire to themselves as a form of protest

Sane rational people do it all the time

[Lokilooney]

9. When someone commits suiside

As a protest against something that leaves one less person to carry on said protest.

[Marthe48]

11. I don't want to diminish his death

but I thought that his passion must be making a difference, and he didn't think it was enough.

[Renoir]

13. Yes, he accomplished nothing by doing this

Instead of fighting for his cause, he removed himself from it. And fossil fuel will be used at the same rate and volume today as yesterday.

Of course, to kill yourself by fire, you have to have deeper mental problems and underlying issues. Most people who think we should use less fossil fuels have never contemplated anything remotely similar as a "solution" - me included.

[LanternWaste]

17. And engages even more discussion about what is being protested.

And engages even more discussion about what is being protested.

As evidenced by both this thread and your reponse.

[Hortensis]

14. Terribly sad. But he wanted his death to lead us

to think about what's happening to our planet.

Global warming is accelerating, with tragic losses occurring on giant scales already, plus frightening, sickening prospects for ourselves during our lifetimes. Much of the U.S. has basically lost spring -- again. When this extreme-effect winter finally goes, summer will start heating up.

It's not hard to see how an ardent spirit too immersed in these realities to be able to protect himself from them could come to feel this despairing gesture was the most he had left to contribute.