Michael Jackson's memorial -- what would LA taxpayers get for their money?
No. Nonononononononononono. Ab. So. Lute. Ly. No.
The city of Los Angeles is a half-billion dollars in the hole. Layoffs. Furloughs. Potholes unfilled, trees untrimmed. Animal services, the ethics commission, whack whack whack.
So why, why, in any rational universe, should the city of L.A. pick up the policing tab for Michael Jackson's obsequies at Staples Center?
For the Lakers' victory parade -- certainly a more civically significant event than the excesses that follow Jackson in death as they did in life -- the city found private donors because of the pushback of public opinion over subsidizing the athletic triumph of, as they say, millionaires working for billionaires.
.
So why is there now any thought at all of dipping into a city fund for ''extraordinary events'' to subsidize this one -- which, if a ''public viewing'' becomes part of the memorial, will turn the whole thing into a Michael Jackson corpse carnival?
An earthquake is an extraordinary event. But Michael Jackson's family deciding, gee, let's invite the world (or at least something above 17,000 members of the world) to mourn our relative -- extraordinary to them, and to Jackson fans, certainly, but hardly enough to stick it to the taxpayers of LA.
Council member Jan Perry said the city would ''deeply appreciate'' any private citizen coming forward to pick up the tab. ``Any company, entity, individual who would have such great love, the city would welcome the support,” she told the New York Times.
I nominate the Jackson family to pay the bill, perhaps going halfsies with AEG, which owns Staples (and was the promoter on Jackson's planned comeback concerts). The Jackson estate stands to benefit enormously from this. The undoubted live, free, worldwide news coverage of the memorial, the frenzy of 10, 20, 30 times more fans clamoring outside than can possibly cram into Staples, will generate mind-boggling sales of MJ music. The Staples name will figure into every video clip.
So why should the Jacksons' private arrangement with Staples to commemorate the passing of a man who was almost pathologically averse in life to the public's gaze become, in the end, a public burden?
Hint: that's a rhetorical question.
Photo: Kevork Djansezian / Getty Images
So What!
Posted by: Pearl Barkley | July 12, 2009 at 05:45 PM
Hi there LA people ! Greetings ...
I am a Brazilian Citizen from a very small town in the middle of interior Brazil. We have about 50 000 people, 2 hospitals and one University. Internet here still comes in 56k pack.
I am 40 years old and needless to say I moonwalked in many weekends.
I come to write to you over Michael's buzz.
I can not believe Mr Jackson has been abused by local Sherrifs department during his life, and now over his death. Jackson was used over his life, and now over his death for politcs in polices. Police officers are litches ( i am not sure if this spelled this way) of society is no new news, but litching the way they are, the world needs to express anger somewayhow.
I am trying to express.
Jackson went to jail because W.T.P.O (white trash police officers) could not believe how a black guy from Indiana was so briliant and so rich and so compasionate at same time, and yet, drawing 50 million people to watch his funeral from around the world. Including me, a the son of an Italian Immigrant, white caucasian (but not trashed, yet)with a black and white TV
Whats left ?
It took Black American people to build the massive country the US has been, then came white blue eyed asses to screw up everything, and its going to take Black American people to rebuild the cuntry.
Obama started, Jackson is carrying on ...
Posted by: Porfirio Sperandio | July 12, 2009 at 08:51 AM
LA is in debt as it is.
Let all the rich celebrities and the attendees pay for the memorial.
The unemployed should be not held accountable.
We need JOBS JOBS JOBS not DEFECIT
Our priorities are so whacked and pompously self righteous.
We need to fix the crumbling economy, not place our cities further in debt.
Posted by: DC | July 10, 2009 at 12:24 PM
Speaking as a survivor of long-term sexual abuse in childhood, I say: if you weren't personally there in the room, witnessing it, then you have no right to judge and certainly not to condemn.
