Iowa woman livestreams coffee shop rant directed at police officers

An Iowa woman's livestream of an almost 8-minute rant against police officers in a Cedar Rapids cafe, where she calls them "pigs" and "vicious thugs," has gone viral.

As of 5 p.m. Monday, the video, which was posted on Nov. 6, has more than 221,000 views and nearly 2,000 shares. Commenters applauded the officers' composure, while many criticized the woman's actions. Some praised the woman for raising her voice.

Brewhemia coffee shop manager Brad Danielson confirmed that the woman in the video was 65-year-old Melyssa Jo Kelly. A Cedar Rapids police spokesman said Kelly claims to be an "actor and an activist."

In the video, Kelly notes that a female officer is wearing a badge with a black stripe across it, honoring two Des Moines-area officers who were shot and killed while sitting in their squad cars this month. Kelly then said the officer "doesn't give a s---" about Jermine "Danky" Mitchell, a 37-year-old who was shot by Cedar Rapids police on Nov. 1 following a traffic stop. Mitchell remains in critical condition and is paralyzed from the neck down, the Cedar Rapids Gazette reports. The Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation is investigating the shooting, according to the Gazette.

Kelly continued to speak out against the female officer in the video until two more officers arrived at the cafe. Police asked her to leave. They said Danielson had made the request. The interaction between police and Kelly goes on for almost four more minutes until Kelly is escorted out of the cafe by police. She received a trespassing warning for the incident but was not cited, according to the video.

Kelly told the Register on Monday that she has seen "an epidemic of overpolicing" and called the livestream a "precautionary step" in her interaction with police.

“I didn’t do it for a response — I did it to document the interaction," Kelly said. "The reason I think it is important to document their interactions with the police is because policing has become militarized."

She was, however, surprised that her video was considered newsworthy, she said.

Greg Buelow, Cedar Rapids public safety spokesman, said the officers showed "enormous professionalism" and restraint during the incident. Hundreds of people sent comments to the department in response to the video, he said.

“It’s been overwhelmingly supportive — we’ve had people comment in from all over the country," he said. "People have said it’s a model example of how to show composure when faced with someone who wants to agitate things."

What disturbed the police department most about the video, Buelow said, was that families and colleagues of slain Des Moines police Sgt. Tony Beminio and Urbandale police Officer Justin Martin could see it.

“You can have a lawful protest, you can disagree, but it was entirely inappropriate to be making light of officers who lost their lives in the line of duty," he said.

Danielson said that the cafe has dealt with Kelly in the past.

“She had made people uncomfortable to a certain degree because she’s very outspoken," Danielson said. "She's been known to use harsh language in the past like it's normal."

Editor's note: The video contains profanity

Prior to the incident, Danielson said that she arrived to Brewhemia with a bandage on her nose, approaching the shop's front counter saying: "Look at my face! It's all f----- up." Danielson said that Kelly claimed she had fallen behind the building and had asked who owned the building.

Court records show that Kelly has faced multiple charges of disorderly conduct, trespassing and interference with official acts since May 2015.

Buelow said he’s removed some visitor posts, including supportive ones, from the Cedar Rapids Police Department Facebook page due to content that didn't comply with the page’s guidelines.