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The MJJC July 13th 02 Vigil General Discussion From Page 36 [UPDATE: Post 1]

sugarbunny891 said:
Who was the stick with the Megaphone!?!?!
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Quite. When I was there in the afternoon they were annoying, screaming down the mices for radio 1 and talking crap. I just wanted to put my poster up, read the memorial and pay my respects in peace.
 
I was there, i'm the italian guy from mjfc fanclub with the giant poster of my artwork (in the closet), i was askin for messages to send to jackson family, i don't know if there was someone from the forum, let me know.

Giuseppe
 
was there too :) and enjoyed it. it helped me quite a lot and i talked to several people which was the nicest part

there were some very strange people shouting into megaphones, but i chose to ignore them. ;-)

i liked the singing, but would have liked someone to set up some technics. it's not that expensive to have a mike, speakers, and sound engineer. IMHO, the o2 could have provided that.

somehow, at one point, it seemed that the two parties (one on the stage, the other on the opposite) fought against each other with MJ songs. Imho that was ridiculous. Would have loved if we all sang the same stuff together, but well, it was fun anyway. There was nobody who organized anything, so how should it have been different?

and btw, i liked Navys appearance, with umbrella. In style, i enjoyed that. It was crazy how the crowd even followed him when he wanted to get a break and went towards Starbucks. They had to ask the crowd to get a rest and leave the shop so he could sit down. Got me an idea how MJ has been treated. I mean, this was just a man playing Michael. Liked his show, he even had monsters with him :) that was nice of him and gave the whole thing a bit of style. (really missed a bit of organization)

and yes, they sold 4 shirts, starting from 8 pm
 
What a prat!!! That guy with the mega phone realesed a STATMENT!?!!? who does he think he is?






Michael Jackson Memorial: A Statement From “The Few”
In the last 48 hours, myself and a few friends who gathered at the o2 on Monday 13th July 2009, have received a number of messages, ranging from upset, to damn right rude in relation to the events that took place on the day in memory of Michael Jackson.

Before I continue, I would like to say that I have been a Michael Jackson fan since I was born. My first ever CD purchase was Earth Song, as a present to my adopted mother, and I was in tears all night the day Michael died, which contributed towards me losing my job (I worked nights at the time). I’m also a socialist, which means I don’t agree with the media’s use of things, capitalism, or dictators.

Someone started by quoting the word vigil for me at the start of their message. The meaning is:

a watch or a period of watchful attention maintained at night or at other times (Source: Dictionary.com)

Although it implys that it’s a period spent “watching” someone, it doesn’t explictly explain how. Checking in the thesaurus, you get the words, awareness, survelance, guard, and patrol….

Other people say the 13th July for them was a memorial. The definition for memorial is

something designed to preserve the memory of a person, event, etc., as a monument or a holiday (Source: Dictionary.com)

Again. No eplicit instuctions here.

What i’m getting at is that everyone has different interpretations of words. Different meanings, different thoughts on how things should be. In much the same way people would have for songs, books poems etc. So obviously there are different menings as to what should have gone on on Monday.

At this point I would like to make a few things VERY clear

-Myself, nor my friends claimed to be, or ever implied that we were the orgonisers
-We on a number of occasions made references to the orgonisers, thanked them for their work and tried to get them involved
-We did not want to hog media attention. In fact I only spoke to the media on 2 occasions, and on both times, I had a microphone shoved in front of my mouth
-We never felt like we were dis-respecting Michael, nor would hve wanted too.
-It was individuals and groups, not us, who wished to perform, and we only co-ordinated things to try and make it happen
-We never told anyone what they should or shouldn’t have been doing
-We respected the wishes of anyone who wanted to pay their respects alone in peace
-There were 3 events going on at once by the evening
-The stage became the performance area as it was raised. We had o2 security threatening to kick everyone out if people kept on swamping the stage cause of health and safety.

It’s funny isn’t it how some people can be really happy, and others really angry over the same thing. For those who were upset, I apologise. I’m not going to be my usual sarcastic self, and I just hope you understand that I was just trying to help other people, and that I never wanted to have my actions taken the wrong way. The only reason I had a megaphone in the first place is as I have a going away bag carrying my IPod, speaker, headphones, a good book, and a megaphone. The latter I’ve carried since I had to help out on 7/7 (I was on the train behind the exploded one, and I’m a Red Cross volunteer) and the lil thing may have saved a number of lives, so I carry it just in case… It was origionally being used as a speaker, until the majority of people were asking for people to sing dance, etc etc, and I just went with the flow.

