Jonathots Daily Blog
(3482)
Soos got busy.
Having placed the shoddy-quality video she shot at the jail up on YouTube, she worked very hard with her understanding of the Internet, attempting to force traffic in its direction. She had some awareness of how to accomplish this, but it was still a rather hit-and-miss proposal. But seven hours later, there were 350,000 hits, and it was growing by 100,000 an hour. By the end of the day, the viewings were nearly two million.
Not only were people checking out the video, sharing it, reposting it and talking about it, but an organization called “The Defense of the Innocent” had decided to make the case their pet project for the week.
They started a crowd-funding campaign to get Jubal Carlos out of his bind, and within a day and a half, they had raised over a million dollars.
It became the subject of conversations on talk shows. People were discussing it at their jobs. It even crossed over the generation gap, with mothers and fathers finding something to converse about with their teenagers.
The Defense of the Innocent did not waste any time trying to get to the bottom of how a drummer for Las Vegas Casinos, who had a heart for the homeless, had ended up in the clink. Within three days they had tracked the conspiracy back to a Washington lobbyist, who then disappeared on a flight to South America. The organization continued its investigation, finding that the request for the arrest of Jubal Carlos had come from somewhere in Congress.
Calls flooded the Clark County jail. The sheriff was inundated with emails, letters and all sorts of communications, accusing him of persecuting a generous man.
But things really got poppin’ when the famous acts appearing in Las Vegas, who had enjoyed Jubal’s accompaniment on the skins, began to speak out, which generated even more press and stirred up a whirlwind of questions.
Pressured, frustrated and not certain why the whole thing had begun in the first place, the Clark County sheriff ordered Jubal released for time served.
However, Jubal had to negotiate to get Matthew out since it was a completely separate matter. But the sheriff was in no mood to make a stand, so after only six days, the new comrades, Matthew and Jubal, came strolling out of the Clark County Municipal Building–free.
They were immediately surrounded by reporters. A crowd of several hundred people had gathered on the steps to hear Jubal speak. There was only one question:
“Mr. Carlos, what do you plan to do about the false imprisonment that you’ve undergone?”
Jubal stood for about three seconds, and then responded, “Nothing.”
This brought a hurricane of inquiries hurled in his direction, all with the same theme:
“But you were mistreated…”
“Injustice was done…”
Jubal patted Matthew on the back and said, “This is my buddy, Matthew. He’s kind of like a tax collector.”
There was a smattering of laughter.
“I thought I’d take him down to the homeless section, see if I can get somebody to grab my congas, call up my band, ‘The Pebble Pushers,’ and have a celebration concert.”
“When will this happen?” one of the reporters asked.
Jubal shrugged and said, “How about three o’clock this afternoon? Everybody’s invited.”
As they walked away, Matthew furrowed his brow and whispered to Jubal, “What are you doing?”
Jubal laughed. “I don’t know, but it sure sounds like fun.”
Calls were made.
Soos was contacted to get ahold of The Pebble Pushers and rig up some sort of sound system.
Prophet Morgan, who had just come from the blackjack tables with his yearly bonanza of funds for the poor, started spreading the word all through the casinos.
Jo-Jay quickly found a courtesy suite at one of the famous hotels so Matthew and Jubal could clean up and get ready for the afternoon activities.
And a spot was found in a park near the homeless haven for the impromptu concert.
At three o’clock, Matthew and Jubal arrived to an amazing scene. There were thousands of people. There was a stage made up of old crates, boxes and palates–the perfect venue for Jubal Carlos and The Pebble Pushers. Sitting on top of the makeshift stage were Jubal’s famous double set of congas, waiting for a good beating.
Jubal took the stage, to the screams and applause of an appreciative audience, giddy on the elixir of defiance.
Jubal announced, “I know people always say this, but I truthfully, honestly, gloriously and faithfully want to thank each and every one of you for helping me gain my freedom. It is not my doing, but it is a work of God–because people came together. Do you understand what I mean? When people come together for something good, it is the presence of God. So let’s play some music, let’s dance, let’s celebrate and let’s see if they will take me in this time for actually disturbing the peace.”
The crowd cheered.
For the next hour-and-a-half, Jubal and the band played song after song, driving the audience into a state of frenzy.
All at once, in the midst of a particularly vibrant number, Jubal stopped and called Matthew to the back of the stage. Stepping aside from his drums as the band continued to play, he stepped down to speak to Matthew.
“Listen, here’s what I want you to do. How many McDonald’s do you think there are in this town?”
Matthew shook his head. “I don’t know. Fifty? A hundred?”
Jubal replied, “Good. These people are hungry. I want you to go to all those McDonald’s and buy up all the McDoubles and small fries that they have in stock and bring them out here.”
Matthew blanched, eyes widened, and said, “What??”
Jubal continued. “And while you’re at it, pick up thousands of bottles of water.”
Jubal headed back to the stage, and Matthew grabbed his arm. “How am I going to do this? I’ve only got fifty bucks on me.”
Jubal frowned. “Don’t you have millions in the bank for this promotion?”
Matthew nodded. “Yeah… but how does this fit into the promotion?”
Jubal laughed. “Well, I think we’re gonna get a lot of press if we pass out a McDouble and a small fry to everybody in this audience. What? About five or six thousand? If we give them bottles of water and we continue to rock the park, the press will stay as long as the music’s hot and the hamburgers are tasty.”
Matthew shook his head. “It’s a great idea. I just wish I had the people to do it.”
Jubal pointed to the crowd. “Grab some people from the audience. You’ll have plenty of helpers. And while you’re getting the burgers and fries together, I’ll continue the concert. And you can roll in with a bunch of vans filled with meat, cheese and potatoes.”
“This is crazy,” said Matthew.
Jubal paused.
And then, as if struck by a great notion from the heavens, replied, “No. It’s the beginning of our Good Cheer Revolution.”
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Jonathots Daily Blog 