Statement from Mayor Dennis McBride
October 7, 2020
Following a thorough review of facts and evidence, Milwaukee County District Attorney John Chisholm has determined that Wauwatosa Police Officer Joseph Mensah was justified in the shooting of Alvin Cole while on duty on February 2, 2020.
This issue has divided Wauwatosa and the greater Milwaukee community. Some will agree with District Attorney Chisholm, and some will not. This debate will not end with today’s decision. But it is important to remember that the wheels of government and law will continue to turn. In a democracy, any change must come through the functioning of people elected by the people to serve the people.
I support the Police Department’s equity efforts, and I also am working with all City departments to refocus our work and craft policies with an equity lens.
Since mid-July, the Wauwatosa Police Department (WPD), Wauwatosa Fire Department, and Office of Governor Tony Evers have been preparing for the District Attorney’s decision. Today I issued an emergency declaration to help ensure everyone’s well-being. The WPD will protect the lives and property of all residents and businesses while continuing to protect the constitutional rights of people to engage in peaceful protests.
This is a time for quiet reflection. Regardless of a person’s opinion about the District Attorney’s decision, the Cole family has lost a son and a brother. Many years ago, on the day that Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., was killed, Senator Robert Kennedy, who knew the pain of untimely deaths in his family, called for peace. He said: “What we need in the United States is not division; what we need . . . is not hatred; what we need . . . is not violence or lawlessness; but love and wisdom, and compassion toward one another. . . . We can do well in this country. We will have difficult times; we’ve had difficult times in the past; we will have difficult times in the future. . . But the vast majority of white people and . . . black people in this country want to live together, want to improve the quality of our life, and want justice for all human beings who abide in our land. . . Let us dedicate ourselves to that, and say a prayer for our country and for our people.”
I ask all people, regardless of their viewpoints, to remain peaceful and calm as we work our way through this difficult time. We all must keep each other safe.
NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. While it is believed to be reliable, Urban Milwaukee does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness.
More about the 2020 Racial Justice Protests
- Rep. Ryan Clancy Settles With City Following 2020 Curfew Arrest - Jeramey Jannene - Dec 12th, 2023
- Supervisor Clancy Applauds Settlement in Clancy vs. City of Milwaukee - Ryan Clancy - Dec 12th, 2023
- Tosa Protest Assails Federal Court Decision Exonerating Police - Isiah Holmes - May 9th, 2023
- Wauwatosa ‘Target List’ Trial Begins - Isiah Holmes - May 3rd, 2023
- Shorewood Spitter Found Guilty For 2020 Protest Confrontation - Jeramey Jannene - Apr 20th, 2023
- City Hall: City Will Pay 2020 George Floyd Protester $270,000 - Jeramey Jannene - Feb 14th, 2023
- Tosa Protest Tickets Dismissed - Isiah Holmes - Jul 21st, 2022
- Op Ed: ‘We Need More’ - Charles Q. Sullivan - Mar 4th, 2022
- Milwaukee Officers Circulate “2020 Riot” Coins? - Isiah Holmes - Nov 14th, 2021
- City Hall: Police Department Tweets Lied To Public - Jeramey Jannene - Oct 27th, 2021
Read more about 2020 Racial Justice Protests here
More about the Case of Officer Joseph Mensah
- Alvin Cole Family Files Civil Rights Lawsuit Against Wauwatosa - Isiah Holmes - Jul 29th, 2022
- Special Prosecutors Won’t File Charges in Jay Anderson Killing - Isiah Holmes - Jun 2nd, 2022
- Did Tosa Police Withhold Phone Data? - Isiah Holmes - Mar 20th, 2022
- Three Tosa Police Given Immunity in Jay Anderson Probe - Isiah Holmes - Feb 1st, 2022
- Special Prosecutors Appointed in Case Against Joseph Mensah - Corri Hess - Dec 8th, 2021
- Supervisor Clancy Applauds Probable Cause Decision in Death of Jay Anderson, Jr. - Ryan Clancy - Jul 29th, 2021
- Rep. Bowen Statement on John Doe Charging Decision Against Joseph Mensah - State Rep. David Bowen - Jul 28th, 2021
- Closing Arguments Delivered On Jay Anderson’s Killing - Isiah Holmes - May 20th, 2021
- Tosa Police Had Many ‘High Value Targets’ - Isiah Holmes - May 12th, 2021
- Tosa Police Chief Testifies About Mensah - Corri Hess - May 4th, 2021
Read more about Case of Officer Joseph Mensah here
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