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Los Angeles Police Chief William Bratton revealed this morning during a live radio interview that despite days of plans indicating otherwise, the coffin containing the body of the late King of Pop Michael Jackson will be taken from the earlier private funeral at Forest Lawn Hollywood Hills to the Staples Center, where it will be on stage during the memorial event.*
According to live television reports this morning, the LAPD has two "contingency" plans for the transporting of the "gold-plated casket" from where it currently is stationed at the Hall of Liberty area at Forest Lawn the approximately ten miles to Downtown Los Angeles. The police are prepared to have the hearse bearing the coffin be a part of the motorcade of family and invited guests attending the 8 a.m. private service traveling to Staples Center, but are also prepared to use a helicopter to move the casket, using the helipad that is atop the Ritz Carlton hotel and residential suites that is part of the L.A. Live complex. Extensive street closures near Forest Lawn and in Downtown have already gone into effect as hundreds of thousands of people from all over the world descend upon the once-in-a-lifetime event.
The Jackson family has been decidedly closed-mouthed regarding details about the memorial, waiting until yesterday afternoon to release a preliminary list of participants in the public event, and continuing to remain silent about any contribution they might make to help defray the estimated $3.8-$4 million cost for the City of Los Angeles to host today's event.
*KTLA reported on-air that Bratton may be retracting his earlier statement.
