The homeless camp on SE Belmont where Bentley was hit. (Jonathan Maus/BikePortland)
A friend of David “Dino” Bentley, the man killed in a violent vehicular rampage on Southeast Belmont Street on February 25th, says the incident was the result of a disagreement between the driver and people who lived at a street encampment. According to a BikePortland commenter who says they once lived at the camp where Bentley was killed, the driver, 22-year-old Shane McKeever, wanted fentanyl and became aggressive when he couldn’t get it.
Someone named Belynda Wagner wrote a comment on our story about the crash Monday night sharing details of what she believes happened in those early hours of Sunday morning prior to McKeever running down Bentley and driving his car into the well-established encampment on SE Belmont between Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd and Grand Ave.
Wagner’s comment is a window into what might have happened that morning, the brutal nature of street life, and Portland’s ongoing struggle to take care of people who live here.
Read her comment below (edited for clarity):
“It would have happened no matter what. That boy wasn’t out to kill David. He was after my son “Grumpy.” The kid [driver] is a psychopath. I myself have camped in the same place. In fact it was me that moved the fence back to make a community dog space that was safe. Or safer… No matter where we go, people take our belongings, shoot at our camps, pick fights with us when they’re drunk or high, burn down our camps and our tents, hook our tents up to the back of pick-up trucks and drag them….you name it. I got hit by a car on the job as a flagger. It ruined my life. I don’t make enough money now to rent a tea cup. Let alone a house or apartment. And I’m native to portland. Born at ohsu in 1980 at 11:59 pm on April the 16. I’ve lived here my whole life.
David (red shirt) in an undated family photo. (Courtesy Let Me Go On / Facebook)
I’ve seen this big city turn into a big city. It used to be just a small town in the middle of no place special. It was once a place you could leave your cars unlocked, your house open, let your kids run free, and it was so safe. I miss Portland as it used to be. Listen folks. You can all sit here and call it a “homeless problem” or whatever. But the truth of the matter is that it’s a mental health problem. Yes the boy [the driver/suspect] was there 10 mins before he got in that stolen car and ran over David. He was there fist-fighting in the street. Hand-to-hand combat with my son [not by blood, Wagner calls herself a “street mom”] . The boy was there trying to score some fentanyl. Wrong camp everyone there told him. ‘We won’t help you kill yourself,’ is what he heard. No one here does that crap nor will anyone here help you acquire it. We are 100% against it. The boy didn’t like that response. He wanted to get verbally disrespectful. He was asked to leave. He refused and pulled a knife on my son. My son responded by grabbing a bigger knife and said ‘Okay, if that’s how you want to play.’ The boy said, ‘no.’ And then threatened to run everyone at the camp over.
At that point David wasn’t even there. The kid left. About 1-2 mins after, the kids walks westbound on Belmont, and David had rolled up on his bike. [David] said both his backpacks and longboard had been stolen, so to keep eyes open. About a minute and-a-half after stopping, David was struck from behind.
That boy needs some serious help. It’s not a dangerous road problem, it’s not a homelessness problem, that little boy is just friggin’ mentally not okay. Not on any level. This is a mentally sick and drug-addicted child. The kid shouldn’t even be in jail. That boy needs the state mental hospital and a straight jacket.. and a whole lot of mommy hugs. That boy was fucked up early on in life. An unfit parent hurt that child and now he sits alone in county jail. Where he will unfortunately not make it out of alive… He’s marked.
The boy still needs mental help. He made a 180-degree turn and went back to run over the other people. Because it was meant to kill my son not my brother. Yes, shots were fired… 5 at the windshield. He wasn’t hit nor did anyone else die. But he did get the picture once those shots were fired. Otherwise I don’t think he would have stopped until he had killed everyone there. Those warning shots stopped that car, and he got out and ran in fear for his life. Those shots stopped 4 more people, innocent people as well, from dying. And all of this was due to that kid wanting a drug no one had or was willing to help him obtain because they do care.
Let’s keep that in mind folks. Not all of us homeless people are bad. Most of us are not. Most of us are just like the rest of the community. Normal. Just normal without enough income to be normal inside. Let’s get this boy some help.
David just rolled up this time at the wrong time. And it all happened so fast in such a short window of time there wasn’t even anyway of knowing that he intended on making good on his threat.
Leave the camp alone. Leave the road alone. Stop putting it on being a homelessness problem.
Face the facts that are in your faces: Decriminalization of drugs was stupid. This is the unfortunate results of idiots in an office not thinking clearly and creating a country-wide disaster. Portland voters are ultimately responsible for this shit in the end. But just continue to turn a blind cheek to the harsh reality and truth. Keep on voting without thinking. Clearly it’s working wonders.”
An obituary for Bentley posted to Facebook yesterday said he, “loved life and lived it vibrantly, leaving a mark on everyone he met,” and that, “he lived his life to the fullest, never losing his unique spirit. His departure has left an empty space in many hearts, and he will be profoundly missed.”
