I live on Hayvenhurst Avenue, just a few blocks from the Jackson family compound. Since jackson’s death, the LAPD has had the street blocked off 24 hours a day, so that other residents have to take serpentine detours to get to their homes. While law enforcement escorts Jackson family vehicles in and out of the area, LAPD squad cars and parking enforcement units are detailed to man the barriers on each end of the Jackson’s street day and night. Railings have been set up along the street so that gawkers and tourists can meander past their home and stare at the large black gate that prevents them from seeing anything inside the estate. This morning, the day of the memorial at the Staples Center, we were awakened at 6AM by the sound of several helicopters hovering over the area in a fixed position.

With apologies to Michael Jackson’s ardent fans, these activities are not worth the expense and inconvenience they have cost the tax payers of this city. Jackson was a world-famous entertainer and human curiosity, not a head-of-state or major benefactor of our city. Until he announced his ill-fated “This Is It” comeback, he hadn’t even been in the news for several years. It is rather startling that during these difficult economic times the city of Los Angeles has decided to participate in the sycophantic idol worship of this individual and, without voter consent, devote substantial resources to helping this very rich and reclusive family mourn their son. For once, I would like to see the city protecting and preserving the privacy and tranquility of the community that we ordinary mortals live in.