Spirited and Lively Older Women Thread

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  • Alyson
    Alyson Member Posts: 4,308
    edited April 2013

    Just don't know what to say. I am sitting here shaking.

  • chabba
    chabba Member Posts: 5,065
    edited April 2013
  • lassie11
    lassie11 Member Posts: 1,500
    edited April 2013

    I am really sorry to hear that. SV was one of a kind and I was just wondering about her the other day.

  • BarbaraA
    BarbaraA Member Posts: 7,378
    edited April 2013

    I am on a cruise and 3 jays called me. I'm devastated. Crap. Plastic face on tonite. It was suicideby cop. Oh my seet Lord.

  • Gingerbrew
    Gingerbrew Member Posts: 2,859
    edited April 2013

    I am beyond any understanding of this.  my heart is broken over this. We spent hours on the phone Melissa helped me through some tough BC times.    There is no romance in this needless death. I cannot imagine her in the hysteria and raw terror of the situation she had run too. Her fear of the options of her newest diagnosis was so deep, beyond reason. She was fragile so very fragile. God help us all. 

    Melissa Jenkins rest in peace ..........Still Verticle on BCO

  • Alyson
    Alyson Member Posts: 4,308
    edited April 2013

    From the Outer Banks

  • QCA
    QCA Member Posts: 1,539
    edited April 2013

    Oh Alyson, I'm crying again.  That picture, oh my.

    Kathy

  • Connie07
    Connie07 Member Posts: 636
    edited April 2013

    Yep, me too. What a great shot. Hope she saw it, she would have loved it. Im going to search for the angels thread.

  • Mandy1313
    Mandy1313 Member Posts: 1,692
    edited April 2013

    Hoping that SV is at peace.

  • chrissyb
    chrissyb Member Posts: 16,818
    edited April 2013

    This was one of her last photos posted on FB.......such tranquilty that eluded her.

  • chrissyb
    chrissyb Member Posts: 16,818
    edited April 2013

    And another.......

  • Gingerbrew
    Gingerbrew Member Posts: 2,859
    edited April 2013

    Very beautiful photos. I just read the most recent news report.

    It turns out that Melissa had called a crisis  line on Friday and they issued the Silver Alert to the police that she might be suicidal. So the police chase her down and end up klilling her how was that helpful! JUST HOW!!!  

    She did not lead them on a speeding chase she just wouldn't stop. She was in her own car and refused to get out for an hour.  The direction she was heading was back to Duck where she was from.  So it is renamed a STANDOFF.   Why would she want to get out of the car. Why would anyone expect her too?

    If Melissa did aim a weapon at the police I would like to hear that hour long "negotiation" and see with my own eyes just how threatening Melissa was before several police departments  shot her to death!

    From what I can see the only law Melissa Anne Jensen broke was refusing to follow an order by police. It is much to easy to call this suicide by police.  The police escalated this. My opinion. 

         

  • Wren44
    Wren44 Member Posts: 8,585
    edited April 2013

    It's horrifying how often police shoot someone who is suicidal. No wonder family members don't want to call the police when a person needs hospitalization and is threatening. I think officers should have to take a training on working with persons who are mentally unstable. They seem to instinctively escalate situations. I worked for a mental health agency. Fortunately, we had a couple of officers who did have training and were sent to answer our calls. You know they're doing something right when clients later thank them for getting them into the hospital.

  • SoCalLisa
    SoCalLisa Member Posts: 13,961
    edited April 2013

    In the one article it says she called the suicide crisis line..I can't believe they couldn't wait her out..

  • marlegal
    marlegal Member Posts: 2,264
    edited April 2013

    I had a large post earlier and I don't know what happened. Basically, I feel everybody's pain. But I also had to say that the police do not know what is going on in every situation they are called to. I can't fault the police officers here because we might not have all the facts. Thatdoesn't take away from the fact that this hurts :(

  • Wren44
    Wren44 Member Posts: 8,585
    edited April 2013

    Mariegal, That's certainly true. I would not want to be in their shoes having to make split second decisions about life and death. It's just a very sad situation.

