Does Black Lives Matter Still Back Michael Jackson?

Michael Jackson’s shady past got even shadier this week as newly released documents from the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Department showed much more of the hidden horror in his personal “play room,” according to Radar Online.

One of the most troubling items was a sex book entitled “Room to Play,” featuring a picture of child beauty queen Jon Benet Ramsay with a noose around her neck.

The pressing question is this: In light of these discoveries, will the Black Lives Matter movement demand that Jackson be stripped of the many artistic accolades he acquired over the years — just as they’ve demanded that Confederate generals be stripped of their medals, for example, or white poets stripped of their status in popular culture?

Among the items found belonging to Jackson were piles of pornography, images of animal torture and S&M, and especially brutal images of children, according to Radar. The material was used to desensitize young boys in order to later seduce them, former Santa Barbara Senior Assistant District Attorney Ron Zonen told Radar.

“A lot of this stuff was used to desensitize the children, and Michael admitted [to] taking one child after another into bed with him for long periods of time,” he said.

One of the most disturbing items was a sex book entitled “Room to Play,” which featured a picture of child beauty queen Jon Benet Ramsay with a noose around her neck, Radar reported. In addition, video and audio recordings as well as notes, diaries, and photos were found.

[lz_ndn video=31041095]

The reports were written up after the 2003 raid of Neverland Ranch in Los Olivos, California, when Michael Jackson, one of the biggest pop stars in the world, was suspected of child molestation. The criminal charges first began in 2003 after the release of the documentary, “Living with Michael Jackson” which portrayed the singer with a young boy, Gavin Arvizo, holding his hand and also claiming to sleep in the same bed with him.

This scene and Arvizo’s ensuing lawsuit launched a slew of bad publicity for Jackson, which badly tainted his reputation.

In 2005, Jackson was acquitted on all 14 charges in the child molestation case, People vs. Jackson. The singer was charged with lewd conduct with children under the age of 14, attempted lewd conduct, four charges of giving alcohol to induce child molestation, and one charge of conspiracy to engage in child abduction, according to CNN.

After a 32-hour deliberation over seven days, Jackson was acquitted of all charges, and paid as much as $200 million in hush money to his victims, CNN reported.

Related: 6 Live Concert Accidents

James Safechuck, a child actor and once a constant companion of Jackson’s, came forward in 2014 — five years after Jackson’s death — and accused him of sexual abuse. Safechuck reported multiple instances of sexual misconduct with Jackson while he was on tour, at hotels, and at Jackson’s famed Neverland Ranch, according to People Magazine.

Jackson’s death from cardiac arrest on June 25, 2009, came as a shock to his devoted fans and prompted a number of impromptu tributes to his musical career. Many fans have decided to overlook the disturbing charges against Jackson and focus instead on his musical abilities as a singer-songwriter since childhood.

It’s time to stop considering him a god in light of the awful secrets he clearly harbored.

Starting as the lead singer in the Jackson 5, he launched his solo career at the age of 13. He is now famous for such hits as “Thriller,” “Man in the Mirror,” “Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough,” and many others. Michael Jackson is widely acclaimed as one of the greatest musicians of the 20th century.

Many films have been made about Jackson, including the 2009 flick “Michael Jackson’s This Is It” and Spike Lee’s 2016 documentary, “Michael Jackson’s Journey From Motown to Off the Wall.” Producer J.J. Abrams announced he’s making a TV series about the newly released book, “Before You Judge Me: The Triumph and Tragedy of Michael Jackson’s Last Days,” according to the New York Daily News. The book, written by Tavis Smiley and David Ritz, takes a novelistic approach to Jackson’s final months (selected network and air dates have not yet been released).

In light of the new discoveries about Jackson’s darker side, these tributes seem one-sided to say the least. There is no doubt Michael Jackson was a talented artist and musician. But it’s time to stop considering him a god in light of the awful secrets he harbored.

His estate released a statement disputing the evidence, naturally, which said in part, “Michael Jackson’s fans, including the executors of his estate, prefer to remember the wonderful gifts Michael left behind instead of having to once again see his good name dragged through the mud by tabloid trash.”