Page A6
December 31. 2003
Focus
Festival Plays Blues, Hip Hop Films
Michael Jackson answers questions from Ed Bradley o f 60
Minutes in the first interview since his arrest on child molesta
tion charges.
Jackson Defiant
in TV Interview
Singer says
police injured
his shoulder
during arrest
(A P) — M ichael Jackson says
he is still in pain from being put in
police handcuffs last m onth and
tells C B S ’s “60 M inutes” that au
thorities "m anhandled” him.
The pop star said he suffered a
dislocated shoulder from the way
he w as cuffed and handled during
his arrest on ch ild m olestatio n
charges.
“ It’s hurting m e very badly,”
Jackson said in an interview broad
cast Sunday. “ I’m in pain all the
time.”
R epresentatives o f the S anta
B arbara C ounty s h e r iff s depart
m ent did not return a call seeking
com m ent. D istrict A ttorney T ho
m as Sneddon has said Jackson was
treated fairly w hile in custody.
Jackson denied the m olestation
charges against him in a partial tran
script o f the interview released Fri
day, and said he still believes it’s
acceptable to have children sleep
in his bed.
On Sunday, C BS released the full
transcript o f Jackso n 's Christm as
night interview with Ed Bradley.
Jackson, 45, is ch arg ed with
seven counts o f perform ing lew d or
lascivious acts upon a child under
14 and tw o counts o f adm inistering
an intoxicating agent. A ftersu rren -
dering to Santa B arbara, C alif., au
thorities Nov. 20, he w as set free on
$3 million bail.
‘Five Sides o f a Coin' is a movie that explores the immense popularity o f hip-hop.
D uring the televised interview,
w hen Jack so n w as ask ed if he
thought it w as still O K to sleep with
children given the charges against
him , he answ ered: “W hy not? If
y o u ’re going to be a pedophile, if
y o u ’re going to be Jack the Ripper,
if y o u 're going to be am urderer, it’s
not a good idea. T hat I am not.”
“B efore I w ould hurt a child, I
w ould slit my w rists,” Jackson said.
T he pop star also said authori
ties sought to belittle him when he
was taken into custody.
“T hey w ere supposed to go in,
and ju st check fingerprints, and do
the w hole thing that they do when
they take som ebody in,” he said.
“ T h e y m a n h a n d le d m e v e ry
rough ly. M y shoulder i s di slocated,
literally.”
T he pain from being handcuffed
behind his back "keeps m e from
sleeping at night,” he said.
Jackson said he w as locked in a
restroom for 45 m inutes after he
asked to use the facilities. He said
the room w as sm elly because o f
feces throw n all over.
His bedroom at his N everland
ranch w as left a “total w reck” by
investigators acting on a search
w arrant, Jackson said, although he
adm itted he has yet to see it.
B radley pressed Jackson, a fa
ther o f three, on w hether he would
allow his ow n children to sleep in a
bed with a45-year-old man and if he
understood the w ay this appeared
to others.
“People think sex,’’Jackson said.
“T h ey ’re thinking sex. M y mind
d o e sn 't run that way. W hen I see
children, I see the face o f God. T hat’s
why I love them so m uch.”
on T hursday, Jan. 15.
"T he H ow lin’ W olfS tory” isthe
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