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So the City of Los Angeles is going to put their hands deep into the Piggy Bank to pull out the cash needed to foot the bill for Tuesday's public memorial service for Michael Jackson at Staples Center. That means shutting down the streets around LA Live's Downtown "campus" and lots of bucks to pay LAPD officers to serve as security to police the anticipated throngs of crowds. And don't bother showing up if you aren't on the list: "Officials said that there would be no funeral procession and that no one would be allowed inside a large area around Staples unless they had a ticket and a wristband, a media credential or could prove they live or work there," notes the LA Times.
And if we thought DTLA was packed and chaotic following last month's Lakers celebration, early predictions indicate "that crowds surrounding the barricades outside the Staples Center memorial could dwarf the tens of thousands who came to celebrate the Lakers win," according to KTLA. With the Mayor out of town for the big event, Councilwoman Jan Perry is in charge, and now she is asking for the same kind of generosity of spirit that helped our struggling city pay for the Lakers' parade. She has "reached out to potential donors to help the city defray at least some of the costs to cover sanitation" and other costs Tuesday.
But who hasn't opened their wallets yet? Perry noted "the Jackson family has not come forward." AEG, the company who owns Staples Center, also was firm in their commitment to make the event free to Jackson's many loyal fans--17,500 of them, to be exact, all selected randomly out of the hundreds of thousands who have registered for the online lottery that closes at 6 o'clock tonight.
