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Fans gather at Neverland gates
By SCOTT STEEPLETON
NEWS-PRESS ASSISTANT METRO EDITOR
A snapshot of the King of Pop's parents and a receipt for a taxi ride that topped $100 is all Michael Schmid has to show for his first visit to Neverland Valley Ranch.
But for the 25-year-old German tourist, anything's better than nothing.
Mr. Schmid was among the 100-plus fans who gathered at the gates of Michael Jackson's Figueroa Mountain Road ranch to catch a glimpse of the singer as he returned from court Wednesday afternoon. And even though the place didn't look exactly as it does on TV -- he didn't know the familiar "Neverland" gate is actually deep within the grounds -- Mr. Schmid called the experience unforgettable.
"It was overwhelming," he said moments after the Jackson motorcade made its way past the crowd at about 2:40 p.m.
Mr. Jackson arrived at his home north of Los Olivos to find both lanes of the road blocked by fans, some holding a giant banner, while others crowded onto a portion of the driveway. All cheered him on.
Joe Jackson, Mr. Jackson's father, was the first familiar face to appear from behind the rear passenger window of a black GMC Yukon that slowed down as the fans pushed toward it. Next to him was the singer's mother, Katherine.
Seated behind them was the 46-year-old singer, who stuck his hand out the window and waved. The fans responded with shrieks and screams.
Mr. Schmid had hoped to get a clear shot of Michael Jackson's face. Instead, "I got a great picture of his parents," he said, his face beaming.
Soon after, he hopped back into a taxi cab that looked more like a presidential stretch limousine for the ride back to his hotel in Santa Barbara -- a round trip that cost him and his parents $120.
Many of the fans drove to the gates of Neverland from the courthouse in Santa Maria, but one woman, New Jersey letter carrier Lili Bakan, arrived by bicycle from Solvang.
The ride, which she has done before during her weeklong stay, is 90 minutes of "hell," Ms. Bakan said. But getting to Neverland has actually taken her 20 years.
"I'm just hoping I see him today," Ms. Bakan said before pulling out some photos that she planned to make into a collage for the singer. "If I don't see him, I'm going to die."
Rhonda Buckingham and her family arrived from the Northern California town of Manteca on Tuesday and spent the afternoon dancing to the tunes of their favorite singer, who they are convinced is the target of greedy people and a malicious prosecutor.
"We know he's innocent. It's all about the money," said Mrs. Buckingham, 47. "They really should arrest (District Attorney) Tom Sneddon for abuse of power."
She noted that Mr. Jackson isn't the first adult to share his bed with a child.
"We grew up with five kids sleeping in our bed," said Mrs. Buckingham, who is the mother of four children of her own. "Nothing bad ever happened."
Once Mr. Jackson was ensconced at the ranch, his security chief, who identified himself only as Terry, worked the crowd, accepting cards, letters and other tokens on Mr. Jackson's behalf and telling supporters to avoid seeming too exuberant at this point, adding there will be time to party when his boss walks out of the courtroom a free man.
"There's an ugly evil out there," he said. "Some people don't want him vindicated."
To cheers of the fans he said, "Mr. Jackson will be totally vindicated."
Karen Faye, longtime friend and makeup artist for Mr. Jackson, told the fans that he is holding up well considering what he's up against.
"It's really, really hard for him to go through this," she said. "We're just here to support him."
e-mail: ssteepleton@newspress.com
Photography by RAFAEL MALDONADO/NEWS-PRESS
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