Tomorrow is the big day in Los Angeles. It's the Michael Jackson memorial service in Los Angeles-at the Staples Center no less. To provide security, about one-half of downtown LA will be closed off by the LAPD. About 11,000 free tickets have been made available for Jackson fans, which were handed out today at Dodger Stadium.
Here's the kicker: The cost of security for this event is going to cost the city of Los Angeles anywhere from 3-4 million dollars. The city asked AEG the mega concert and sports event corporation which owns the Staples Center to pay for the cost-which they politely declined. So as things stand now, the tax-payers of LA will be stuck with the bill-and that's assuming it all goes off peacefully.
Al Sharpton, who has been front and center since Jackson died, and who is probably knife-fighting Jesse Jackson for the rights to give the eulogy, was asked if it was fair for the citizens of LA to foot the bill for this extravaganza. He basically said, "tough cookies". It is the responsibility of the city to provide security and besides, this is a once in a lifetime event-"King of Pop" and all that.
So that's the way it is, folks. Once again, the tax-payer gets soaked. If you live or work in the city of LA, you might as well take a vacation in Bakersfield. Everything has to stop for the "King of Pop" and his family and followers. Folks like AEG, Joe Jackson, Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson, as well as entertainers like Mariah Carey and others will soak in the limelight-and ordinary citizens put up with the inconvenience and the bill.
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6 comments:
I'm on the fence about this. On the one hand, it is somewhat outrageous. But on the other hand, in a normal funeral, don't you usually get a free police escort/motorcade for the procession? This is the same principle, only on a much more massive scale, considering it'll be a much larger funeral. So it makes sense in a way.
Let's see what unfolds.
I purposely didn't watch that insult to intelligence, but am outraged at the cost to the LA taxpayer for the security, etc...
A bill should be sent to the Jackson family for the police, fire, sanitation services used. With California sending out vouchers to their workers, to their vets, to their poor. How dare the Jackson clan get away with this!
With a normal funeral you get one, maybe 2 police escorts if that (depending on the size of the funeral), any extra is paid for by the family. I know. My grandmother's funeral had over 2000 people attend and we received a bill for the extra police.
The exceptions to this is the funerals for police/fire officers and military funerals. The first will be attended by many fellow officers, the second is courtesy. But even then it doesn't cost in the millions!
This isn't a funeral. The funeral was at Forest Lawn this morning, and they did have a police escort, as is proper for any funeral procession if needed.
Did you survive it? :-)
Apparently, the body was at Forest Lawn prior to yesterday. Where it is now is anybody's guess.
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