  • SoCalLisa
    SoCalLisa Member Posts: 13,961
    edited April 2013

    interestingly enough at the same time my DH was going to a day long training for this senior volunteer sheriff patrol here..they were talking about how each unit here has a psych person on call for any crisis....like this one as it turned out...but this is California...

  • barbe1958
    barbe1958 Member Posts: 19,757
    edited April 2013

    I have a completely different take. I think Mel sat there for an hour and mader her OWN mind up. She did what SHE wanted to do and not what they wanted. She CHOSE to go out with a blast and she did. She lived hard and she died hard. I'm very proud of her. Except for the poor cop who has to live knowing he killed a woman, it went down with Mel in control the entire way. I was an Auxiliary Officer for Toronto for 7 years. Decisions are made quickly, but they sat for an hour, rememeber. So when Mel got out of the car armed, that was a very, very bad sign for the cops; she should have calmed down by then. She should have gotten out unarmed if she didn't want to die. She knew EXACTLY what would happen, she just neeeded time to say "good-bye". 

    I've been on a very long FB thread with Mel and last fall she got very upset over gun comments and actually left the thread. To me, that was so unlike her...kind of a fore-warning.....

    I don't see why a negotiator wasn't brought in with Mel's incident, but I truly don't see it going any other way. God Speed and God Bless, Mel. 

  • SoCalLisa
    SoCalLisa Member Posts: 13,961
    edited April 2013

    But I think she was forced to make a decision as she saw it with all the cops there..

    I just hope the authorities don't just let it get buried in neverland and actually do make

    the investigation it requires

  • Connie07
    Connie07 Member Posts: 636
    edited April 2013

    Thats right, Lisa. ...



    Unfortunately, i dont see them doing any thing that would benefit their force. Even though this could be learned from. Its not likely. Calif. is a lightyear away from -Ahead of- County road, NC. Law enforcement there isn't Andy Griffith anymore, now its his cousins grandkids. Ok, rude much, maybe. Still true.



    They knew she was alone and they knew she was in trouble emotionally and their "tactics" terrorized her. They busted her tires which enraged her and the police escaluated the situation. They were wrong to kill her. Dont they shoot drug darts at other mammals? Dogs, bears, whatever, without killing it, yet they dont give a human the same consideration?



    Ive been reading everything.

    Melissa was so lost, one of her 2 Springer Spaniels fell ill, she had to put him down. Then news that her father was dying. Then, her rent fell behind, THEN... after the second dx. Feeling huge pressures on what other family offered as help, for those of you not raised in the south, thats "All the help & support we can give you IF - IF -you follow our rules". She had to go to them. There wasnt anywhere else to turn and the turn was upon her. she packed what she wanted to keep, what she couldnt part with. gave away her Mom's pieces of furniture and said that it broke her heart. Then left her own place feeling as if her life was closing in on her. Apparently, it kept closing. Unfortunately, it kept closing. Ultimately, closed.

    Tragic. I'm so sad. So sad.

    Today is my birthday too.

    Sux.

  • SoCalLisa
    SoCalLisa Member Posts: 13,961
    edited April 2013

    I wish there were someone locally to avocate for an investigation of the police actions. Somehow, they could have had a better response! ! !

    !

  • Gingerbrew
    Gingerbrew Member Posts: 2,859
    edited April 2013

    Connie your kind thought about Melissa, your insight is precious in the face of the pain and loss we all feel. I hope your day has been full and meaningful. I just can't tell you the usual Birthday greeting today, but my heart is there. 

    I didn't remember about Melissa until I had been up about 45 minutes and then the crushing feeling returned. She is a real loss to all of us, to her friends and relatives. She mattered and was treated so poorly that last weekend. 

    Is there anyone connected to the media? That is a way into drawing attention. I am totally not a Nancy Grace girl but that could be a possibility, a means to an end.  Local activists might like this info it could help fuel their causes.     Out here in Seattle a native american wood carver was shot to death in downtown seattle. The officer claimed the carver had a knife. Turned out the carver had a closed knife, could barely shuffle along and wasnt evben walking toward the officer, he just didnt obey the officers commands to drop his knife. He died for that.   