A memorial ride for Bentley will take place on Saturday, March 30th at 1:00. Meet at Tom McCall Waterfront Park. The ride will cross the river and end with a vigil where Bentley last lived and BikeLoud PDX will help his friends and family install a ghost bike.
Founder of BikePortland (in 2005). Father of three. North Portlander. Basketball lover. Car owner and driver. If you have questions or feedback about this site or my work, feel free to contact me at @jonathan_maus on Twitter, via email at maus.jonathan@gmail.com, or phone/text at 503-706-8804. Also, if you read and appreciate this site, please become a supporter.
Your comment appears far more reactionary than your name, considering Al Dimond implied hearing from homeless people is not as common as hearing about them, but never suggested anything should be taken as gospel.
EV enthusiast
1 month ago
IMO, it’s shameful that this blog used this tragic example of violent behavior by someone driving as an excuse to publish long-winded polemics about people living outside. This tragedy should have been highlighted as an example of the increase in violent of threatening behavior by people driving. We should have been discussing how to mitigate and address this crisis of driver violence instead of punching down on people living outside.
Wow I really disagree with this comment. That’s not what I’ve done at all. But go on living with your eagerness to paint me in a certain light and your willingness to bend the facts to do so.
Sigh. JM, I know you own this blog outright and identify with it on so many levels, but for many of us commenters, the blog serves as a semi-public pre-internet community kiosk where we can post our opinions and politics and get responses from other commenters who we respect if only because they are other bicyclists – and develop several dialogs in the process – and thus there is at a certain level a “community ownership” of this blog that you may or may not realize, but I think that EV enthusiast and I and many others identify with. And to a certain extent we did collectively use this tragedy (and others) to advance our politics and points of view.
I hear you. I’m curious what your point is though? I’m just saying I don’t agree with EV’s comment and I’m defending myself and my record. And yes of course we used this tragedy for things. That’s what all this is. “Using” something for something else isn’t always inherently bad though and I disagree w how EV is trying make it seem like I did something bad toward homeless people in my coverage of this.
We should have been discussing how to mitigate and address this crisis of driver violence
It seems like an article reporting who one of these violent drivers was and what motivated them to carry out the violence is helpful, since understanding who and why (and how from the earlier article) is useful information for mitigating and addressing the crisis.
And including info on the person killed–saying more about them than “homeless victim” that most other reporting stops at–seems the opposite of “punching down”.
EV enthusiast, I completely disagree with your characterization. This article and the one proceeding it went in depth in the events surrounding this traffic violence. Without this context, we would be left with news reports that simply parrot back police reports. I learned about the homeless camp, the perpetrator, and the victim. Homelessness was certainly a component of this crime, and the amount of context this article illuminates the vulnerability of this camp and other street-side camps. The desperation of drug addiction was also reported, and how that led to the murder of David, and innocent bystander. This tragedy is a cocktail of drug addiction, traffic violence and homelessness, and the reporting here was nuanced and thorough.
Just rude to try to hijack this post with a pointless, angry statement. The woman who wrote the letter deserved more than your selfish opinion of what a wide ranging community should think. I was looking forward to some more insights reflecting on a statement from someone who was there into how a bike centric society could lift up and help those living in the cracks of society and ideas on how to lessen the car centric attitudes that keep people penned up in dead zones, easy targets of car driven rage. Instead I got your rank and pointless negativity. If you don’t want to add to a conversation, it’s okay to simply not post instead of trying to poison the well.
EV, you have me wondering if I missed some things.
First, what’s so long-winded about the comment featured in this article?
Second, how exactly did you conclude the blog specifically used the tragedy to that end?
Third, what, other than users of this blog, has prevented “we” from discussing what you say we “should have been” discussing?
And fourth, is the blog or a majority of its users really punching down on people living outside?
The shots fired were mentioned in other reports of the incident so I doubt it’s her making things up. Americans, no matter their financial status, have the inherent right of self defense and its a good thing some of those people were able to defend themselves from an unhinged individual using a car as a murder weapon. There is an excellent chance the shots fired were what prevented more bloodshed.
SolarEclipse
1 month ago
One has to wonder if the County and City had released some of the huge amounts of housing related money they are sitting on for some temporary housing while more permanent housing was being constructed if this, and other tragedies, might have been prevented.
I’d hope that’d make all those “housing first and nothing else” take pause and realize how they’ve failed the citizens of our City.
Jonathan, thank you for a different and fine type of reporting in this story. Giving us Belynda’s comments in full is refreshing and illuminating. You gave a public voice to someone with an important and rarely heard perspective (instead of to officials, cops and spokespeople, and most media do). This is a disturbing and tragic story, and we understand it better now thanks to Belynda and you.
This was a difficult story to read, thanks for publishing it.
