Michael Jackson's death: Waiting outside the coroner's office
Across the street from the Los Angeles County coroner's office in Boyle Heights, scores of journalists -- some hailing from Britain, Germany, Colombia and Japan -- clustered on the edge of a sidewalk next to a gas station. Part of the crowd spilled into the street, forcing the police to block off a lane of traffic.
A handful of Michael Jackson fans and some employees of nearby County USC Medical Center gathered across the street in front of a makeshift shrine, where three fans holding up today's Times, a freshly made Jackson T-shirt and a "Honk if you love Michael Jackson" sign stood watch over a wreath of flowers next to the media gathering spot.
Jenna Loa, 19, an East L.A. college student who lives nearby, held a sign made out of the top of a white box a florist up the street gave her. The florist also gave her a pink carnation and a printed photo of Jackson. After she saw the gathering of media today, Loa said to herself: "I'm going to go show my love. His life was so controversial. It's only when a person's gone you remember the essence of the music. That's why I'm here -- for the music."
Next to her was Alicia Doten, 32, who also lives nearby. She said she had a hard time finding a copy of today's Times and had to go to a Starbucks in unincorporated East L.A. to find one.
"He's just an inspiration to our whole family," said Doten, who held up a commemorative Jackson T-shirt.
She recalled her heartbreak years ago when Jackson canceled a show in Arizona, where she lived at the time.
"It made sense to respect him," she said.
Roshanda Nettles, 31, of San Jose, after noticing the TV trucks from the freeway, decided to stop at the coroner's office before she headed home from a visit with her parents. She said she wanted to capture the spectacle with her cellphone camera.
An Elvis impersonator also showed up, going through the drive-through counter at the nearby Jack in the Box, blaring a Jackson song from his car's stereos and posing for pictures as fans got their cellphone cameras out.
-- Rong-Gong Lin II in Boyle Heights
