My original goal was to blog ONLY about Sgt. Beminio and Officer Martin and leave that miserable, hate-filled son-of-a-bitch's name out of it altogether. But I can not. I feel like my insides are going to burst if I don't get all of this bad stuff out. I feel like I am going to end up not liking a whole lot of likable people if I don't.
Scott Michael Greene. That low-life coward that took the lives of two heroes for absolutely no reason other than that they were cops. You are pathetic Mr. Greene and I hope you rot in hell. You ambushed and murdered them as they sat in their cars. They were out there serving and protecting. They were willing to lay their lives down for anybody, including you. And you robbed them.
You robbed their parents, spouse, siblings, children, grandparents, and many, many more people that loved them. These men were real people with lives outside of their jobs...and you destroyed all of that. You are a monster and I hope you get yours in the end.
Officer Justin Martin, Urbandale Police Officer, 24 years old and just starting out in life. Close-knit with his family and friends and loved God and life. Leaving behind his parents and little brother. I got the "honor" of celebrating Justin's life the other day and I can tell you it was beautiful. This young man really knew what he wanted and wasn't afraid to go after it.
Sergeant Beminio was 39 years old and had been a police officer for the past 11 years. He has a family as well. A wife and three children that, I'm sure wake up every morning hoping that they just had the worst nightmare of their lives. There is nothing we can do to bring Tony back and no words will ever comfort them the way they need comfort. I got the "honor" of celebrating Tony's life as well and I will never forget either of these two men and the sacrifice they made for the good of the people.
On Wednesday, November 2nd, 2016, you Mr. Greene decided you were above the law and decided to make your own rules. You decided that pulling the trigger on some innocent target was your choice to make.
Let's talk a little bit about this asshat...this cowardly son-of-a-bitch that wasn't man enough to give Justin or Tony a chance to defend themselves. Yeah, let's talk about him. The man described as combative in a previous encounter with police. Now, I know that things get heated and just because somebody gets angry or even physical once or twice when the police are around or when the police get called, it doesn't necessarily mean they are mental or that they have a problem. But this guy...yeah, this guy makes me even more angry at my Governor for taking away all the mental health facilities in my state. As if I needed any more ammo to throw his way!
Greene has a history of abrasive and radically charged run-ins with the law and with school officials. Greene was recently kicked out of Urbandale's high school football stadium after claiming that some spectators stole his Confederate Flag that he brought to the game. A flag that he was previously told was not allowed on the school grounds. This happened in October of this year. Check it out. Just weeks before he decided to kill two innocent police officers!! RED FLAG.
Most of the Urbandale PD has dealt with him on one level or another. Chief McCarty told reporters that "They've taken trips to his house or delivered service to him." After the shootings, agents were reportedly "scouring" social media pages connected to Greene. There was a Facebook page that included friends who are Iraqi, Nigerian, or Saudi nationals. McCarty also went on to say that his department has had previous run-ins with Greene, which included some indirect threats to the Urbandale schools. RED FLAG.
Let's go back to 2014. In April of that year, Greene faced a harassment charge after he called a man the N-word and then threatened to kill him. "I will kill you, (expletive) kill you," according to the complaint. Greene was charged with first degree harassment but pleaded guilty to a lesser harassment charge on June 30th, 2014, and was sentenced to one year of probation. That same month, Greene was charged with interference with official acts when he resisted an attempt by officers to pat him down for weapons at an Urbandale residence. The officers wanted to search Greene after noticing that he had a pouch on his belt that resembled a holster. Their report states that Greene was "non-compliant, hostile, combative and made furtive movements towards his pockets" before the arrest. Greene is also "known to go armed." Two weeks later, Greene pleaded guilty to this charge. RED FLAG.
A probation officer who oversaw Greene following the harassment arrest, wrote in a June 2015 report that he received a mental health evaluation and was taking recommended medications. At least one court document suggests Greene struggled with a mental health issue. RED FLAG.
Back to recent events. This one just makes me shake my head. Greene told people in his neighborhood that he helped thwart a burglary in the early morning hours of October 27th. Just six days before he made his final mistake. Greene said he was walking a dog a little before 05:00 and noticed a strange vehicle near a store in the area that was across the street from his mother's house and he called 911. The burglary was confirmed and...get this...Officer Martin...Officer Justin S. Martin...the slain Urbandale Police Officer...was the responding officer. I feel almost creeped out about how these events happened. The store owner said that the young officer was "as good as gold" in helping through the situation. I think I have read this paragraph five times now because...what are the fucking odds??
Greene told the shop owner that he wished he was able to confront the suspect, then showed a baton. The shop owner said that Greene "whacks out this telescoping baton and said "Well, first I'll break their collarbone, and if that doesn't' work they get to meet Mr. 9mm." Greene told the shop owner how he was armed all the time and was a stress victim from the military. RED FLAG.
Greene lived with his mother and seemed to have a rocky relationship with her. A neighbor had said that Greene "spiraled into a depression after his Vietnam veteran father died from cancer in 2010 and that his mother, Patricia, has been trying to support him. Patricia moved out of the house after a recent fight that resulted in a serious misdemeanor domestic charge that was filed against her. Greene called the police on October 16th to report that his mother had slapped him in the face after an argument they had about a service dog living in the house. Patricia is scheduled for an arraignment on November 30th. I would about walk her to court myself and shake her hand and sit down right beside her. And smile. And then we would go out for lunch. My treat. She should've knocked him the fuck out when she had a chance.
Apparently, there are three kids out there that belong to Greene. I hope for their sake, they don't acknowledge him or this. The things people will say or do to them. Our world is crazy, ungrateful, and mean on any given day. To have something like this hanging over your head would be awful. My sincere prayers go out to his children and his mother. I can not imagine what they are having to hide from at this point just to live a somewhat normal life.
A lot of red flags up there, huh? Now you see what I mean about not trusting anybody anymore. And now you see what I mean when I say that the State of Iowa is in DIRE need of mental health services and facilities. This man has needed professional help for many years but the options we have in our State are nill. Thank you Governor Branstad! These shootings did not have to happen and they may have been avoided if he could have just gotten the help he needed. Do you have any idea how hard it is to find beds in mental health facilities in this state? I will give you a small glimpse into what we go through in our county. We almost had to take someone to Chicago a short while ago because there were NO beds in Iowa to help our own people!!
It almost looked like I was giving Mr. Greene a little bit of sympathy up there, didn't it? Well, rest assured I wasn't. And I never will. Forever a coward in my book and his name will always leave a bad taste in my mouth. Maybe I'm wrong to feel this way but I really don't care. If I don't put it out there, I will hold it inside and I don't think that is going to be very healthy for me or anyone around me.
Matter of fact, I was going to put this blog off for a few more days. Something inside of me wanted to hold this anger in and let it fester. I wanted it to explode so that when I finally did let loose, the lashing would be hard and fast. And then my sister posted something on Facebook that I wasn't expecting.
A tribute to these fine men When I heard "This is my last call..." I broke.
As I watched this, I found tears starting to well up in my eyes. Next thing I knew they were streaming down my cheeks and by the end of the video, I was sitting in my chair sobbing for these men and their families. Sobbing because the very people that I stand for and love with all of my heart, have to watch their own backs from the very monsters they are out there to protect. My heart literally wrenching in pain because I know I will crumble into a heap if this madness ever reaches us.
And just like that...my soul is starting to mend. It's going to take a while because I still hurt and I still cry...but it's mending. And that's all that matters. I think this gal needs a day away and it's coming very soon.
Thanks for reading.
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