Santita Jackson: “Yes I do believe justice was served in the Michael Jackson verdict, based upon the evidence. I do not believe Michael Jackson committed the crime he was accused of committing. I was disturbed by the behavior of the prosecutor and his team. The [way] they pursued Michael Jackson was very distressing to me. And I’m glad that in spite of the fact the jury was not sequestered, in spite of the fact they were exposed to and had to dwell in the court of public opinion, they were exposed to this relentless onslaught of pundits, punditry, opinions without facts, but they saw through all of that, and they said, based upon what was presented to us by the prosecution, based upon the rebuttal of the defense, Michael Jackson did not commit this offense. I feel justice was served, and I feel that it was a great day in American and a great day in the world, that someone could receive due process.”
Bathsheba Wyatt-Draper: “Oh yes, without a doubt. I’m not saying that Michael might have some problems or some issues, but I do not think it would have warranted him to go to jail. I think what has to be looked at is the whole picture. There are quite a few people that have to be held accountable for whatever happened in Neverland. It’s not just Michael Jackson’s situation. People took advantage of Michael Jackson also.
“I think he needs to re-evaluate the people around him and maybe look for some new leadership and some new direction. Go back to his roots, and also maybe he needs to shut down Neverland. He may need to shut it down and put it in his past. But I also think this was a wakeup call for him, too. Michael, you’re getting too old. You can’t do the things you used to do, and as long as you’re alive and you are who you are, people are always going to look for a way to take advantage of you?”and they’re not going to stop.
“But what it did do, what it did stop was the person who prosecuted him from being able to bother him anymore. And the other thing that I think is important, it slowed down the process that the mother could take in a civil suit, ’cause she will think twice now about that. So you know at the end of the day, Michael is a human being, and I think this is his opportunity. I think they have given him that opportunity now to kind of slow down and re-evaluate where he is in his life. He’s been a very blessed man. He’s touched a lot of lives, made a lot of people happy and made a lot of people money. And now he needs to find a way to find some peace and enjoy the money that he has made.”
James Compton (president, Chicago Urban League): “Yes, I think justice was served. It went through the judicial process, and Mr. Jackson was tried by a jury of his peers, found innocent on all counts by that jury. So this was the judicial system performing in a manner in which it was intended to perform.”
Alice Tregay: “Yes, I do feel justice was served. I was very happy with the verdict. I think Michael has to learn a lesson though. I’m sorry he spent so much money, but I think it’s important that he not have anymore children that he keeps in his bed. I think enough is enough. I don’t believe he really molested those children, and I think these people were really bad people who wanted his money. They have gone after him not once, not twice, but about three or four times, so enough is enough. I was really surprised. I really felt that not having a black on the jury that he might be found guilty on some lesser counts or something, ’cause they never did have a real case. So I was really happy when this happened.”
