▁deb acle ▁became ▁a ▁ran cor - filled ▁air ing ▁of ▁dirty ▁la und ry ▁by ▁Dam ki ' s ▁and ▁McC ourt ' s ▁supp or ters ▁in ▁both ▁the ▁Chicago ▁Re ader ' s ▁" Hot ▁Type " ▁media ▁column ▁and ▁Bab ble . M ike ▁Min er , ▁Hot ▁Type , ▁" P ink ▁S lip ▁for ▁Dam ski ," ▁Chicago ▁Re ader , ▁May ▁ 2 6 , ▁ 1 9 9 5 ▁( J on - Hen ri ▁Dam ski ▁Archive ) ▁ ▁During ▁the ▁nearly ▁ten ▁years ▁Dam ski ▁wrote ▁for ▁Wind y ▁City ▁Times , ▁he ▁covered ▁the ▁exponential ▁to ll ▁of ▁A ID S ▁on ▁the ▁community ; ▁the ▁battle ▁for ▁the ▁Human ▁Rights ▁Ord in ance , ▁and ▁its ▁ 1 9 8 8 ▁passage ; ▁the ▁battle ▁over ▁fund ing ▁for ▁A ID S ▁in ▁the ▁city ▁of ▁Chicago ; ▁the ▁tri als ▁of ▁Larry ▁E y ler ▁for ▁the ▁murder ▁and ▁dis member ment ▁of ▁D anny ▁Br id ges ; ▁the ▁lives ▁and ▁death s ▁of ▁colle agues ▁and ▁close ▁friends — and ▁ultimately , ▁the ▁cancer ▁diagn osis ▁he ▁received ▁in ▁October , ▁ 1 9 9 3 . ▁Michael ▁Min er , ▁author ▁of ▁the ▁Chicago ▁Re ader ' s ▁" Hot ▁Type ," ▁notes ▁Dam ski ▁had ▁been ▁fired ▁even ▁as ▁he ▁was ▁facing ▁sur ger ies ▁for ▁m align ant ▁mel an oma . ▁ ▁Even ▁a ▁partial ▁list ▁of ▁close ▁friends ▁and ▁colle agues ▁for ▁whom