Bury in Gary: Bring Michael Home
Mayor Rudy Clay's got the right idea
By PEGGY CASSIDY
Updated 1:19 PM CST, Tue, Jul 28, 2009
Following his public memorial service, Michael Jackson's casket was whisked away from Staples Center in downtown Los Angeles.
But his family's plans for where his body is to be taken next remain private. Might they consider his hometown of Gary, Ind.?
Before Monday's public service, Jackson's family held a private memorial for Jackson at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in the Hollywood Hills, where many stars are laid to rest. But a Los Angeles police official said Jackson's body would not be returning to the cemetery.
Jackson's brother Jermaine has expressed a desire to have him buried someday at Neverland, but it's not clear weather that can happen, given the singer's unclear financial situation.
It's all a bit delayed, actually, as the coroner continues to study Jackson's brain.
So, what if Jackson found his final resting place in Gary? It's not a likely scenario, but the thought of it might have Gary officials privately jumping for joy.
Having made little headway in their efforts to lure Chicago's third major airport to that achingly needy city, a memorial site to the King of Pop might be just the shot in the arm that Gary needs.
Imagine the Graceland of Northwest Indiana as Jackson's burial ground draws throngs of fans from across the world. Imagine the boost to local businesses; hotels to house the Pilgrims, restaurants to feed them local delicacies, a theme park fashioned after Jackson's play paradise in Los Angeles. The possibilities are endless.
It would be a boon for Indiana's largest city, located just 25 miles from Chicago.
The South Shore commuter railroad would get an upgrade and Amtrak could build a station downtown.
That Gary International Airport? To hell with Chicago flights. Daily flights from Laguardia, Miami and Dallas would be sold out, and taxi drivers would have more business than they've ever seen there.
A year-round run of "The Music Man" could keep the city's state-of-the-art Genisis Convention Center occupied. Sure, it's "not Louisiana; Paris, France; New York or Rome," but with the long-running musical featuring a native of the town, Gary could turn out to be a diamond in the rough.
Gary could build itself into a vacation spot for Jackson's fans. It might take a lot of work to make the nearby lakefront -- currently lined with industry and smoke stacks -- into a beachfront, but with enough of an influx of tourist dollars and a blind eye from the EPA, it could be done.
With the highest percentage of African-American residents in the nation and a history of having elected one of America's first black mayors, Gary hosted the ground-breaking 1972 National Black Political Convention. It has since suffered devastating losses in its economy, mostly stemming from a drop in the steel industry, and has landed on the top of the nation's list of "Murder Capitol of the U.S." more than once.
But, bury Michael Jackson under the Gary soil and everything could turn around for the town. Before long, other pop idols will be making their final arrangements in the city at the bottom of Lake Michigan.
Now is the time to make it happen, Hoosiers. Gary's mayor is behind it 100%. Start your campaign. Print the buttons and T-shirts: Bury in Gary. And drop a line to the Jacksons to see if they'll go for the idea.
First Published: Jul 8, 2009 12:11 PM CST
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