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DverCITY Magazine
May 2004, Vol. 6, No. 5 |
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MICHAEL JACKSON NEWS AND UPDATES
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Jackson Case Much Bigger Than Jackson's Guilt or Innocence |
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Earl Ofari Hutchinson is a noted author of nine books about the
African American experience in America. His numerous published
articles appear in newspapers and magazines across the country as
well as some of the most popular web sites on the Internet. He is a
radio host and TV commentator. Mr. Hutchinson has received several
awards for his writings. |
Photo courtesy The Hutchinson Report |
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(4/26/04) Even before a Santa Barbara County grand jury indicted
Michael Jackson, the child molestation case against him was certain
to be much bigger than the one time king of pop's guilt or
innocence. Last November, one of Jackson's brothers angrily threw
down the gauntlet when he called the charges a legal lynching. The
implication being that Jackson squirms on the legal hot seat because
he is rich, successful, popular, and black. Then Jackson upped the
ante when he claimed in a "60 Minutes" interview a month later that
Santa Barbara County sheriff's deputies manhandled him during his
arrest. The sheriff's department quickly denied the charge. Family
members, friends, and Jackson groupies rallied around Jackson, and
accused Santa Barbara County District Attorney Tom Sneddon of waging
a personal vendetta against Jackson. But Jackson's Casper the ghost looking bleached skin, nose pinch job, eyeshade, and straight hair have always gotten tongues wagging and fueled tabloid gossip. The mad press scramble to get the latest dope on anything that moves in the Jackson case when the trial begins will almost certainly dwarf the press attention in the O.J. Simpson case. Even if Jackson beats the charges, he has lost badly in the court
of public opinion. The public has long memories and even longer
tongues when it comes to the emotionally hyper-charged issue of
child sexual abuse. The rumors, whispers and doubts that plagued him
in the years before, and the decade after a multi-million dollar
court settlement he made with a child sex accuser in 1993 will again
plague him for years to come. But Jackson can't be absolved of blame
for playing fast and loose with the public's justified horror of
child sexual abuse. All it took was the still to be proven word of a
12 year old that Mike is a child molester and sex abuser, for former
fans and a once fawning public to believe that a bleached black man
who for years made his living grabbing his crotch before millions
could do terrible things to children. Public super sensitivity about the Jackson case is also a
reaction to the lingering guilt and shame over the fact that for
many years courts and much of the public turned a blind eye to child
abuse. But it's also a reaction to rich and famous celebrities such
as Simpson, Martha Stewart, Enron and Tyco executives whom many feel
use their wealth and fame to thumb their nose at the law and get
away with misconduct. Child sexual abuse, however, is so fraught with public revulsion,
that even many blacks that publicly are more than willing to give
Jackson the benefit of the doubt, privately blast him for his
seemingly unnatural fascination with boys. And mainstream black
leaders have steered a wide berth around him. Leading members of the
Congressional Black Caucus, for instance, openly snubbed Jackson
during his whirlwind schmoozing political fend mending jaunt to the
Capitol earlier this year. Earlier this month, a group of African
diplomats in Washington D.C. vigorously protested the awarding of a
humanitarian award to Jackson for his financial contributions to the
AIDS fight in Africa. This article was contributed by The Hutchinson Report. Please visit the Web site at http://www.thehutchinsonreport.com/ |
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New Child Molestation Allegations Brought Against King of Pop |
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Jackson Arraignment Court Date is Jan 9, 2004UPDATE: Jackson has been charged with multiple counts of child molestation "lewd or lascivious contact with a child younger than 14." Authorities say he has to surrender and turn in his passport. Bail is $3 million. According to Tom Sneddon, district attorney, if convicted, he could face three to eight years in prison on each count. The victim is said to be in total cooperation with authorities. (11-19-03). An arrest warrant has been issued for pop star Michael Jackson, 45, after his Neverland Ranch was searched, ironically on the release date of his new CD, a greatest hits album, Number Ones, released by Epic Records. Rumors and speculation are circulating that this may be a way to extort money from Jackson by hurting his album sales. The ongoing criminal investigation involves 70 officials from the Santa Barbara Sheriff's Department, as well as the district attorney's office. Unofficial sources say there are child molestation allegations against Jackson. In 1994, almost ten years ago, the singer settled a lawsuit when a 13-year old boy who spent the night at his ranch accused him of molestation. Neverland Ranch has a zoo and amusement park that Jackson has for underprivileged and sick children. According to Jackson's spokesperson Stuart Backerman, he has been in Las Vegas, Nevada shooting a video for his single, "One More Chance." In a statement, Jackson says "I've seen lawyers who do not represent me and spokespeople who do not know me speaking for me. These characters always seem to surface with a dreadful allegation just as another project, an album, a video, is being released." Johnnie Cochran, Jackson's attorney in the previous case stated on Larry King Live that "I think it's more than coincidence. I think it was planned," referring to the search warrant issuance on the day of Jackson's album release. Cochran advised Jackson not to place himself in the position of being alone with young children, "but that's who Michael Jackson is, he's a very, very naive person in many respects, and there's no question about that. Yeah, he does wear a bull's eye." CBS is scheduled to air a Jackson broadcast on November 26, consisting of mostly old concert footage. Jackson, who had international hits including the number one album of all time, Thriller, begin to see his career collapse in 1993 with the previous allegations of child molestation. Jackson maintains his innocence despite settling for millions of dollars.
Past Jackson Controversies
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