As of now, Whitney Houston’s hometown of Newark, New Jersey, has no public memorial planned for the fallen singer / actress. Original reports stated a public memorial would take place at the Prudential Center – an 18,000 seat venue that would have been more than befitting for a celebration of a native daughter. Instead, Houston fans have been invited to assemble in the cold streets outside of New Hope Baptist Church, where a private funeral for Houston is scheduled for Saturday. A jumbo tron will broadcast a live feed to those outside of the church. The Houston family has stated this is “their time”, and pulled the plug on the public memorial.
“The Houston family has no plans to set up a public viewing at the Prudential Center this Friday,” a rep for mayor Cory Booker stated to media outlets. “In compliance with the family’s wishes, the city is not moving forward with any public ceremony.”
Yes there will be a live feed of the funeral online, but before anyone says anything about that, tuning in over a live stream is not paying respects. That’s watching a funeral online. Contrary to what many may think, a computer can’t do everything for us. And the digital divide says that many who would want to watch a live stream may not have computer access. So, yeah.
I respect the decision of the Houston family to keep their event private, and I think it’s gracious for them to allow Ms. Houston’s funeral to be videotaped for live stream. But why isn’t the City of Newark putting together a public memorial for fans to come and pay their respects? Whitney Houston is a native daughter of Newark, and people will naturally want to come celebrate the life of a hometown – and worldwide – icon. I believe the family should proceed with their plans as they see fit, but I also believe a public memorial orchestrated by the City of Newark is a must.
Even though Michael Jackson spent much of his time in California, he was a hometown hero in his birthplace of Gary, Indiana. When Jackson died, the city couldn’t get a gathering together quick enough. Understanding what it meant to the locals, they threw a FREE event that drew thousands. Indiana Mayor Rudy Clay said in a statement:
“You see, Gary people, we believe that it is not where your physical body is, it is where your heart is. And the Jackson family and Michael’s heart has been Gary, Indiana from the womb and I want to say to the people around the world that Michael Jackson put Gary, Indiana on the global map.” During the memorial ceremony, the Mayor even unveiled a granite slab monument to Jackson, which the city plans to display in a forthcoming Michael Jackson museum. That’s what’s up…keep it classy, Mayor Clay!
No statements about Whitney Houston have been more touching and pure than those coming out of Newark.
Though things didn’t turn out the way many had hoped for Houston, she was (for a time) the Queen of Pop, changing the industry and breaking down barriers in the same way as Michael Jackson. The people in Newark, just like the people in Gary, knew these very famous families and knew their stories before the rest of us had any idea. It’s very personal.
Final thought: when is it ever a good idea (outside of protest) for emotional people to assemble in the streets for long periods of time? Crowd control is one of the main concerns of any public gathering. God forbid anything happen to a grieving fan when they’re outside watching the jumbo tron in the Newark streets this Saturday. I don’t put this out there to suggest anything will happen, I try to always take caution with any communication / idea that I put out in the universe. I’m putting this out there because it’s a serious concern when masses of people gather, anywhere. I hope Whitney Houston’s fans are safe and previsions are made to foster a safe public gathering. I hope the city is prepared to deal with crowd control and that all goes smoothly.
If Newark fails to plan a public memorial in the near future (hopefully they’ll come around and do that), the people of Newark may have to do it themselves. The People. It would be great business for another Newark venue to offer up its space for a public celebration. I’m sure the city would support such function – at least they wouldn’t be outside in the dead of winter.
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