Michael Jackson Has Been an Entrepreneur for the Residents of Santa Maria

While the trial of Michael Jackson in Santa Maria, located in the U.S. state of California, has become the focus of global media coverage, the residents of this small city are making the best use of the opportunity.

Millions of people around the world have bought this American singer’s music albums, and now thousands of people are following news of his trial with intense eagerness. But perhaps Mr. Jackson never imagined that one day he would, unwillingly, become such a lucrative source of income for a group of residents of a small town.

It seems that the fever of making money from this controversial singer’s trial has spread to all the citizens of Santa Maria.

Businesses like the city’s hotels—which usually experience the slowest days of the year at this time—have turned into a “gold mine.” A local inn has advertised special rates in honor of the Michael Jackson trial.

Of course, profiting financially from the trial of a man accused of sexually abusing children is not surprising in a country that is the land of opportunity.

Behind the courthouse building, women in the coffee shop “Café Dime” provide customers—mostly reporters and news correspondents—with drinks and high-speed internet, all at outrageous prices!

The owner of the coffee shop, Carmen Jenkins, says that Mr. Jackson’s trial has boosted her business by a thousand percent. She told the BBC: “I have a lot of expenses, so this is a good opportunity.”

She rents each seat to reporters for $250 as an office. On the first day of selecting jury members, customers were willing to pay $500. On that day, the coffee shop was packed with people.

Smiling, Ms. Jenkins says: “I have no complaints. Nobody has any complaints.”

Even a special website has been set up to introduce Santa Maria’s restaurants to the large number of reporters and legal commentators who have come to this city.

On this site, the restaurant “Hitching Post” is also mentioned, where filming took place for the movie “Sideways,” which recently won the Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay.

A video game club in downtown Santa Maria announced that it offers a 15% discount to holders of press cards. On the club’s flyers left under the windshield wipers of parked cars near the courthouse, it says: “After a hectic day in court, why not come to virtual excitement?”

Robert Bischoff, a local electrician who installs high-speed internet and television systems, has drawn up a plan to capitalize on media attention for this city.

He tells the BBC: “I wanted to go visit one of my customers near Michael Jackson’s courthouse, but I wasted a lot of my time finding parking.”

That’s when Mr. Bischoff decided to wear strange clothes, put on a wig, and advertise anything he could so it would be shown on television amid all the media commotion.

He says: “The city is in chaos, but why shouldn’t I make money from it? All my neighbors are renting out space for television cameras. I think I’m an entrepreneur.”

Of course, Mr. Bischoff—who wants to spend his money on educating his children—adds: “My mother thinks I’m an idiot.”

Another local lawyer, named Michael Clayton, has a building with a flat roof. He says: “I’ve recently installed stairs so that reporters can go up to the top of the roof. I’ve rented out six sections of the roof to six different news media so they can film the comings and goings of Michael Jackson and other stars he wants to bring to court to defend himself.”

He receives $2,500 per day from each media organization for renting a small space on the roof of his house. This American lawyer also has an old English bus outside his home, and he makes even more money from it while it’s parked.

Mr. Clayton says: “Can this red double-decker bus be a suitable filming location for every media outlet? The roof of this bus serves as the continuation of the roof of my house.”

But doesn’t such blatant profiteering from a serious criminal case have any shame for a lawyer?

Mr. Clayton says: “If someone else owned this building and decided not to let someone in, I would call him a commercial fool.”

Source: BBC Persian Main link of the news on BBC