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As the Michael Jackson not guilty verdict was announced yesterday, crowds gathered in Times Square and gasped, cheered, or just were dumbstruck. Many New Yorkers seem to believe he was guilty of something, and were surprised that he was found not guilty on all counts, but not that surprised that a celebrity was found not guilty. Some thought that the trial was a witch hunt, and one Bronx woman told the Daily News, "Michael, if you ever want to have any more babies, contact me." All in all, there was every opinion under the sun. Jackson friend Reverend Jesse Jackson did tell Matt Lauer on the Today Show that MJ should never share his bed with a young boy again; let's hope the Reverend's words ring true.
Some New York office workers gathered around televisions, while some tried desperately to connect to streaming video or radio. Gothamist ended up asking someone with a TV to put us on speakerphone so we could hear the verdict. Did you try to experience the verdict live, or did you eschew this latest pop culture courtroom drama?
Photograph from Reuters
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We live in such an odd world:
"We would hope first of all that he doesn't sleep with children anymore and that he learns that they have to stay with their families or stay in the guest rooms or the houses or whatever they're called down there," said jury foreman Paul Rodriguez.
Or better yet:
But Hultman said he believed it was likely that both boys had been molested.
http://www.cbc.ca/story/world/national/2005/06/14/newjackson-verdict050614.html
Exactly
He did SOMETHING. I agree.
But the prosecution tried to milk the case for all it was worth and the witnesses they had couldnt get their story straight, not to mention straight up lie under oath.
Sorry to say this but Jackson deserved to get off the hook.
And best of all, he can now continue to crank out the awesome jams... Lucky us.
Phil Spector must be feeling pretty good about his prospects today. Short of getting caught beating someone to death on Court TV, it seems like celebrities are pretty safe from the LA DA's office.
"Likely" and "beyond a reasonable doubt" are two very different standards. You can't convict the guy just because he's weird or it's "likely" that he did something. He has to be guilty beyond a reasonable doubt of committing a specific crime.
Isn't there one decent prosecutor in the state of California? Martha Stewart gets the hoosekow on what many think is flimsy evidence (OK, I was glad to see her in jail), and Michael gets to party with OJ and Robert Blake.
So what's the moral of the story? If you want to hurt or kill someone and get away with it, get a job in the movies and do it in California, the safe haven for high-profile criminals.
Kojak, Do you suppose the boy lied to the Police in that video away from his mother?
Sounds like they didn't like the Boy's Mother more than the Boy's testimony.
Drew, Upon thinking about your statement, I have to admit, we're I on the jury (Would Never happen for a variety of reasons...) I'd probably wonder about credibility especially in light of the Sequestered nature of being on a jury.
Even if he was "set up", IMO, the real question is simply "Did he do it?"
I'd have a hard time believing that there was some sort of concerted effort against Michael Jackson especially since he publicly stated that he has no problem "Sleeping" with little boys. I've read that Most child molesters don't believe that they did anything wrong and I think that's what Michael Jackson was thinking when he said that.
Also, what about his credibility? Did the jurors know about his "Dislocated Shoulder" at the hands of the police in December of 2003??
In any case, on the Assumption that he is a Child Molester: He'll do it again given the chance.
Sad but true, SD. Sad but true.
People gathered around stuttering streaming media outlets and listened to the TV on their cell phone? Geez. I went down, did a load of laundry, then found out later, and my life ws pretty much the same. I'm of the seemingly widespread opinion that Jackson probably has been guilty in the past, but this one was a scam. Can they prosecute rotten parents who send their children into Jackson's gingerbread house in hopes of bilking large amounts of cash out of him?
I Don't think the boy lied to the Police S.D., but being exposed to his mom, the jury might have gotten the impression that the mother help taint the boy's testimony.
But then again, you know kids. They can’t keep a straight story even if they are telling the truth.
Jackson is the emperor with no clothes. He has a disturbing problem that none of his family, friends, employees, and fans want to address for fear of embarrassing him or losing his love (among other things). Whether it's Howard Hughes or King George III, history's full of rich & powerful people who were "just a little eccentric" while their poorer counterparts were just plain nuts. At this rate, MJ's gonna go from "King of Pop" to "Patron Saint of NAMBLA".
omg he's such a freak.
what about being able to describe the birth mark on MJ's genetalia?
The jurors should just shut up. And so should his lawyers.