A few things though. Although I’m happy to discuss this with anyone, one of my friends has become deeply upset at the person who sent them “Hate Mail” to their personal inbox. We may have disagreements, but there’s a limit to how to vent that. Please, if you have any issues you want to vent, send them to me. fisicouk@gmail.com or call me on 07727912944. I also think that those who go and say we were disrespecting Michael are also a bit over the top. When you look at the man who said he used to cry because of all the people saying bad things about him, I’m sure he would want people to remember the best thingss about him. His dancing, singing, and his community of loyal fans. I’ve not deleted a single post anywhere, mainly as I’m not an admin to the group, and I don’t believe in censorship. And also, we know the MJJC has 16K+ members. We’re not here to start a war. Make Love Not War.

If I hurt or offended you I’m sorry. If I angered you, I apologise. If I helped you, I’m glad to be of service.

Wishing you ALL a happy evening

Wil Vincent
 
I have mixed feelings about this "statement"...

on the one hand, we probably shouldn't have started attacking individuals (without knowing FOR SURE that they were responsible for the circus going on there). But on the other hand...don't bring a megaphone dude and then act like you weren't part of the circus!
And mentioning that you are in the Red Cross and save lives...uhm, ok....point being? If you want kudos for being a great person..., this is not the right time.

But somehow I wish we could just forget that whole Monday thing. It will never come back and there is nothing we can do about it anymore...(which really sucks)!

I still hope we can organise something another time. Much quieter, without chanting "Michael, Michael!" or "This it it" (still can't believe people actually chanted that line), and just in general to have a chat, maybe share some Michael related experiences, have something to eat, a drink (or few ;) )....something in that direction.
 
I think all has been pretty much said about Monday. Yes, I too was annoyed by some people. Especially some "lookalikes" gushing over themselves about how they talked to the papers, and 'doing' tv...

And they guy with the megaphone... it was probably meant well, but after four hours... get my point?

For me it was good. No, I didn't really like how it went down outside during daytime. But inside, it was very quiet, and walking on the spot where the press conference was held, made me so sad, but... I had to feel it, it was a good thing. And later in the evening, it was a bit more quiet.

There were two guys there that made me smile. Don't know if they are on the forum. But they were so obviously not at ease showing emotions. Trying to keep their 'tough' posture, but you could see they were moved, and one of them later danced and was really good. He did it because he couldn't help doing so. It wasn't to draw attention to himself. Loved it.

I got to meet wonderful people. Gary, Spunky of course (thank you for the room), Andy, Brian, Silak (who's not on here, but a great guy), smudge and many others that I met, but I'm very bad with names.

And of course Summer: you are a very sweet woman. I'm glad I could be there.
 
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I was there, wearing a red this is it shirt, red tour jacket with Thriller written on the front and a fedora with "Michael Jackson" around the rim.
 
we (me and smellyjw) spent a few hours the night before (til 1:30) moving the old vigil place to where it was on the 13th and I can assure you that the guy with the dreadlocks and the others on that stage area did NOTHING but show up on the day and claim ownership of the event and the whole thing. In truth it p***ed me off because they showed NO interest the rest of the time, at HMV or elsewhere.
 
Hi i met some of you at the club house before the o2 it was great to meet so many lovely MJ fans
 
Guys i agree ,we shouldnt really turn into vigilantes and attack these people (we would only end up like the people we hate the most ,the media who attacked Michael all the time),we should try put it behind us,as difficult as it is.
 
I just read in one of the post that someone was not keen on approaching people at the Clubhouse, because it seemed 'clicky'.

Let me tell you that I was at a table of about ten people, and most of us never met before seeing each other there. But there was a good atmosphere right away. Just don't be too shy... we don't bite :)

Oh, and I must give my compliments at the staff of The Ledger Building. They were very nice.
 
sugarbunny891 said:
What a prat!!! That guy with the mega phone realesed a STATMENT!?!!? who does he think he is?






Michael Jackson Memorial: A Statement From “The Few”
In the last 48 hours, myself and a few friends who gathered at the o2 on Monday 13th July 2009, have received a number of messages, ranging from upset, to damn right rude in relation to the events that took place on the day in memory of Michael Jackson.

Before I continue, I would like to say that I have been a Michael Jackson fan since I was born. My first ever CD purchase was Earth Song, as a present to my adopted mother, and I was in tears all night the day Michael died, which contributed towards me losing my job (I worked nights at the time). I’m also a socialist, which means I don’t agree with the media’s use of things, capitalism, or dictators.

Someone started by quoting the word vigil for me at the start of their message. The meaning is:

a watch or a period of watchful attention maintained at night or at other times (Source: Dictionary.com)

Although it implys that it’s a period spent “watching” someone, it doesn’t explictly explain how. Checking in the thesaurus, you get the words, awareness, survelance, guard, and patrol….

