Jackson memorial will cost L.A. nearly $4 million

LOS ANGELES (CNS) - Twelve days after his still-unexplained death, Michael Jackson will be remembered by thousands of fans and friends at a star-studded memorial at Staples Center amid an expected public outpouring expected to cost the city nearly $4 million.

But no large crowds were gathered near the Staples Center early this morning, and if the calm persists, the vast number of police officers deployed to maintain security in the area will be scaled back, police Chief William Bratton said in television interviews.

Members of the Jackson family and others close to the family were at Forest Lawn Hollywood Hills Monday night for what may have been a viewing and gathered at the cemetery again this morning.

A long line of black limousines crossed the San Fernando Valley from the entertainer’s childhood home in Encino and wound its way high into the Hollywood Hills, arriving at 8:20 a.m. Parents Joe and Katherine Jackson were the first to enter the Hall of Liberty, followed by Jackson’s five brothers and three sisters.

Spokesmen for the Jackson family did not immediately release details regarding funeral plans. But Bratton told told KNX 1070 NEWSRADIO that Jackson’s coffin would be taken to Staples Center for the memorial tribute. It was not immediately clear if the coffin would be transported by hearse or helicopter.

Several freeway offramps will be closed near the cemetery today, as will Forest Lawn Boulevard, according to Caltrans and the LAPD.

The King of Pop was pronounced dead June 25 at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, about two hours after he was found in full cardiac arrest at the Holmby Hills mansion where he had been preparing for 50 sold-out concerts in London.

The 50-year-old Jackson had billed the concerts as his final stage performances.

A Los Angeles Police Department investigation into his death is believed to focus on the possibility that his death may have been brought on by a medication overdose, although the results of toxicology tests will not be available for weeks. The probe is being assisted by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the California Attorney General’s Office.

See related: Video: Watch Jackson memorial live online | Jackson’s global fans mourn idol before memorial |  Movie theatres to show Jackson memorial |  Private Jackson service precedes public memorial | TV networks to show Jackson’s memorial

Thousands of fans were expected to pour into downtown Los Angeles for the 10 a.m. public tribute at Staples Center. Thousands more who couldn’t get tickets are expected to gather in the streets, just hoping to be nearby as the world pays its final respects to a singer who started as a child fronting his family’s band and grew into an international superstar.

Free tickets were distributed to 17,500 people chosen from about 1.6 million who registered online for a chance to attend the ceremony, which will feature notables such as Stevie Wonder, Mariah Carey, Usher, Jennifer Hudson and Queen Latifah.

Of the people who received tickets, 11,000 will be allowed inside Staples Center, while 6,500 more will be seated inside Nokia Theatre across the street to watch the event on large video screens.

The streets around the venue have been blocked for days as police prepared for the crush of fans hoping to be part of the ceremony, or at least near it.

Police, organizers and city officials repeatedly have urged fans to stay home if they don’t have tickets, noting that a large area surrounding Staples Center and the Nokia Theatre will be closed off to everyone except people holding tickets.

“I would emphasize again to all the listeners, if you do not have a ticket, if you are not credentialed, the area surrounding the Staples Center and the Nokia complex, there will be nothing to see,” Los Angeles Police Department Assistant Chief Earl Paysinger said. “Our best advice is to stay at home and watch this ceremony from the comfort of your home.”

The area between Olympic and Pico boulevards from Flower to Blaine streets will be closed to all traffic, police said.

An estimated 1,400 police officers are expected to be on duty to help control crowds.

“There’s been many reports about the number of people that may show up, as many as a few thousand to I’ve heard numbers as high as in the high hundreds of thousands,” Paysinger said. “We have no way of really calibrating or accounting for those numbers, but there’s always a concern that if a number of people show up, that we have a responsibility to provide a safe environment.”

According to the Jackson family, participants at the memorial ceremony will include family friend Ron Boyd; Los Angeles Laker Kobe Bryant; the Andrae Crouch Choir; Motown founder Berry Gordy; “Britain’s Got Talent” finalist Shaheen Jafargholi; former Laker Magic Johnson; Martin Luther King III; Bernice A. King; singers John Mayer, Lionel Richie and Smokey Robinson; the Rev. Al Sharpton; actress Brooke Shields; and Pastor Lucious Smith, a friend of the family.

Elizabeth Taylor, a longtime friend of Jackson’s, said on her Twitter page that she was asked to speak at the ceremony but declined.

“I just don’t believe that Michael would want me to share my grief with millions of others,” she wrote. “How I feel is between us. Not a public event.”

Taylor wrote that she “cannot be part of the public whoopla” and that “I cannot guarantee that I would be coherent to say a word.”

Los Angeles City Councilman Dennis Zine told the Los Angeles Times that officials in the city’s chief legislative analyst’s office estimated that security and logistical support for the memorial would cost the city $3.8 million. He called on AEG Live, which owns Staples Center and was to have promoted Jackson’s comeback tour, to cover the cost.

Additionally, the office of Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa said today that the city will ask Jackson fans to contribute “to the public safety resources needed to ensure his memorial remains safe, orderly and respectful.”

The Mayor’s Office said in a statement that a Web site will be going up this morning with a link to a “paypal” account into which tax deductible contributions can be made by fans using major credit cards. Fans will have access to the site through the mayor’s facebook page, facebook.com/villaraigosa, and twitter page, twitter.com/villaraigosa.

Tags: Los Angeles, Michael Jackson memorial, SDNN, TV coverage

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