Michael attends church
On the morning of August 15, Michael attended a church prayer ceremony at the Harvard Boulevard Church in Los Angeles, together with his lawyer Thomas Mesereau, his brother Randy, and his comedian friend Steve Harvey.
Michael’s fans, as well as the leaders of some groups, showed their support for Michael during the ceremony. After the prayer ceremony, Michael went to a school run by the church, to answer questions from 30 students at the school.
The students had gathered in one of the rooms of this school. Michael, along with his lawyer Thomas Mesereau, his brother Randy, and also Steve Harvey, entered the room and sat on a chair in front of the children. Thomas Mesereau, Steve Harvey, and Randy also stood around him.
Randy introduced Michael and himself to the children and asked them whether they knew why Michael was there today. He answered immediately: “He came here to see you.” He then told the children that they could ask Michael any questions they wanted.
A little girl asked Michael, “Can you come to Neverland?” Michael replied, “Whenever you come, we’ll welcome you.”
Hearing this, the children shouted and cheered. They were all happy to meet Michael and talk with him. Michael also seemed very happy and at ease.
As more questions were raised by the children, the reporters were asked to leave the room. The children asked Michael various questions such as “How do you dance?” or “What’s your favorite song?”
Although news of Michael’s presence at church had not been widely covered by the media, many reporters from different networks had gathered on site to get the story. Michael’s spokesperson, Ms. Raymon Bain, guided media members to a location where they would wait for the team accompanying Michael to leave the school. A short while later, Thomas Mesereau and Steve Harvey left the school and met with members of the media.
The first question was asked of Thomas Mesereau. In response to one reporter’s question about the reason Michael came to the church, he said: “Michael is a man of faith, and he has always been interested in attending church.”
Next, questions were asked of Steve Harvey. In response to reporters’ questions, he said that Michael is his close friend and that he believes in his innocence.
Steve Harvey spoke very bluntly and candidly about the media. He said that Michael’s fame, success, and wealth were the reasons behind such accusations against him.
One reporter tried to trap Steve Harvey by asking, “Why did a private news item about Michael’s presence at church leak to the news media?” Harvey criticized the reporter for the question, looked around calmly, and said that if this were a private visit, you wouldn’t be here right now. Harvey took advantage of the moment and considered this question an example of the media spreading incorrect information, in order to align it with their own goals.
A little after the press conference ended, Michael and his brother left the school and headed toward their car. Along the way, Michael stopped several times to sign autographs and take photos. More fans were waiting outside the grounds for Michael; they waved at and shouted as Michael’s limousine passed by. Fans—young and old—ran after Michael’s limousine.
Source: AP