Harrison Funk Plays Dumb Over His Neverland Train Station Claims
Aug 10, 2019
It has been a lengthy process, but British tabloids have now picked up on Harrison Funk's assertions that the Neverland train station was constructed before a planning permit was issued.
During a MJ Cast podcast in February 2019, Harrison Funk assertively stated that Jackson specifically instructed him on two occasions not to photograph the train station, as it had not yet obtained its planning permit. Funk further claimed that Jackson was reluctant to disclose this information over the phone, in fear that anyone, including local authorities, might be monitoring their conversation.
His exact words are:
I was up there for three days, photographing the statues in situ and also the train station and I called him and he said don’t photograph the train station.
I said why and he said just don’t photograph the train station and then he called me back and he said I need to talk to you but I can’t on this line as I don’t know who is listening.
Apparently he didn’t want the train station photographed as he had put it up without permission initially and was fighting with the county about it being there.
Of course they let it be there, whatever he had to do to make it stay, he made it stay.
To view the complete podcast, visit youtube.com. Alternatively, click on the video below for a condensed version.
In the Leaving Neverland documentary, James Safechuck alleges that Jackson sexually abused him from the ages of 10 to 14 in various locations at Neverland, including the train station. However, according to Mike Smallcombe, a biographer of Jackson, this train station did not obtain planning permission until September 1993 and did not open until early 1994, which is over a year after James claimed the abuse had ceased.
Given Mike Smallcombe's affiliations with the Mirror Online, The Mail Online, The Express, The Metro, and other tabloids, it's no wonder that the attention-grabbing narrative questioning James' potential abuse at the train station gained widespread coverage.
Although Harrison Funk has made assertions, he has unsurprisingly refrained from swiftly coming to James Safechuck's defence by asserting the existence of the train station before September 1993. Instead, he has accused Dan Reed, the director of Leaving Neverland, of distorting his statements.
After his comments had been uncovered, Reed tweeted:
The train station - one of many #neverland locations where #jamessafechuck was abused - was already complete before the 1993 construction permit was approved, says #MichaelJackson personal photographer @harrisonfunk in an engagingly candid Jan 2019 podcast.
View original tweet here.
Funk's reply was:
You may try to twist public opinion of someone’s character who is no longer here to defend himself but you will not twist my words in defense of my friend. Remove your lies Dan.
View original tweet here.
Furthermore, Funk proceeds to vent:
It’s very easy to convince people of bs when you only tell one side of an issue...or is it? This was not a doc it was a mockumentary created to make money for Reed and Oprah. Again I ask, who funded this mess in the first place?
View original tweet here.
Funk then claims:
The photo shoot that I was referring to happened in JUNE, 1994, definitely NOT BEFORE. I refuse to engage with the people attempting to twist my words to fit their agenda.
View original tweet here.
Harrison Funk's tweets contain several inaccuracies. Firstly, Dan Reed did not distort his words; he simply quoted Funk verbatim.
According to Mike Smallcombe, the Neverland train station undeniably obtained its permit in early September 1993. Smallcombe even shared a screenshot of the actual plans as evidence.
In his podcast, Harrison Funk makes no reference to the train station being incomplete or resembling a building site. In fact, he was photographing statues directly in front of the train station.
If the entire photo shoot took place in June 1994, why would Jackson explicitly instruct him not to take photographs due to the absence of a permit? This occurred 8-9 months after the permit was issued, and the station was fully completed and operational, even with a second, larger train.
The Chippewa Herald Telegram published a photograph of the train station on Tuesday, December 14, 1993, depicting the station nearing completion. Although the origin and date of the photograph are unknown, it establishes that the station was publicly acknowledged by mid-December 1993.
A Hard Copy video featuring Diane Diamond confirms that Jackson welcomed guests and children to his Neverland Ranch in January, 1994, to commemorate Martin Luther King's birthday, during which he unveiled his new steam engine train for the first time.
Given that camera crews were permitted into Neverland on that date, it raises the question of why Jackson explicitly instructed him not to photograph the train station in June 1994, especially when a camera crew and guests would have seen it 5 to 6 months earlier.
On August 9, 2019, I highlighted these details to Harrison Funk, who once again declined to provide a plausible explanation for why he was not allowed to photograph it in June 1994.
I tweeted:
TV crews were invited into Jacko's ranch on the 15th of January 1994 to film his new steam train. Chippewa Herald Telegram published a picture of the train station in Dec 93. But Harrison Funk wasn't allowed to photograph it 6 months later?
View original tweet here.