Every single bit of information was spoon-fed to us by the media. Unless you have lived through it, you have no idea how lives can be turned inside out when evil can be twisted to look good... and vice versa. To paraphrase Dr. Maya Angelou in her poem about MJ's death, "we now know that we know nothing."
I do think MJ was wildly eccentric and, my own opinion, mortally wounded in his soul. He is an abuse survivor as well. We will just never know the full extent.
But speaking as someone whose life was destroyed by the molestation I endured, plus its horrific aftermath, and who has obsessively studied child molesters in the decades since, I have to say this: my gut tells me MJ was not a child molester. Weird, yes. A child himself, yes. But not a sexual predator. And my gut tells me, as well as my own experiences and my ability to recognize a kindred spirit, that Michael was badly abused himself. The scars are instantly recognizable to another survivor.
And for those who do not know from personal experience let me say this: it is not the physical injury of sexual abuse that leaves the scars. The bodily heals with miraculous speed compared to the spirit. No, what causes the kind of damage that makes a person desperate for a sedative like Diprivan is the mental, spiritual, and psychological destruction wrought upon the child by the manipulations of the adults, the parents or parent-figures, who cover up the evidence and oblivious to the child's suffering, sacrifice the child's sanity to keep their own appearances up.
I'm not the only one who instantly knew, when the Diprivan was reported found in his home, that this man was in such agony it would take a sedative of that power to give him even the briefest respite. I have been there. And I would take Diprivan in a heartbeat myself just to get away from the pain for awhile. I would risk death, as he obviously was willing to do.
As for the brouhaha over the money spent by L.A. for security for the memorial service, I can only laugh. I hope somebody more patient and forgiving of fools than I am, has the presence of mind, and the resources, to tally up the sheer volume of cash brought to our city by the grieving and devoted fans. It will eclipse the amount spent on security. I hope it gets trumpeted from every news outlet, but I'm not going to hold my breath.
It doesn't even have to take into account the revenues brought to the state by MJ's estate, etc, as someone posted earlier, nor the mind-blowing sums Michael contributed to charities.
No wonder he retreated into his own world as best he could. Even columnists I have long admired show themselves short-sighted and small-minded all too often, so how ghastly must it have been at Michael's level of fame and the daunting non-stop scrutiny and judgment. He gave so much more than he got.
You don't have to "deify" him to see that.
Posted by: E | July 08, 2009 at 05:54 PM
Acting mayor, JAN PERRY auth'd the money for the memorial, taking funds from the emergency fund, funds that are used for fires, earthquakes, she has a history of unwisely sponsoring events in LA, she helped sponsor a very POORLY run Film festival called Jules Verne Film festival, which by the way was run by some Frenchmen who then RAN back to France to escape the vendors they owed,one of the french men was known for improper actions towards young men and boys who attended. She needs to be removed from office for authing city funds for a Private event
Posted by: AngeryinLA | July 08, 2009 at 12:42 PM
Why are you mad Gordon....? Not Elvis Huh ? He was proven innocent of all charges....Let him rest in peace...to all you haters ! He deserved that memorial...we are paying taxes for everything else.. ask the useless Governer Arnold !... And his fans were following orders by staying home and watching it on T.V. so they let 1,000 police officers go much earlier,the city went overboard,not MJ's fans.. He was loved around the world !!!!!!!!!!! R.I.P. Michael and God Bless your family !
Posted by: sherry | July 07, 2009 at 10:36 PM
You mean Michael Jackson's estate can't pay $3 mil. for his own memorial svc.?! So, a bankrupt city has to ask its unemployed citizens to pay for a millionaire's memorial! What are they drinking?
Posted by: Azita | July 07, 2009 at 05:00 PM
People would be coming to LA regardless of a mega-memorial. They would be staying in hotels and crowding streets either way. The point is: Our tax money should not be spent on controlling hysterical maniacs coming to see a dead body in a stadium. How do people think this is normal? A presidents death causes less of a stir. This person everyone seems to be worshipping, was a very unstable person. Sadly he died, but he was unstable. Not someone to worship.
