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Feel free BLOG your Komment! Read the UNEDITED Komments left by some very expressive students!
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Subject Dick Gregory's Comments On Michael Jacks
Date
Mon Dec 1 2003 23:36
Author By Bakari Akil II
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Dick Gregory, activist, health guru, ex-comedian as well as advisor to many
influential people is a man who has been a mainstay in American culture for
decades. As a friend of Michael Jackson for many years he recently offered
insight to the current situation involving Mr. Jackson and provided a
perspective that has not been evident in many media outlets.
On a radio show entitled, Make it Plain, hosted by WOL's Mark Thompson in
Washington, D.C., Dick Gregory stated in response to the mad media frenzy
and tilt toward guilt coverage, that those who believe in Michael Jackson's
guilt or innocence should first ask for truth to be exposed. Whether it is
damaging for Michael Jackson or not, he insisted that truth is the most
important aspect of this issue.
However, Mr. Gregory does not believe that Mr. Jackson is guilty of the
charges and raised many questions concerning the events leading up to the
actions of law enforcement and consequent media coverage.
He asked why was it necessary for 40 police officers and 20 FBI agents to
raid Michael Jackson's property? More specifically, why were FBI agents
present, especially since the allegations against Mr. Jackson are not a
federal offense? He also questioned the legitimacy of the claim of law
enforcement that they did not know of Mr. Jackson's whereabouts and the
timing of the raid.
According to Mr. Gregory, there is a monetary element to this entire
situation. He states that Michael Jackson purchased the Beatles catalog for
nearly $48 million and it is now worth $1.5 billion. He also owns the rights
to the Elvis catalog and found out after his purchase of the Beatles collection that these rights also included ownership of Little Richard's
catalog of which, Michael Jackson promptly called Mr. Richard and returned
it to him.
His suspicions arise from the fact that Michael Jackson has taken out loans
and his lenders wanted collateral, which was none other than his Beatles
catalog. Mr. Gregory stated that Michael Jackson did not mind offering that
up as collateral because every time he would come out with a record he
would
make around $500 million from his efforts. For those who doubt those
claims,
he explained that there is a mischaracterization that occurs when people
think about what is success for Michael Jackson. Although he may not achieve
the outrageous sales of his more youthful days a majority of successful
artists sales would pale by comparison.
Mr. Gregory found it odd that every time Michael Jackson is about to come
out with an album or moneymaking venture he is hit with a scandal and that
this situation is no different. He also admonished the audience not to
forget that Michael Jackson embarrassed SONY and music mogul Tommy Mottola
when he claimed that they were racist and that they took advantage of and
mistreated Black artists.
Not holding anything back, Mr. Gregory stated that Rev. Al Sharpton, who
came to the defense of Michael Jackson during this time was soon overwhelmed
by media coverage of a video tape which showed individuals attempting to frame him in a drug deal. He went even further stating that this type of behavior could be traced to Bill Cosby and the suspicious murder of his son
Ennis, who was gunned down while changing the tire of his Mercedes on a
California highway. He claims that this happened after Mr. Cosby hinted
that he wanted to purchase NBC when it was up for sale.
Dick Gregory also alleged that when they showed Michael Jackson in handcuffs, it was symbolic and when they handcuffed him, they handcuffed us all (Black communities). He stated that they allowed Mr. Jackson to board
his private plane in Las Vegas, fly back to California and then handcuffed him and immediately took them off when inside the police station. According
to Mr. Gregory, law enforcement had not judged him an extreme flight risk if they let him fly in and obviously not a danger if they immediately uncuffed
him once inside, so why the posturing?
Mr. Gregory further intensified his discourse by reiterating that the value of Michael Jackson's Beatles catalog cannot be underestimated and asserted
that Mr. Jackson could easily be killed, have it consequently ruled a
suicide and thus his collection will be forfeited in lieu of his debt.
He further commented that people such as Liz Taylor, whom he knows Michael Jackson would rush to their aid in times of need, have not come to his
defense or spoke out on his behalf. He also talked about how many people take "Michael" for a joke, yet he is very intelligent and that he knows what is going on.
Yet for all his concerns, Dick Gregory stated that Michael Jackson will
"come out clean" in this dilemma and he called for people to say a daily prayer for the "truth to come out" about this situation concerning Mr. Jackson at 12:00 P.M., no matter what the time zone. He believes, ultimately, people will be shocked at what that truth is.
In the final analysis, many may balk at the comments and observations of
Mr. Gregory, believing that governmental officials, media organizations and corporations in the music business may be beyond collusion or conspiracies(when two or more make a conscious effort to bring about a certain reality),
which is fine. Yet, free and independent thought that Mr. Gregory exhibits is absolutely necessary, especially in an era where fact and fiction has taken an equal seat in mainstream media and thought.
Hopefully, people will not jump on the bandwagon of mainstream reactionary thought and will judge this situation objectively and think about how the
constant stream of Black men being vilified as sexual and violent deviants will affect Black communities and Black individuals in general. I will not
even address how these events also help serve as a smokescreen to other
national and international events, but if we do not become more vigilant of our surroundings, it maybe a mistake we may all regret.
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