Fund Taj Jackson with Victim Blaming Merchandise

Apr 8, 2020

A few weeks ago, I stumbled upon a link in a private Twitter thread that led me to a website selling Michael Jackson merchandise, though with a rather disturbing angle.

Instead of celebrating Michael Jackson's accomplishments in the music industry, this merchandise sports the slogan: "Facts Don't Lie, People Do" and #TheTruthRunsMarathons, the latter linked to Taj Jackson’s yet-to-be-released documentary series.

The "Facts Don't Lie, People Do" slogan briefly gained attention after the release of Leaving Neverland, even appearing momentarily on several London buses before being swiftly removed following widespread condemnation, including from Survivors Trust, a charity for survivors of sexual abuse. The slogan and bus banners were initially created by Anika Kotecha and former Big Brother contestant Sean O'Kane.

The merchandise includes various clothing and home accessories and is available for purchase on the website: The Michael Jackson Innocent Project.

According to the WHOIS records, The Michael Jackson Innocent Project was established in March 2019 and is managed by an individual who identifies as "Souza," a Dutch nationalist, along with several other contributors from the UK and US. Souza asserts her intention is to get to the bottom of the conspiracy to take Michael Jackson down.

The website embodies the typical traits of an obsessive stan site, featuring standard criticisms and animosity towards individuals who do not view Michael Jackson as a saintly figure, while actively soliciting monetary contributions to sustain the project. However, it is the merchandise that truly captures attention. Although the exact timing of this merchandise's introduction to the site remains unknown, it is evident that considerable effort has been devoted not only to its design, but also to sourcing a supplier.

Alarmingly, a considerable number of the clothing products target children, with several being modelled by children as young as three or four years old.

The slogan "Facts Don’t Lie, People Do" is rather ill-judged for several reasons, as it not only dismisses genuine survivors of sexual abuse, but also places Michael Jackson on an infallible pedestal.

Taj Jackson, a vehement critic of Leaving Neverland and its subjects, has been eager to echo this slogan, whether through his Twitter feed or in various news interviews. Ironically, Taj Jackson initiated a GoFundMe page to finance his documentary series in early 2019, yet as I highlighted in a recent post, the description contains numerous falsehoods and misleading statements, rendering it a fraudulent campaign according to GoFundMe's own terms and conditions.

As of April 2020, Taj Jackson has personally amassed over $212,000 through GoFundMe, but this figure may be even higher due to The Michael Jackson Innocent Project, which donates 50% of all profits from their victim-blaming merchandise, along with 50% of the $9.99 membership fee that anyone subscribes to, as noted on their YouTube channel.

To ensure this was not a prank and to gather additional information, I reached out to The Michael Jackson Innocent Project via email and posed a straightforward yet blatantly false and sarcastic question to the owner from a fictitious email account.

The following email was sent on April 7, 2020:

I came across your amazing website in support of Michael Jackson. One thing that caught my eye was your merchandise, you now have for sale. As a parent myself, I would be extremely proud to see my four-year-old daughter, display the "Facts Don't Lie, People Do" slogan, as well as myself and my wife.

I'm happy to buy several T-shirts and other various items, but just wanted to make sure this is legitimate, and 50% of all profits are going directly to Taj Jackson to help fund his upcoming documentary series, as stated on your website.

Thank you very much for your time, and keep up the good work.

I received a reply back on 8 April:

Hi Michael,

Yes we are absolutely legitimate, if we state that we send 50% of profit to Taj, we really do. You can ask Taj about that. He has also been on our live stream 3 times and he has been wearing the merch himself!

Let me know if I can help you with anything.

Best wishes,

Souza

Read the original emails here.

Even after facetiously expressing a desire to see my four-year-old daughter wearing such merchandise, Souza enthusiastically confirmed its complete legitimacy. Furthermore, she asserted that Taj Jackson was wholeheartedly supportive and would receive 50% of the profits from any merchandise I purchased. To substantiate her claims, she included a picture within the email featuring Taj Jackson donning one of the hoodies alongside Danny Wu at a university in the Netherlands.

And a link to a YouTube video featuring Taj Jackson once more, wearing the victim-blaming merchandise. (I believe it's the "Unisex Fleece Hoodie," priced at €37, by the way.)

On the same day, I also emailed Taj Jackson inquiring whether he was fully aware of the merchandise in question and expressing my intention to purchase it and proudly adorn my four-year-old daughter with it in support of his cause. Thus far, I have not received a response from Taj.

So, there it is. Michael Jackson stans have established a website that not only sells victim-blaming merchandise but also targets babies and preschool children, with 50% of the profits funnelling to Taj Jackson, who seems to wholeheartedly endorse it.