My Friend Michael Jackson - In Loving Memory

Singer Joanelle Romero performs in front of a makeshift memorial at the Michael Jackson´s family compound on July 6, 2009 in Encino, California: 

Joanelle Romero, on 'Issues With Jane Velez-Mitchell', CNN 10th October 2011

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Joining me tonight in an ISSUES exclusive; I`m thrilled to have someone who says she grew up with Michael Jackson. Joanelle Romero, thank you for being here. These are photos, with you —
JOANELLE ROMERO, MICHAEL JACKSON`S CHILDHOOD FRIEND: Yes.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: And who is the cute adorable child in the middle.

ROMERO: That`s my daughter, Sage.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Wow.

ROMERO: And that`s during the “Black and White” music video. It is a wonderful story, our story, my life with Michael.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Ok. Tell me how you met him.

ROMERO: Ok, I met him in the sixth grade at Gardner Street School.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: That`s here in Los Angeles.

ROMERO: That`s here in Los Angeles.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: They moved from Gary, Indiana all the way to Los Angeles.

ROMERO: Right. And they lived — and they lived on King`s Road. And my brother and I were the only ones allowed up to the house to visit and –

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Did you know he was famous?

ROMERO: Well, it was when he had “ABC”.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: He was still famous.

ROMERO: He was 11. I used to protect him in school. The kids were kind of mean to him in school. And I remember sitting on the steps of Gardner Street School. He asked me to go steady. He was like really shy. He had a tremendous light then as he always carried throughout his whole life.

He had a major concern at 11 as well as I. And he used to swing me in this big swing, Jane, at his house. We used to talk about bringing peace to the world. And you know, love and peace and what we`re going to do to save the world. And this is at 11, you know, we were talking about this.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Did he seem traumatized at 11? Because he`d already talked about being beaten — in retrospect, he said at that age, he was already being hit his dad with a belt when he made mistakes during rehearsal. Did you hear anything about that?

ROMERO: No. And I`m — but you know when we`re survivors. I have 30 years sober and when we`re survivors –

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Congratulations.

ROMERO: Yes. Thank you.

And when we are survivors and we are told not to talk about these kind of things, you know, we don`t at that age.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: On Saturday, there was a huge Michael Jackson tribute concert in Wales and his children showed up dressed in his old costumes. Check this out from iambicTV (ph) and YouTube. Something to see.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: This is bringing out some emotion in you. Why?

ROMERO: It is because children were very, very precious to Michael, all children. And the reason why I`m so honored to be here is because Michael`s legacy and philanthropy that he created for his children and to see Blanket and the kids there, I`m so glad that mom — grandma, took them over to Europe to celebrate their father, to celebrate his talent, his magic, his light and to keep them in that instead of in this.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: That`s what I said. I said, Katherine did all of this to distract the children so that they were happy in remembering their father in a positive light as opposed to remembering and hearing about these tremendously personal details. Things like catheters and urine and all these things, the most private person on earth, how upsetting is that? We will be right back in just a moment.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

L. JACKSON: In the beginning, I just immediately said I don`t know if I really want to do this, to come out of retirement for all these years. But then I said I have to. It is Michael you have to do this for him. I mean he would do it for you. So of course, I did and I enjoyed it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Now that`s Latoya at the concert in Wales over the weekend. It was a tribute to Michael Jackson, but there was a lot of division in the family.

Jermaine was not in favor of it. Janet wasn`t in favor of it. They said the whole family should be here at the trial where we are, right here in downtown Los Angeles. The Criminal Courts Building is right behind me.

I`m here with Joanelle Romero who was childhood friend of Michael Jackson`s and reconnected around the “Black and White” video time.

What do you think? Do you think the family should all be here it doing you a united front or should they have gone to Wales and some of them done that concert?

ROMERO: There is a united front with the Jackson family already that is well-established. There has always been a united front and I think is fabulous that his mother took the kids to Europe and celebrating their father`s life and legacy. And that`s where they should be and that`s what a grandma — that`s what grandmas do.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: That`s true.

ROMERO: That`s what grandmas do. And there is a united front, they are all there. The family`s there.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: What`s your reaction to all these personal details of Michael Jackson, the urine and the catheters and the syringes and all of these things being revealed about the most private man in the world? What would his reaction have been?

ROMERO: There are no words. The word is unconscionable — am I saying that correct?

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Yes.

ROMERO: It`s unconscionable, what`s going on. There are no English words to define what is happening with the state that we are in with television. This is Michael Jackson. There`s not going to be another Michael Jackson ever, ever. He was the only person on this earth that can drop all races, all nationalities, all — everyone at a drop of a hat. He was the only person on this planet — I know no one on this planet that can do that.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: And yet, this is what`s happening to him in death?

ROMERO: And it`s — it`s unconscionable. It`s — it`s –

VELEZ-MITCHELL: It`s like dissecting his life in the most unflattering manner imaginable. How would he have reacted if he could see what`s happening now?

ROMERO: Things have already broken his heart with media. Michael was a — was an incredible human being. He was a human being. He had feelings. He had a heart. He had tenderness. And he was an entertainer, the greatest entertainer that we have ever had, greater than Elvis. I grew up on the sets of Elvis Presley. My mom did the Presley movies. Michael was the greatest entertainer. He was human being.

(CROSSTALK)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: But his family says they want justice and this is what is required in a criminal trial.

ROMERO: Yes. Yes. So we have to do that but it`s still unconscionable and what would he have thought, you know — what I feel –

VELEZ-MITCHELL: What do you feel?

ROMERO: What I feel is that this man should get more than four years.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Four years. I think that`s what a lot of fans are saying, all this for four years? All this for four years? This is justice for Michael, embarrassing him in death with personal details? All for the maximum of four years? And then it could even be less because of prison overcrowding.

We will be right back. Thank you Joanelle.

Joanelle Romero is a Native American humanitarian, filmmaker, actress, recording artist and entrepreneur. She is the founder of Red Nation Media, an internet and television channel. In 2007 she was designated a Women's History Month Honoree by the National Women's History Project.

Jump to search