Other people say the 13th July for them was a memorial. The definition for memorial is

something designed to preserve the memory of a person, event, etc., as a monument or a holiday (Source: Dictionary.com)

Again. No eplicit instuctions here.

What i’m getting at is that everyone has different interpretations of words. Different meanings, different thoughts on how things should be. In much the same way people would have for songs, books poems etc. So obviously there are different menings as to what should have gone on on Monday.

At this point I would like to make a few things VERY clear

-Myself, nor my friends claimed to be, or ever implied that we were the orgonisers
-We on a number of occasions made references to the orgonisers, thanked them for their work and tried to get them involved
-We did not want to hog media attention. In fact I only spoke to the media on 2 occasions, and on both times, I had a microphone shoved in front of my mouth
-We never felt like we were dis-respecting Michael, nor would hve wanted too.
-It was individuals and groups, not us, who wished to perform, and we only co-ordinated things to try and make it happen
-We never told anyone what they should or shouldn’t have been doing
-We respected the wishes of anyone who wanted to pay their respects alone in peace
-There were 3 events going on at once by the evening
-The stage became the performance area as it was raised. We had o2 security threatening to kick everyone out if people kept on swamping the stage cause of health and safety.

It’s funny isn’t it how some people can be really happy, and others really angry over the same thing. For those who were upset, I apologise. I’m not going to be my usual sarcastic self, and I just hope you understand that I was just trying to help other people, and that I never wanted to have my actions taken the wrong way. The only reason I had a megaphone in the first place is as I have a going away bag carrying my IPod, speaker, headphones, a good book, and a megaphone. The latter I’ve carried since I had to help out on 7/7 (I was on the train behind the exploded one, and I’m a Red Cross volunteer) and the lil thing may have saved a number of lives, so I carry it just in case… It was origionally being used as a speaker, until the majority of people were asking for people to sing dance, etc etc, and I just went with the flow.

A few things though. Although I’m happy to discuss this with anyone, one of my friends has become deeply upset at the person who sent them “Hate Mail” to their personal inbox. We may have disagreements, but there’s a limit to how to vent that. Please, if you have any issues you want to vent, send them to me. fisicouk@gmail.com or call me on 07727912944. I also think that those who go and say we were disrespecting Michael are also a bit over the top. When you look at the man who said he used to cry because of all the people saying bad things about him, I’m sure he would want people to remember the best thingss about him. His dancing, singing, and his community of loyal fans. I’ve not deleted a single post anywhere, mainly as I’m not an admin to the group, and I don’t believe in censorship. And also, we know the MJJC has 16K+ members. We’re not here to start a war. Make Love Not War.

If I hurt or offended you I’m sorry. If I angered you, I apologise. If I helped you, I’m glad to be of service.

Wishing you ALL a happy evening

Wil Vincent
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Is this guy for real?????!!!!!!!!!!
 
The image my mind conjures up of this guy with a megaphone during 7/7 is err...bizarre to say the least.
 
sugarbunny891 said:
I was in tears all night the day Michael died, which contributed towards me losing my job (I worked nights at the time).
Click to expand...

Do you reckon the other contributing factor was anything to do with turning up at work with his megaphone and yelling into it through his entire shift? :)
 
Hoofmark said:
I just read in one of the post that someone was not keen on approaching people at the Clubhouse, because it seemed 'clicky'.

Let me tell you that I was at a table of about ten people, and most of us never met before seeing each other there. But there was a good atmosphere right away. Just don't be too shy... we don't bite :)

Oh, and I must give my compliments at the staff of The Ledger Building. They were very nice.
Click to expand...

I agree there was a fantastic atmosphere everyone was smiling and chatting away like we've known each other for ages.

The staff at the Ledger were great when they said they would play Michael Jackson on the speaker and whilst we were having our picture taken, not sure what paper it was for, Thriller came on and the photographer said "After three, THRILLER."

spoonie09 said:
The image my mind conjures up of this guy with a megaphone during 7/7 is err...bizarre to say the least.
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I think I remember seeing this guy on Sky News back in 2005 amidst all the ambulances and stuff, when I read the "statement" thats when the face clicked a bell as it were.
 