I disagree with her conclusion. The problem isn’t decriminalization of drugs. The problem is the (since Nixon) mass incarceration and (since Reagan) de-funding of mental health care.
Thanks for highlighting the perspective of someone like Belynda Wagner. So much is said about homeless people, it’s important to hear from them, too.
That does not mean it should all be taken as gospel.
Your comment appears far more reactionary than your name, considering Al Dimond implied hearing from homeless people is not as common as hearing about them, but never suggested anything should be taken as gospel.
IMO, it’s shameful that this blog used this tragic example of violent behavior by someone driving as an excuse to publish long-winded polemics about people living outside. This tragedy should have been highlighted as an example of the increase in violent of threatening behavior by people driving. We should have been discussing how to mitigate and address this crisis of driver violence instead of punching down on people living outside.
Wow I really disagree with this comment. That’s not what I’ve done at all. But go on living with your eagerness to paint me in a certain light and your willingness to bend the facts to do so.
Sigh. JM, I know you own this blog outright and identify with it on so many levels, but for many of us commenters, the blog serves as a semi-public pre-internet community kiosk where we can post our opinions and politics and get responses from other commenters who we respect if only because they are other bicyclists – and develop several dialogs in the process – and thus there is at a certain level a “community ownership” of this blog that you may or may not realize, but I think that EV enthusiast and I and many others identify with. And to a certain extent we did collectively use this tragedy (and others) to advance our politics and points of view.
Hi David,
I hear you. I’m curious what your point is though? I’m just saying I don’t agree with EV’s comment and I’m defending myself and my record. And yes of course we used this tragedy for things. That’s what all this is. “Using” something for something else isn’t always inherently bad though and I disagree w how EV is trying make it seem like I did something bad toward homeless people in my coverage of this.
JM, I think you’re taking the criticism far more personally than it was intended, that’s my point.
Yeah ok. Probably. I am pretty sensitive abt stuff like that especially when I feel like folks are wrong abt me. Thanks.
It seems like an article reporting who one of these violent drivers was and what motivated them to carry out the violence is helpful, since understanding who and why (and how from the earlier article) is useful information for mitigating and addressing the crisis.
And including info on the person killed–saying more about them than “homeless victim” that most other reporting stops at–seems the opposite of “punching down”.
EV enthusiast, I completely disagree with your characterization. This article and the one proceeding it went in depth in the events surrounding this traffic violence. Without this context, we would be left with news reports that simply parrot back police reports. I learned about the homeless camp, the perpetrator, and the victim. Homelessness was certainly a component of this crime, and the amount of context this article illuminates the vulnerability of this camp and other street-side camps. The desperation of drug addiction was also reported, and how that led to the murder of David, and innocent bystander. This tragedy is a cocktail of drug addiction, traffic violence and homelessness, and the reporting here was nuanced and thorough.
Just rude to try to hijack this post with a pointless, angry statement. The woman who wrote the letter deserved more than your selfish opinion of what a wide ranging community should think. I was looking forward to some more insights reflecting on a statement from someone who was there into how a bike centric society could lift up and help those living in the cracks of society and ideas on how to lessen the car centric attitudes that keep people penned up in dead zones, easy targets of car driven rage. Instead I got your rank and pointless negativity. If you don’t want to add to a conversation, it’s okay to simply not post instead of trying to poison the well.
EV, you have me wondering if I missed some things.
First, what’s so long-winded about the comment featured in this article?
Second, how exactly did you conclude the blog specifically used the tragedy to that end?
Third, what, other than users of this blog, has prevented “we” from discussing what you say we “should have been” discussing?
And fourth, is the blog or a majority of its users really punching down on people living outside?
Not all of us homeless people are bad.
Some of us just shoot 5 rounds at cars.
There is so much of the story that defies credulity.
The shots fired were mentioned in other reports of the incident so I doubt it’s her making things up. Americans, no matter their financial status, have the inherent right of self defense and its a good thing some of those people were able to defend themselves from an unhinged individual using a car as a murder weapon. There is an excellent chance the shots fired were what prevented more bloodshed.
One has to wonder if the County and City had released some of the huge amounts of housing related money they are sitting on for some temporary housing while more permanent housing was being constructed if this, and other tragedies, might have been prevented.
I’d hope that’d make all those “housing first and nothing else” take pause and realize how they’ve failed the citizens of our City.
Jonathan, thank you for a different and fine type of reporting in this story. Giving us Belynda’s comments in full is refreshing and illuminating. You gave a public voice to someone with an important and rarely heard perspective (instead of to officials, cops and spokespeople, and most media do). This is a disturbing and tragic story, and we understand it better now thanks to Belynda and you.
I’d be hesitant to believe everything stated at face value.
But when the cops say something you believe it??
This was a difficult story to read, thanks for publishing it.
I disagree with her conclusion. The problem isn’t decriminalization of drugs. The problem is the (since Nixon) mass incarceration and (since Reagan) de-funding of mental health care.