America: Starting with the acquisition of MGM...

Chapter 162, Section 161: A Comprehensive Encirclement and Suppression, Forcing a Compromise

The USC School of Cinematic Arts, a cradle of many time travelers.

As an art school, and one that has supplied Hollywood with a large number of talents, its students have always been open-minded and very enthusiastic about the entertainment industry.

Similarly, influenced by the celebrity effect, Facebook's promotional effect here is also exceptionally good, with the vast majority of students being Facebook users, and active users at that.

This morning, everyone received a system message.

This is no longer the post-era era. Manufacturers, in order to make a profit, will accept a large number of Google services and send a lot of spam emails and messages.

Sexual services, credit card scams, financial fraud, and so on pollute users' eyes.

So when they see the icon light up, almost 100% of people will click on it.

Then, the matter of Mike naturally came into view, and finally, several options were given, including a questionnaire about whether public power was being abused.

Students who can attend university, especially prestigious universities, are generally of high caliber, so their choices are beyond question.

Although the tweet is well-written, it is actually quite short and cannot provide a complete picture of the event.

Many curious people naturally opened Google and Yahoo to start searching.

This phenomenon is not only occurring at the USC School of Cinematic Arts, but also at other major universities such as Princeton, Harvard, and Yale.

In addition to reading and learning on their own, students also exchange ideas with each other, and topics with depth and interest quickly become talking points and topics of conversation.

Meanwhile, Eric's second wave of public opinion offensive also arrived.

The first round of reports only covered news related to Mikey, but the details were still rather vague.

The second round naturally involved releasing a video. With the rooster crowing and the world turning white, the video evidence was enough to settle the matter.

Those who were previously wavering and debating instantly changed sides, and the internet was soon filled with condemnations of Tom Schneider and the police, accompanied by criticisms of police brutality and abuse of power.

People are criticizing not only the Santa Barbara Police Department, but also the Santa Barbara City Government.

People also began to expose various abuses of power around them, and the topic spread in all directions, moving towards issues such as how to effectively supervise prosecutors.

While criticizing him, public sympathy for Mike also spread online, with many people expressing concern for him and feeling that he had been treated unfairly.

Especially after college students joined, they became the main force of internet surfing and were full of a sense of justice.

After learning the truth, people naturally joined in on this major event, and within a few hours, the incident had already topped the trending topics list.

The news that Iraq had discovered weapons of mass destruction again, that Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez had announced their wedding date again, and that George W. Bush had announced talks with the Portuguese government all suddenly lost their appeal.

The forums and chat rooms are all discussing this.

As for Mike's haters, they have all fallen silent at this moment.

A small number of people are still clamoring that police misconduct and Michael Jackson's child molestation are two different things, and that the former does not prove the latter did not exist.

Logically speaking, they were right, but in reality, they were immediately attacked and threatened online.

Think back to the George Floyd case that sparked the Black Lives Matter movement, where the police were absolutely using excessive force and committing manslaughter. There's no denying that.

But many people don't know, or rather, this has been deliberately hidden and covered up, that is, Freud wasn't actually a good person; he was a repeat offender.

He had been to prison six times, serving eight years in jail. He had done all sorts of things, including drug use, drug trafficking, and armed robbery. He even broke into a pregnant woman's home to rob her.

He pointed a gun at a pregnant woman's stomach, forcing her to hand over money. The fact that he would harm a pregnant woman shows that Floyd was ruthless and a social scumbag.

But just because he died, this social scum was instantly hailed as a great hero and became a spiritual idol.

As for his past criminal history, no one dares to mention it anymore. If you do, it's considered racial discrimination, and you'll be cyberbullied.

Please, he's already dead, and you're still attacking him? Don't you have any compassion? Don't you know what it means to respect the dead? Don't you know what it means for debts to be forgiven upon death?

But after Floyd's death, his brother, wife, and sister opened three separate accounts to raise funds from the public, treating his death as a commodity.

More than ten million dollars were raised, but in the end, no grand funeral was held, and the use of the money was widely questioned.

Even a piece of trash can be turned into a hero and whitewashed, let alone a positive role model like Michael Jordan who already has a large fan base.

Accusing him of child molestation at this time is extremely unwise, simply out of his mind! That's reality.

As the latest media reports have not yet been released, few people know the specific progress of the incident.

So many people thought of Facebook, which is Mike's only social media account now, and he frequently updates his status.

Those with accounts rushed to Mike's homepage, only to find that there had been no updates yet. So they left messages to ask him to post an update to let him know he was safe.

Even non-fans casually clicked to follow, which caused Mike's follower count to skyrocket, gaining more than 50 followers in just a few hours.

As for those who don't have a Facebook account, naturally a group of people choose to register, indirectly bringing a new batch of users to Facebook.

Times Square, New York, is the most bustling street in Manhattan and is known as the Crossroads of the World.

The flow of people here is terrifying; the street, which is about half the size of a football field, sees hundreds of thousands or even millions of people passing through every day.

This includes New Yorkers, Americans from other places, and tourists from all over the world.

The surrounding high-rise buildings are covered with GG screens. This place is not only a paradise for luxury goods, but also a favorite spot for GG merchants.

The weather was nice today, and the streets were as crowded as ever, with people strolling and talking.

Suddenly, the electronic screens that were playing different jokes went almost entirely black, and the strange situation immediately attracted the attention of passersby.

Then the large screens lit up again, but this time they played a video of the police raiding Dreamland.

Some people initially thought it was a movie trailer, but the actual video showed them that it was real life.

"OMG! What are these people doing? They're going to destroy Michael's house, oh my god!"

A middle-aged woman in her forties exclaimed in surprise that, as a Michael Jackson fan, her age meant she wasn't an avid internet user and didn't know about it, but now she and her friends all know.