Posted by: Vanessa | July 07, 2009 at 09:58 AM
What a waste of time and OUR TAX DOLLARS. MJ of course was a terrific talent. BUT, he has been elevated to a "god"status. Wasting our much needed tax dollars, IT MUST BE used in an more intelligent way. Let the family, and AEG pick up the tab, or charge his fans or glory seekers a fee, to pay for this waste of time, and resources. I am sick of EVERY media station wasting hours on this. Every time I see a "Breaking New" feature, I go another station. They should charge everyone attending the fee and give that money to the deserving people, OUR TROOPS those who have given the ultimate sacrifice, or those wounded the bucks.
NO MORE ABOUT MICHAEL....GET OVER IT!!!!
Posted by: ron u | July 06, 2009 at 03:49 PM
This sucks! I dont remember voting if we should pick up the tab on this!! Arnolds handing out IOUs for all kind of things but, we have money to pay for this? UNBELIEVABLE!! Vote Ron Paul
ps. MOJO SURFER.. hahahaha. GOOD ONE!!! Atleast there was ACTUAL evidence that Michael Jackson existed!
Posted by: Satans Little Helper | July 06, 2009 at 12:40 PM
Glorifying a child molester- what a twisted waste of taxpayers money. His glory days spun out in the 90s, and he became Wacko Jacko, for his insane antics and his many paying-off-the-victims of his inability to leave small boys alone.
The world truly has gone to the dogs if they think celebrating the bizarre and disgusting existence of a pedophile is justified
Posted by: NotAFan | July 06, 2009 at 12:09 PM
the argument that the city will make money off this boondoggle is pure speculation. each ticket should have an LA City surcharge. if you're crazy enough to want to attend this memorial, you should be crazy enough to foot the bill. I liked his early music, but my donation to his lifestyle and family ended when I stopped buying his CD's.
Posted by: pizzatime | July 06, 2009 at 09:58 AM
The Jackson memorial should not be a taxpayer funded event.
He was an entertainer. He was not a representative of the city. He did not make (public) contributions to society beyond entertaining.
L.A. taxpayers should have a visible, audible protest.
Posted by: LYNN | July 06, 2009 at 07:44 AM
I am worried that the idiots in LA will do like they usually do when they get wound up - overturn cars, set fires, break store windows and steal everything they can get their hands on. It never made sense to me why people do that to their own neighborhood! The Jackson family should have had a quiet, private service and let it go at that. LA has enough trouble as it is. Even though vendors stand to make money from this, everyone pays taxes and not everyone will benefit. The police department, fire department and any other public services involved in this freak show should send a bill to the Jackson estate for payment. They're making a ton of $$ from MJ's music sales so let them put up a bit of that money to pay for this event.
Posted by: Phedra | July 06, 2009 at 12:27 AM
Obscene! When people are going hungry, homeless and
untreated for illness, to ask taxpayers to pay law enforcement for this orgy! LA taxpayers should vote out of office whichever council members or police officials OKd
this expenditure.
Besides, what kind of precedent does it establish!
This has got to be nipped in the bud!
Posted by: Fortunata | July 05, 2009 at 06:37 PM
While there seems to be an (appropiraite?) effort made by the media, Jackson family, worldwide supporters, and not to forget *Reverened* Sharpton to promote the 'message' of Michael Jackson's music and his influence, why has the idea of a 'message' suddenly been ignored when discussing the issue of payment for his memorial? What kind of message is being sent to the people of Los Angeles (and beyond) when the city can find the funds/energy/organization/time for the memorial of one (yes, he was famous, but is still one) person, yet cannot seem to find the same resources to use towards the betterment of the entire city?
Posted by: mmatthews | July 05, 2009 at 06:36 PM
When I was a kid, my family was--well, not poor--say, lower-middle-class. "We don't have the money" was a familiar expression. Although my personal economic situation has improved a lot, I still know what those words mean. They mean NO.
