I lost my friend Tom Wolfe this year. Not that we were that close, but we were more than just reader and writer friends. I helped him, along with other lawyers, develop Sherman McCoy for Bonfire of the Vanities.
I might have given him some insight into Larry Kramer, the Jewish ADA (I was a Jewish ADA), and into Judge Myron Kovitsky, a Bronx judge who refuses to be influenced by the press, the public or publicity-seeking prosecutors patterned after Justice Burton Roberts, a judge I had been honored to know when I was a Law Secretary and to appear before when I became a criminal defense attorney.
Burt, by the way, took no shit from anyone. One of a kind. I wish I could have been him. He was bigger than life.
On my bookshelf is an autographed copy of the book. You might remember the bail argument where the DA wants $250,000 and the Judge sets $10,000. You might also remember what happened to the case, but that’s for you to look up.
Tom also figures in my personal tragedy, something he told me he would write about but never did. He called me right after Komar/Oliver died to provide emotional support. We had lunch together several times and went for walks. Few other people wanted to have anything to do with me. I am honored by his friendship and what he taught me about writing, reading and style.
Tom comes to mind for a couple of reasons. First, I went to see BlacKKKlansman. It’s story that deals with three groups: Black Panthers, Cops and the KKK. Second: Tom used the phrase Radical Chic to dishonor those in the upper classes who would profess support for love of those fighting class and race wars while living trendy. The term appeared in an article written by him about a party at Lenny Bernstein’s 13 room Park Avenue duplex penthouse to raise money for the Panthers legal defense, called Radical Chic: That Party at Lenny’s. Third, today, is Lenny’s Birthday. He’d be 100.
Want some parallels. Too many abound. Like the Central Park Five, the Pahers were acquitted. Lenny took a lot of shit for his support of left wing causes and even the Rabbi who supported him got death threats. Unite the Right occurred in Charlottesburg a year ago in August. And, Donny Douchebag supports the White supremacists, including David Duke whom he purports not to have heard of.
Do more to stop hatred and racism. It happens at a cost.