    Love Ginger who wishes we could do something, I am frustrated by what I see in the legal system today. 

  • 1Athena1
    1Athena1 Member Posts: 6,696
    edited April 2013

    Briefly stopping in (hope nobody ,minds)...Too horrible. My condolences to all those who loved SV. FYI:

    As a result of the fatal shooting, Highway patrol has placed two Troopers on Administrative Duty pending the investigation, which is standard operating procedure.

    Those Troopers are identified as:

    Trooper W. R. Bulluck who is a 10-year veteran assigned to the Troop C District 1 patrol office located in Nash County and Trooper S. A. Stone, a 5-year veteran, assigned to the Troop A District 5 patrol office located in Pitt County.

    Gordon said several other law enforcement agencies also returned fire and it is unclear who fired the fatal shot.

    The State Bureau of Investigation (S.B.I.) is the lead investigating agency into this incident and is on-going at this time.

    In addition to the Highway Patrol, the following agencies were involved in this incident; Martin County Sheriff's Department, Edgecombe County Sheriff's Department, Tarboro Police Department and Robersonville Police Department, Gordon said.

    More here: http://www.digtriad.com/news/article/277943/57/Troopers-Shoot-Kill-Missing-Winston-Salem-Woman

    I wonder if people trained in dealing with those in crisis/with mental illness were on the scene. Many police departments do not have such training, unfortunately.

  • barbe1958
    barbe1958 Member Posts: 19,757
    edited April 2013

    Lisa, she may have felt forced to make a decision, but she had an hour of just sitting in place to think about what that decision was. She could have stayed in the car longer and let them gas her out or gotten out without her own weapons. I still admire her balls! I think it would have killed her to be locked away in a pyscho ward. She didn't do it her way because she was "crazy" - she did it that way so she wouldn't become "crazy"!!!!

    Connie, that is SUCH a good point about shooting a tranquilizer instead!!! WHY don't they do that??? (They'd probably say if they missed they would antagonize the perp, but if you had to shoot in the first place, the perp was beyond control anyway..) I wonder if that wood carver was deaf and didn't even HEAR the request to stop by the police!!! See what important bits can be learned when you know ALL the facts?

    Trust me, when a civilian is shot there is ALWAYS an investigation. One we may NEVER hear about without research. Even just the fact that multiple shots were fired would mean an investigation. It's like someone started a firing frenzy or something!!!!

    In 7 years part-time with the Toronto force, only twice was a gun drawn and only once was a gun fired before my partner and I got there. Usually the killing was done BEFORE the cops arrive. Obviously when someone, anyone has a gun there is a chance of death.

    Still such a shock. Thanks for the link "Athena" but I just can't read anymore....

  • Wren44
    Wren44 Member Posts: 8,585
    edited April 2013

    Barbe, Yes, the wood carver was deaf in at least one ear according to family.

  • Connie07
    Connie07 Member Posts: 636
    edited April 2013

    I keep replaying that saying about how God doesnt give you more than you can handle. I think its wrong.

  • Alyson
    Alyson Member Posts: 4,308
    edited April 2013

    Connie from God we get the strong boots to carry on. Well thats what I believe.

    Big hugs

  • SoCalLisa
    SoCalLisa Member Posts: 13,961
    edited April 2013
  • BarbaraA
    BarbaraA Member Posts: 7,378
    edited April 2013

    Mel told me she would 'go out with a bang' if the cancer returned. Well, I was sad but not surprised. She told AmyJo the same thing only she told her more details. I'll let her tell. Sad but she's free.

  • Gingerbrew
    Gingerbrew Member Posts: 2,859
    edited April 2013

    BarbA Mel told me the same in a message on Feb 5th. I didn't take it literally.  Miss her a bunch, my heart is still heavy. I am relieved and hopeful for Angus future now!  

    Tomorrow  I go for Mammo, Dexa, Blood work, Onco check up.   Then I go to another hospital for my sleep study. I will be back home on Friday morning.  Please keep me in prayers for this one. I am anxious for clean tests. 

    Hugs Ginger

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