I don't know what happened at the vigil because I'm here in the USA but please lets not attack anyone. Discuss the good and let the less enjoyable parts rest :yes:
 
spoonie09 said:
Do you reckon the other contributing factor was anything to do with turning up at work with his megaphone and yelling into it through his entire shift? :)
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Lol , I really need somone to shake this anger out of me, I know its wrong to blame anyone person , but I cant help it. that day was snatched away from me- us by whoever and we can never give it back :( Sorry to dwell but its just how im feeling about things still
 
sugarbunny891 said:
Lol , I really need somone to shake this anger out of me, I know its wrong to blame anyone person , but I cant help it. that day was snatched away from me- us by whoever and we can never give it back :( Sorry to dwell but its just how im feeling about things still
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Yeah me too. I thought it would have faded a bit by now, but it hasn't.
 
sugarbunny891 said:
Lol , I really need somone to shake this anger out of me, I know its wrong to blame anyone person , but I cant help it. that day was snatched away from me- us by whoever and we can never give it back :( Sorry to dwell but its just how im feeling about things still
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*shakes* :)
 
I don't want to rant and be negative but I need to vent some frustration out. I have no one else to tell.

The people on stage were really bad. "I say Michael, you say Jackson" - seriously? How unoriginal. "This is it this is it this is it"?! I was in disbelief. I thought something nice was scheduled. I was wrong.

The small group in the centre were much better. They were singing and dancing which I took much joy in being a part of but I made a big mistake by going to near the stage where I thought would be the main attraction with some good stuff lined up. Signature were great, mind you..

I am definitely looking forward to any future meet ups that are properly organised.

By the way, if anyone wants the video of when the balloons were released, let me know. I am still trying to figure out how to get it onto my laptop from my phone.
 
IT WAAAAS BAD!

Seriously, the main reasson why I went to that thing, was because I needed something that made me realize what had happened. I'm one of those, who just can't realize he's not coming back anymore. It still feels so surreal to me, and even now, I still feel like I'm going to see him in concert. I just wanted to mourn and talk with people, so I can understand and move on. But going to that ''memorial'' made things even worse.

people chanting ''MICHAEL MICHAEL'', like he was about to drop out of the fucking sky any time soon, just made me pissed. I dont want to sound like a nagger, but the whole things was just such an embarrasment. Its people like that dread lock guy and that screaming girl in the white dress, who make MJ fans look like total fruitcakes.

When they were playing ''Will You Be There'', I just got so sad. It was one of those moments when it finally hit home and I just broke down and cried. And seriously, Im not kidding, I could hear someone say ''Wow...that must be quite a fan haha'' looking at me like I was crazy. Luckily I had some really sweet girls next to me who were trying to comfort me. If they're on the board..thank you so much! I was just so sad, that I didnt even had the chance to thank them. They gave me a candle to hold up.

I loved meeting up with people. Sugarbunny, DCM and sammichael made the thing worth to go. :) It was fun talking to them and I loved hearing stories from other fans, about how they met Michael.

Argh, Im still pissed. If that dreadlock guy is stupid enough to post his phone number, he can expect a phone call from me tomorrow!!
 
snorlaaax said:
IT WAAAAS BAD!

Seriously, the main reasson why I went to that thing, was because I needed something that made me realize what had happened. I'm one of those, who just can't realize he's not coming back anymore. It still feels so surreal to me, and even now, I still feel like I'm going to see him in concert. I just wanted to mourn and talk with people, so I can understand and move on. But going to that ''memorial'' made things even worse.

people chanting ''MICHAEL MICHAEL'', like he was about to drop out of the fucking sky any time soon, just made me pissed. I dont want to sound like a nagger, but the whole things was just such an embarrasment. Its people like that dread lock guy and that screaming girl in the white dress, who make MJ fans look like total fruitcakes.

When they were playing ''Will You Be There'', I just got so sad. It was one of those moments when it finally hit home and I just broke down and cried. And seriously, Im not kidding, I could hear someone say ''Wow...that must be quite a fan haha'' looking at me like I was crazy. Luckily I had some really sweet girls next to me who were trying to comfort me. If they're on the board..thank you so much! I was just so sad, that I didnt even had the chance to thank them. They gave me a candle to hold up.

I loved meeting up with people. Sugarbunny, DCM and sammichael made the thing worth to go. :) It was fun talking to them and I loved hearing stories from other fans, about how they met Michael.

Argh, Im still pissed. If that dreadlock guy is stupid enough to post his phone number, he can expect a phone call from me tomorrow!!
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Bless you brother.

And I think only "quite a fan"s should be allowed to go to these events!
 
Chanting Michaels name pi**ed you off?

Hello, this wasn't just about mourning the loss of Michael Jackson it was about celebrating his illustrious career the way he would have wanted us to. If Michael was there that day we WOULD all be chanting his name like that. The bottom line here is that all people were doing was expressing love for Michael Jackson. It does not make them unstable as your post appears to imply.