"That's horrible! That prosecutor called Michael Jackson a nigger; that's racist!"

A black man in a suit shouted angrily.

"Don't you know yet? Go online and check it out. It's all over the internet. The TV stations will definitely be following up soon."

If Facebook primarily fueled the movement among college students, then the GG of these landmark buildings sparked broader public attention.

The target audience has expanded from young people to the working class, where Mike's loyal fans are more numerous and steadfast.

The same situation is playing out not only in New York, but also in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Houston, Detroit, Salt Lake City, and other places.

Eric really went all out this time; the cost of this whole thing was comparable to the public relations effort for an Oscar-winning film.

But money isn't important; results are. It's important to let people know that I'm not someone to mess with, and that my friends aren't someone to mess with either.

As noon approaches, almost every television station has the tradition of broadcasting midday news.

On Fox News, a female host had just finished broadcasting a somewhat humorous news segment when her expression suddenly turned serious.

"Now for a news briefing: just yesterday, Santa Barbara City Attorney Tom Schneider led dozens of police officers to search Neverland Ranch, citing a child molestation case."

"The enforcement process was fraught with violence and discrimination, caused serious damage to Michael Jackson's private property, and used discriminatory terms against him."

"Michael Jackson was taken to the police station for questioning around 6 p.m. yesterday, but the police used violence again during the process, causing injuries to both of Jackson's arms."

"Please watch the video footage from that time."

The video clips included some of the most violent parts, and also included an interview with Tom Snyder, whose confident demeanor at the beginning contrasted sharply with his pale face at the end.

The part where he swore an oath with his badge, in particular, was incredibly embarrassing and disgusting.

After the video finished playing, the female host stared intently at the camera: "The video has proven everything, so we can't help but ask, did Prosecutor Tom Schneider break the law? Did the Santa Barbara Police Department break the law?"

Fox News will continue to follow up on whether the unfair treatment Michael Jackson received was due to a child molestation case without evidence or because of his skin color.

NBC News: "There is no doubt that this was a premeditated act of police brutality, and the abuse of power is undeniable. We have not yet received any response from the City of Santa Barbara."

CBS: "Prosecutors have long held a detached position within the judicial system. This incident is clearly a prime example of the abuse of prosecutorial power due to its lack of oversight. This should serve as a wake-up call for the entire judicial system!"

ABC News: "Even public figures like Michael Jackson have faced police brutality, so one can imagine the difficulties ordinary people face in seeking redress. We must find effective ways to prevent similar incidents from happening."

The television news broadcast amplified the incident, but it wasn't over yet.

In the afternoon, the newspapers launched a relay of media offensives, with major evening newspapers working together.

Moreover, unlike television broadcasts which maintain basic restraint, many newspapers directly criticize and take sides.

Moreover, in order to attract attention and highlight their unique features, they choose different angles.

Some covers featured Tom Schneider looking pale and being supported, while others featured Mike showing the scars on his arm.

The most outrageous one was The Independent, which used two Playboy magazines as covers. At first glance, you might think it was an advertisement for the magazines.

The Independent: "Instead of finding evidence of child molestation in Michael Jackson's home, two rare copies of Playboy magazine were found in his bedroom."

"Does this prove that Jackson was a normal person in terms of sexual orientation, and that he also liked blond hair, blue eyes, and big waves, just like any normal adult man?"

That evening, inside the Dream Manor, Eric couldn't help but burst into laughter as he read the newspaper.

"Michael, why do you keep this issue of Playboy featuring Madonna?"

Mike covered his face embarrassedly: "I just saw it by chance and bought it. I had forgotten about it for years."

"Really? You were hiding in the bedroom?" Eric asked sarcastically.

"If we can't put it in the bedroom, we can't put it in the collection room either. Little Elizabeth even went in for a visit. It's not suitable for children."

"Well, what you said makes some sense, but I still feel like something's not quite right."

Attorney Meserio walked in: "Good news, Mike. The situation is very favorable for us now, and public opinion is overwhelmingly in our favor."

"I just received news that several California legislators have criticized Tom Schneider and demanded that the Santa Barbara city government respond as soon as possible."

"This time we have an absolute advantage; both Republican and Democratic media outlets are on our side."

"Moreover, they simply cannot produce any evidence to refute it. The tide has turned, public opinion is overwhelming, and the Santa Barbara city government will soon be unable to withstand it."

"I think there will be preliminary results in three days at most, or even tomorrow. Quite a few people have already gone to the city hall to hold up signs and protest."

As he spoke, he opened his laptop, and saw a picture showing the Santa Barbara city government building still brightly lit late at night, with dozens of people still protesting and not leaving.

Eric sneered, "These officials are probably discussing how to deal with Tom Schneider. Let's just wait and see."

"Shouldn't I do something too? A lot of media outlets have sent me interview requests," Mike asked.

"Okay, let's take the lead. You can embellish your story and bring up the case itself. This is a great opportunity to help people understand you better and gain a lot of goodwill and sympathy."

"But don't take Oprah's talk show. Although that woman is also black, she is not a good person. She is a liar and a discriminator at heart."

Michael nodded: "Eric, also, you should tell your men to stop. Now that so many media outlets have gotten involved, you'd better back off quickly, hide yourself, and protect yourself."

Eric looked at him: "Don't worry about Michael. Everyone knows about our relationship. Some things can't be hidden, and there's no need to hide them."

"If someone with ulterior motives investigates, I don't think I can hide it anymore, but at least for now, no one dares to do it. They'll wait until the wave passes before they do it."

"And don't forget your trial is at the end of the month, so let's make a fuss for a few more days. I want to keep the buzz going until the trial."

"Consider this a preliminary battle against Sony; that guy is our ultimate target, and he'll be much tougher to deal with!"

(End of this chapter)