by Jacob Richards
On Sunday afternoon, Glenn Greuling, age 66 and legally disabled, was riding his bicycle from Wal-Mart back to his house on Texas Ave. when he was pulled over by GJPD just twenty feet from his driveway.
The officers claim he was riding his bike on the wrong side of the street, but in reality he was crossing the lane to access his driveway.
Greuling refused to present ID to the officers because Sunday’s harassment was just the latest in a long series of questionable behavior by the GJPD targeting Greuling. They knew exactly who they were pulling over when they stopped him.
The officers escalated immediately, slamming Greuling bodily to the ground, putting him into a chokehold, and then pinning him to the ground with a knee on his neck.
The scene was so violent a neighbor called 911 on the GJPD officers, and other neighbors came out of their houses with cellphones shouting at the officers to stop the violence.
According to Greuling, the scene changed when his neighbors came out to witness the police violence, and an ambulance was called. Greuling was then taken to St. Mary’s hospital and later released. Tuesday Greuling was back at the doctors with pain in his shoulder for the assult.
The officers issued him a ticket for Obstruction and Failure to Ride Bike in the Right Lane.
This is far from Greuling’s only dust up with the GJPD.
Just two months ago, a very similar contact was initiated: Greuling was pulled over just feet from his home. The excuse this time was that he didn’t have reflectors on his bicycle in the middle of the day.
Why would they target Greuling?
Greuling was formerly unhoused and has long advocated and organized for political, not charity, solutions to homelessness.
In 2024, Greuling beat felony charges after proving that GJPD and Catholic Outreach illegally doctored evidence in a case that should have made the news but of course didn’t.
Additionally, Greuling is a regular at City Hall. He regularly advocates for the unhoused and has personal relationships with many city administrators. He regularly hand-delivers copies of the Revolutionist to the top brass in the city.
In Grand Junction, Glenn Greuling is a known entity, an eccentric, generous, and deeply anti-authoritarian person. Greuling is a rebel with a heart of gold, something like a combination of Abby Hoffman, Santa Claus, and Terrence McKenna.
Greuling is a regular in the local protest scene. He also takes photographs for the Revolutionist, and he is a major part of the Rev’s monthly distribution.
Greuling is also an evangelical for the Green Faith Ministries and regularly distributes ‘sacraments’ of cannabis to the underprivileged. During the Sunday assault, the GJPD seized Greuling’s legal cannabis with no receipt for his taken property.
Recently, Greuling has started taking filmmaking classes at CMU as part of the Golden Scholars program.
The Rev has filed an expansive CORA request and urges timely and meaningful transparency on this issue. Greuling has filed a formal complaint against the officers and told the Rev he will be seeking a restraining order against the police department.
As of publication, attempts to get a comment from the GJPD have gone unanswered.
This case of excessive force and the use of banned chokeholds against a local senior citizen needs to be examined in the light of day.
We would like to see an immediate Internal Affairs investigation into the incident, and see the officers involved suspended while the investigation is being conducted.
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