As for wanting silence at events like that, why? that makes no sense what so ever. Hundreds of fans are just expected to stand there and break down in tears?

I actually think it was a good day and most people made of it what they could. Do I think the guy in dreadlocks and the megaphone was annoying? yes. I expressed that vocally many many times. He and his "team" of people had nothing to do with setting up that event and hijacked it from those who had spent hours and days on end throughout the week setting things up.

The night before, I was outside helping to arrange that area, I was the second person to sign the white boards (smellyjw, who was with me) was the first. We talked to the o2 management about having the big screen and speakers to play Michael Jackson videos and music. Security spent the first half of the 13th going up and down assessing the situation and because of the guy with the megaphone it's highly likely that he prevented us from that luxury. The o2 WHERE set on showing a DVD or concert. We have video proof of this happening and KNOW who was at the o2 that night and the few nights before it. In short that area was ruined by part-time fans who are media hungry, the guy in the dreads actually said "I want to talk to the media" early in the day. Not to mention the drunken fat-arse that couldn't stop shouting at people (if you're on here, and I doubt it, you know who I'm talking about and I am not apologising for telling you to get off the stage where Navi was performing).

Despite that I made some lasting friendships, got to meet people I otherwise probably wouldn't and the day was pretty good given the very very sad circumstances.

Just my opinion.
 
snorlaaax said:
IT WAAAAS BAD!

Seriously, the main reasson why I went to that thing, was because I needed something that made me realize what had happened. I'm one of those, who just can't realize he's not coming back anymore. It still feels so surreal to me, and even now, I still feel like I'm going to see him in concert. I just wanted to mourn and talk with people, so I can understand and move on. But going to that ''memorial'' made things even worse.

people chanting ''MICHAEL MICHAEL'', like he was about to drop out of the fucking sky any time soon, just made me pissed. I dont want to sound like a nagger, but the whole things was just such an embarrasment. Its people like that dread lock guy and that screaming girl in the white dress, who make MJ fans look like total fruitcakes.

When they were playing ''Will You Be There'', I just got so sad. It was one of those moments when it finally hit home and I just broke down and cried. And seriously, Im not kidding, I could hear someone say ''Wow...that must be quite a fan haha'' looking at me like I was crazy. Luckily I had some really sweet girls next to me who were trying to comfort me. If they're on the board..thank you so much! I was just so sad, that I didnt even had the chance to thank them. They gave me a candle to hold up.

I loved meeting up with people. Sugarbunny, DCM and sammichael made the thing worth to go. :) It was fun talking to them and I loved hearing stories from other fans, about how they met Michael.

Argh, Im still pissed. If that dreadlock guy is stupid enough to post his phone number, he can expect a phone call from me tomorrow!!
Click to expand...

yeah i kinda agree with you. but in the evening, about 10, it was really nice... people were lighting candles, singing and dancing... it was nice at the end... but before that time... nope, didnt really enjoy it also

but i met so many great people and i am happy that i went there :)
 
Em-Jay said:
Chanting Michaels name pi**ed you off?

Hello, this wasn't just about mourning the loss of Michael Jackson it was about celebrating his illustrious career the way he would have wanted us to. If Michael was there that day we WOULD all be chanting his name like that. The bottom line here is that all people were doing was expressing love for Michael Jackson. It does not make them unstable as your post appears to imply.

As for wanting silence at events like that, why? that makes no sense what so ever. Hundreds of fans are just expected to stand there and break down in tears?
Click to expand...

It wasn't the chanting that pissed me off, but it was the way how it was done that made me angry. People were just randomly screaming his name, in the hope that everyone else would follow them. They just wanted to start something. Like that girl in the white dress who was with the dreadlock guy. There was a moment where she just grabbed that megaphone and started to sing Beat It, in the hope that everyone would follow her up. There were people screaming stuff like ''Shut up, let us grief'', but she just continued. This wasn't about a celebration of his life anymore, this was just pure about attention.

And sure there must be some fans, who really wanted to celebrate instead of mourn and got the chance of doing that. Good for them and I'm happy they got the chance of doing that.
And it's not like I want everyone to cry their eyes out, but I just expected a little more comfort and respect for the people who were having a hard time. I know there were some fans who hadn't listened to Michaels music, because they couldnt handle it, all they wanted was to lay down their flowers and talk about their feelings.

It was just a mess, and I know this hasnt got anything to do with the organisation, but with the people itself. I mean, there were people stealing posters which fans hung up. Thats just bad.

I agree with SpunkyFunky, things got better in the end. It was really nice at the end with the candles and the doves.
 
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