The Wolf of Los Angeles-Chapter 416: Breaking Out of Compton

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[Chapter 416: Breaking Out of Compton]

Inside the Black Cat Bar, DaShawn scanned the room and found the bar owner, Haas Heisen. He strode over.

Haas had a purple mohawk streak down the center of his bald head, and when he reached for his drink, he showed off ten long purple to almost black fingernails adorned with red floral stickers.

DaShawn pulled out a chair and sat across from him. The scent wafting off him made Haas sneeze.

Haas frowned, looking over DaShawn. Even though Haas himself dressed in unusual, edgy styles, he was repulsed by DaShawn's appearance.

The short skirt, fishnet stockings, and scruffy beard were tolerable, but DaShawn was just too ugly.

The ugly look reminded Haas, and he asked, "You're DaShawn, right? I didn't get it wrong?"

"No, no," DaShawn laughed, making himself appear even uglier. "After all these years, you're still holed up here!"

Haas shrugged. "Where else can I go?" He showed off his nails and pointed to his hair. "My crew's all here. We can be ourselves here. Once we leave, we turn into someone we don't even like."

DaShawn said, "It's your own fear of others' judgment. There are plenty of queers in Los Angeles -- East Side, Venice, West Street, and the Walk of Fame. You see queers everywhere."

The LGBTQ+ community didn't just appear overnight. They had been around socially, with queer clubs dating back to the post-WWII 1950s.

They had some organization but compared to the rising social movements of LGBTQ rights and feminism, their influence was scattered and lacked significant spokespeople.

Haas looked at the people in the bar and said, "Because besides Black Cat, the guys need to make a living."

DaShawn grew up here and knew these people well. "You guys have hidden too long. The more you dodge, the less you face your real selves, and the more you care about others' gaze."

He stood, striking a model pose. "Look at me -- I'm out on the Walk of Fame, having fun every day and earning good money. Some Hollywood stars even pay me to come along as background at events."

Haas, with some insight, sized up DaShawn again. Despite the poor style, his clothes, accessories, and the watch on his wrist were all expensive.

DaShawn's outfit was all acquired through the Compton Charitable Foundation.

"You're doing so well, why come back?" Haas poured a drink and slowly took a sip. "To show off to us folks stuck in the gutter?"

DaShawn shook his head. "No way! I'm from Compton too. Back then, everyone despised and bullied me. Only you guys and the Savior accepted me. I have nothing to boast about to you. I'm not worried about someone will pull out a gun and taking everything from me."

Some people nearby looked at this flamboyant oddball, some already reaching under their clothes for knives or guns, ready to do the age-old Compton business.

Haas recognized a familiar name in DaShawn's words. "The Savior? Have you met him? I heard he makes a living by scamming women."

"That's not true!" DaShawn hurried to defend Edward. "The Savior is legit. He's a Twitter shareholder and started a Compton Foundation."

"Twitter, the social media site online?" Haas asked.

DaShawn nodded vigorously. "Exactly! You guys stay in one place and miss out on news. The Savior's helped many in Compton, and I joined his foundation to lobby for help for Compton's queers. He grew up here, used to come to Black Cat with me, and really sympathizes with our community. He's willing to fund us to break out of Compton."

Haas laughed and shook his head. "Breaking out of Compton? Wish it were that easy."

"It's not easy, but it's impossible if we don't try," DaShawn said loudly. "Are we supposed to stay in the shadows forever, living under others' prejudice? Don't you want to walk the streets normally, like everyone else?"

He wasn't great at stirring spirits but cited real examples. "Power comes from fighting for it. We couldn't even ride in cars with white folks before. Now? Who dares openly call a brother the N-word? How did that happen? Wasn't it through those protests and movements we made over and over?"

Haas raised a practical issue: "If you do that, most people won't have food on their plates."

To rally people and focus the scattered groups, what works best? Of course, cold hard cash!

DaShawn had received instructions from Edward and declared, "Let's compile an authentic queer list. I'll hand it over to the foundation. They'll distribute payment and provide subsidies for participation!"

