Fans Can't Stop Crying, Dancing on Hayvenhurst
Updated 7:15 AM PST, Sat, Jul 4, 2009
At some point, things will have to return to normal on Hayvenhurst Avenue in Encino.
City officials have scheduled a community meeting to discuss what will happen until then.
The meeting is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Wednesday. Officials plan to discuss ongoing security needs near the home where the family of the late Michael Jackson has lived since 1971.
Plans to reopen Hayvenhurst Avenue -- which has been closed since fans started flocking to to the neighborhood shortly after Jackson died on June 25 -- will also be disclosed, according to a news release from the Encino Neighborhood Council.
Crowds gathered outside the Jackson home have continued to leave flowers and often linger, singing, dancing and listening to his music in a carnival-like atmosphere.
"While the Encino Neighborhood Council recognizes the worldwide interest in the sudden and tragic death of Michael Jackson, and the desire of fans to visit his childhood home, neighborhood residents and businesses need to take back their streets," the release said.
City Councilman Paul Koretz and representatives of the Los Angeles Police Department plan to answer residents questions and hear their concerns about the possibility Jackson fans will continue visiting the area even after a planned memorial tribute Tuesday at Staples Center.
The meeting will be held at the Encino Women's Club, 4924 Paso Robles Avenue.
Many fans, dressed in Jackson regalia, continue to show up and add to makeshift memorials at Jackson's star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, the Holmby Hills estate where Jackson was last seen alive, Neverland Ranch in Santa Barbara County, where he used to live, and at Staples Center, were he rehearsed for a series of concerts in London and the site for Tuesday's memorial.
The crowds are expected to continue through the Fourth of July weekend.
Neverland, which is now controlled by Colony Capital LLC, is closed to events or memorials until after Tuesday's tribute, officials announced Friday. But tourists and other visitors were continuing to stop for photos and to look around.
At Staples, Brenna Smith said today she is getting used to dancing to Michael Jackson music with tears in her eyes.
The 18-year-old resident of Gardena spent the morning at Staples Center where promoters and city officials announced plans for a memorial tribute to the late pop star to take place Tuesday.
Dressed in a form-fitting outfit adorned with flashy jewelry of the type Jackson might have worn, Smith said she has been "dancing and crying" ever since she heard news of Jackson's death on June 25.
"Michael epitomized my childhood," said Smith, who was also wearing clunky 10-inch platform boots in the hot downtown sun. "My mother and I loved him. We bonded over Michael's music. It was our life dream to see him perform."
Copyright City News Service
First Published: Jul 4, 2009 6:57 AM PST
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