Funk tweeted:
The photo in the 12/13/93 Chippewa Herald Telegram shows a construction site. You need to stop harassing me with your lies. Pick another scapegoat for your crap. 12/93 too late to fit the JS BS narrative.
View original tweet here.
I tweeted:
It shows a fully erected train station nearing completion. I'm not making you a scapegoat, I'm just highlighting the fact that you're not being honest after you inadvertently revealed Jackson built the main train station before the September permit.
View original tweet here.
Funk tweeted:
I guess you know NOTHING about construction. The photo reveals a skeleton of a building with some unfinished wood exterior. It would not have a c of o at that point. Stop grasping at straws, I didn’t inadvertently “reveal” anything. I stated a fact from 1994.
View original tweet here.
I tweeted:
But, you're implying that the entire structure was a secret, and couldn't be photographed under any circumstances. You confidently claim that Jackson built it without a permit, initially. That permit was in September 93.
View original tweet here.
After highlighting to another Twitter user, @SkepticOnSite, that the video featuring Diane Dimond is evidently from January 1994, he shares the following tweet:
Don’t jump the gun Who...there is no train station shown in the video...not even a shadow. The train, I believe, was delivered in Dec, 1993. None of this correlates to JS’ allegation of abuse that ended in 1992. Walk away...
View original tweet here.
I tweeted:
Oh, come on Harrison, we were just talking about a newspaper article that was published in December 1993, which clearly shows the massive structure of the train station. I think that would cast a shadow, yes?
View original tweet here.
Subsequently, Harrison Funk begins posting absurd conspiracy-laden tweets:
All of this twisting and double talk makes me wonder if Who is actually Dan Reed or one of his Amos people. Seems the same M.O..
View original tweet here.
I tweeted:
Again, Harrison, you dodged the question. How is it that you weren't allowed to take photographs in June 94, despite 2 TV crews filming the steam train just metres away from the station in Jan 94, and a newspaper publishing at least one pic in 93? I'm not a gullible Jacko Stan.
View original tweet here.
As evident, Harrison Funk steadfastly refuses to provide a reasonable explanation for why he was prohibited from photographing the train station if it was indeed June 1994. He even ventures into far-fetched conspiracy territory, insinuating that the photograph published by the Chippewa Herald Telegram in December 1993 could not be authenticated by the council due to it being just a "skeleton" building, despite its near completion and a 1 mile long concrete foundation for the track.
Predictably, staunch supporters have promptly come to Harrison Funk’s defence. Their speculation revolves around the notion that Jackson modified the original train station plans without notifying the local planning department, thereby implying that the conversation he had with Harrison pertained to these alterations.
It is accurate that the final train station deviated somewhat from the original permit, incorporating two small storage rooms at the end of the structure and varied window sizes (refer to the example below).
It's not uncommon for buildings to deviate from their initial plans due to various legitimate reasons such as structural issues, unavailability of materials, unexpected expenses, or alterations requested by the client.
While I cannot personally comment on the operations of the Santa Barbara planning department, it seems highly improbable that the modifications made by Jackson or his contractors necessitated the original plans to be discarded.
In reality, evidence provided by Jackson supporters themselves indicates that any alterations were submitted to the planning department and approved as early as January 1994, well before Harrison's "I can't talk about it" remark in June.
However, all of that is irrelevant. As mentioned earlier, the photograph published in December 1993 depicts the completed train station, clearly showing the two end extensions and window apertures. Harrison persistently asserts that he was forbidden to take any photographs or even converse on the telephone, fearing that the local council might find out. He makes no mention of alterations or any other details, maintaining that Jackson constructed an entire train station without a permit.
There is no denying that the train station featured in Leaving Neverland was constructed sometime after September 1993. Furthermore, it is indisputable that the train station received a permit not only for the original structure but also for any minor modifications made subsequently long before June, 1994.
Harrison Funk's statements strongly imply that Jackson had built a different train station before the one in question was erected and completed.
Despite contradicting evidence, Harrison himself appears reluctant to admit to fabricating the entire scenario, or at the very least acknowledge that Jackson may have been mistaken.
Listening to Harrison's podcast, it becomes evident that he is someone with an abundance of stories, many of which are embellished or entirely fabricated. Even the Guardian acknowledges that Harrison is an extravagant storyteller.
In any case, Harrison Funk has directly contradicted the findings of Mike Smallcombe, although neither of them is willing to acknowledge it.
Once again, this serves as a prime example of the kind of individuals Jackson had in his inner circle. They refuse to engage in a civilized or fact-based conversation, opting instead to accuse others of being "haters" or distorting their words, even when those words are being directly quoted.