At this, people crowded around to ask questions.

Haas didn't have great ambitions but didn't want to stay in the sewage forever either. He helped gather a list and gave it to DaShawn to gauge the situation.

DaShawn told everyone to come to the Compton Foundation the next morning to register, leave contact info, and collect their subsidies.

Money was the glue of organization -- without it, it was all talk.

...

The next morning, people gradually arrived at the Compton Foundation, most dressed normally, at most appearing as queer but not bizarre or monstrous.

Edward arrived personally, urging them to bravely express themselves before receiving funds.

With money dangling, people quickly reverted to their flamboyant outfits. For a moment, the Compton Foundation was filled with all sorts of humans and creatures.

Edward handed out money, and Michael kept taking photos.

Money had magic. The Compton Foundation had taken the first step in uniting the queer community.

The photos were sent to Hawke that very day.

...

Hawke reviewed them once and said, "When more people come in, pick reliable core members. What you'll face next will be feminist activists as wild as rabid dogs."

Edward replied, "We might not make it in high-level plays, but we're top-notch at annoying people."

Hawke never doubted the group's ability to mess things up and said, "Not just black folks -- people of all colors need to be included! Also, get in touch with Saint Steve over there."

Edward smiled. "I already joined the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. Saint Steve even appointed me a vice president."

...

Then there was a knock at the office door. Assistant Lukat came in, saying, "Ms. Betty is here."

Hawke closed his computer and handed Edward a USB drive with the queer photos.

Betty came in carrying a file bag and put it on Hawke's desk. "Boss, this is some of the info Fiona collected, mostly actors. She'll send you the stuff on directors and producers later."

"Good," Hawke said, opening the thick file. It contained names, photos, and biographies.

Betty left after saying goodbye, and Edward escorted her out.

...

Hawke requested tea and began scrutinizing the materials Betty brought.

He skimmed through quickly, setting aside male profiles and dividing female actors by age -- too young and too old.

He focused on female actors aged 20 to 40, including established stars like Cate Blanchett and Charlize Theron, emerging talents like Scarlett Johansson and Natalie Portman, and some lesser-known actresses.

After a long search, he found no suitable candidates and stood to look out at the distant sea to ease his eye strain.

This matter related to the Northern Campaign Plan, and he wanted to find the right person.

After Willie Brown and former Speaker Nunez fell politically, Northern California's political core had shifted back to the resurging Newsom family.

The family's key figure was the current Mayor of San Francisco, Gavin Newsom.

Hawke had seen a news story on Gavin in his previous life. He had checked out Newsom's wife, Jennifer, a former Hollywood star who had been assaulted by that fat Harvey Weinstein and was involved in feminist activism early on.

Jennifer was a common name in America and Hollywood, with many actresses using it as a stage name.

Hawke rested briefly before returning to the actresses' data.

Among the familiar stars, a lesser-known name caught his eye: Jennifer Lynn Siebel. Tall, blonde, blue-eyed, she had played female supporting roles in multiple films.

Her credits included Nancy Meyers' Something's Gotta Give, Chris Columbus's Rent, and Dimension Pictures' B-movie Dinocroc.

Records showed Jennifer Siebel had joined the Feminist Majority Foundation in 2002.

Hawke examined her photos carefully, but his memories were too vague.

If not for the governor's wife info and the mention of being assaulted by Harvey Weinstein, he might not remember her at all.

Together, that was explosive gossip.

Hawke checked Jennifer Siebel's background: from San Francisco, middle-class family, attended Stanford.

He researched Dimension Pictures, recalling their connection to the Weinstein brothers.

The famed Scream was produced by Dimension Pictures, under the Weinstein brothers' umbrella.

Miramax, owned by Disney, produced indie award-chasing films, while Dimension focused on commercial horror investments.

These clues gave Hawke about 80% confidence.

After reviewing the rest of the file, Hawke isolated Jennifer Siebel's profile to send Edward to liaise with Fiona.

*****

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