Jackson Memorial Budget Deficit
The city of Los Angeles spent an estimated $2-4 million for security at Michael Jackson’s memorial.
They have asked for donations from the public to help pay for this.
The same city gave away 17,500 FREE tickets to the memorial to an estimated 1.6 million applicants.
Keep in mind the state of California recently declared a financial state of emergency.
Maybe they should not have been free tickets.
I wonder if they will accept donations in the form of IOU’s.
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So the tickets were free but the cost of policing the event came out at $200 per person in attendance.
I agree with you……….BUT…….
How many folks flew into the city for the memorial, even though they did not have tickets? Estimates ranged from 100,000 to 600,000 folks.
They all need a place to stay (hotel/motel rooms); cars to get around in; food to eat while in the city; maybe some trinkets or shopping?
I think the extra tax revenue generated from the memorial will cover most expenses.
Just another view.
Paul
I call B.S. on these numbers…
At $115 a ticket they could have paid for it themselves.
There is simply no other way to say it… California is run by a bunch of complete morons.
I was at the memorial and, besides the fact it was incredible, I have a couple of opinions about this blog:
1) The Jackson’s were going to charge a fee. Half the family was in favor and half was against. In the end, they decided it was tacky to charge for what was basically a funeral (I agree).
2) Like your or I, the Jackson’s had evey right to have it at the Staples Center if they paid the venue fee. They did nothing outside the Staple’s Center that would have forced them to incur a fee for securty, police, etc. The City of LA decided that it was in the best interest of public safety to have all of the police. In the end, it was completely unnecessary. I have never seen a more mellow group of people and I’ve never seen so many people socializing and thanking police in my life. The Mayor asked everyone without a wristband and ticket to stay home and they did. Instead of the expected 750,000 people hanging around outside there were only 1,000.
3) The city did not give away the tickets. The Jackson family did. Big difference.
If that is the case, you are perfectly correct. I had read and was under the assumption that the city was more involved in giving away these tickets and paying the venue fees.
Sounds like everyone else stayed home and watched it on TV. Except me, that is. I lost my respect for Mr. Jackson as a person after his first case of child molestation. As an entertainer, his songs will live forever.
God bless MJ.. He trully changed the world..