I guess those who grew up in better circumstances are unfamiliar with that expression, and don't really understand it. The City of LA does not have the money for a public event of this kind. Mr. Jackson's music is irrelevant, and so is the question of his guilt or innocence.
***We Don't Have The Money.***
***NO***
Posted by: Baffled Observer | July 05, 2009 at 05:32 PM
Please read my commentary stating that the city of Los Angeles should bill the Jackson family for Michael Jackson's memorial at this link: http://mary-macelveen.blogspot.com/2009/07/los-angeles-should-bill-jackson-family.html
Best,
Mary MacElveen!
Posted by: Mary MacElveen | July 05, 2009 at 12:09 PM
NOTE: Michael was LOVED and treasured for his huge talents, his kindesses, his whole personality - and Yes, for the amount of pain in his personal life, and how he struggled to make himself more 'lovable' with all his surgeries, etc. Because, sadly, he couldn't truly feel love for himself from the inside. This outpouring of mourning from around the World reminds me of when Princess Diana died. I didn't know how much she 'meant to me' either, until she died tragically. STEP UP to the PLACE, Los Angeles, City of Angels, the Jackson Family, any benefactors who care and can help, and BE ANGELS and make space and hospitality for people to Honor Michael's life, and to Mourn his passing. SET UP SCREENS at Dodger Stadium, the Coliseum, The Rose Bowl, wherever it's possible. And Let the People Come Together like we all did when John Lennon passed, when Diana passed, when any celebrity who is deeply loved by people passes. Show the WORLD, we truly are a City of ANGELS for the People. This isn't for Michael, for those who are so disparaging of him. This is for the People, the many hundreds of thousands who will Go to a stadium JUST TO be a part of the service, AND to be with OTHERS of LIKE MIND. This is what Real People need to do - to Mourn together! when a loved one passes. Show your smarts and Compassion, City of L.A., Jackson Family, Benefactors who can help. THEN we truly will Show the World who we Los Angelenos Are. Thank you for your consideration.
Posted by: Lola Terrell | July 05, 2009 at 11:05 AM
This event is going to become a circus real fast.
How many of those free tickets will be on Ebay and other tickets site @ about 300-400% or more markup. As to the actual burial. Rumor has it will be @ Forest Lawn Hollywood. Right in the area called Disney Acres. This will turn into the same type of nightmare the Memphis Cemetery became. When Elvis was buried there. That is why they relocated him to Graceland. So the employees could do routine maintenance. This burial site will most likely become a Mecca from those seeking to make a man a god.
Posted by: k | July 05, 2009 at 10:51 AM
How dare you refer to Michael Jackson as public burden and one who was pathologically against having anyone look at him. He was a performer on stage. When off the stage he had more attention than any person in the world. You should only wish someone would pay attention to you.
Posted by: Cliff | July 05, 2009 at 10:43 AM
MJ's a pedophile? Talk is cheap; proof it.
Once again, MJ definitely deserves the memorial.
Posted by: Serene Yap | July 05, 2009 at 06:26 AM
Diprivan....Diprivan?
How much Diprivan did Michael Jackson consume?
How much Diprivan did Michael Jackson buy?
Why did Michael Jackson have so much Diprivan in his house, his life?
Posted by: Eri39d | July 05, 2009 at 03:38 AM
yea make Joe Jackson pay., you know he is going to exploit those orphans (maybe they can be like that movie?) and make them sing & dance
funny thing is I would bet my house MJ is not the father of the kids
Posted by: pob1035 | July 05, 2009 at 12:14 AM
Will you all have Mercy on Keeping your Ill Comments to yourself, In regards to Lisa Marie~ Who are "You" to Judge? Throw rocks when you live in a glass house?
Posted by: Lookingthruwolfeyes | July 04, 2009 at 09:19 PM