Wauwatosa Police Chief Calls for Inclusion and Equity Chair Oust

WAUWATOSA, WI — The Wauwatosa police chief is asking that the chairperson of the Wauwatosa Equity and Inclusion Commission be removed from his post.

In a letter Monday to Wauwatosa Mayor Dennis McBride, Police Chief Barry Weber said Chairperson Sean Lowe's appearance at the Common Council meeting July 21 at Hart Park was "abhorrent and demonstrated his own bias and racism toward our police department."

The citizen-led Equity and Inclusion Commission was formed in 2019. Its goal is to advise appropriate strategies to develop and implement activities, resources and services that promote a positive environment of equity, inclusion, and the celebration of diverse identities in the city of Wauwatosa.

Weber said Lowe made the following comment during the July 21 meeting: "So when we talk about a better Wauwatosa, to me that includes a fired and convicted Joseph Mensah."

On July 15, the Wauwatosa Police and Fire Commission voted unanimously to accept administrative charges filed against Officer Joseph Mensah by the family of Jay Anderson. According to Fox 6 Now, this measure took place one day after the Common Council voted to "transition" Mensah from employment. The commission suspended him with pay.

Mensah shot and killed Anderson during the early morning of June 23, 2016, while responding to a suspicious vehicle in Wauwatosa's Madison Park, police said. Mensah was ultimately cleared of criminal wrongdoing in that case. According to Chief Weber, video had showed Anderson reaching for a gun with his right hand.

In 2015, Mensah also shot and killed Antonio Gonzalez after officers said Gonzalez confronted them with a sword. Police said he refused to drop the weapon despite orders to do so. The Milwaukee County District Attorney's Office ultimately ruled that shooting was also justified.

Mensah is now currently under investigation for the February shooting death of 17-year-old Alvin Cole. According to CBS 58, Wauwatosa police were called to Mayfair Mall after receiving a call about a disturbance in the area and a person with a weapon. Following a foot chase, police said, the suspect, Cole, had a weapon, and Mensah shot the teen in self-defense.

The Milwaukee County District Attorney's Office is currently investigating the latest fatal shooting.

In his letter to the mayor, Weber said he was under the assumption due process is a guaranteed right by the U.S. Constitution.

Chairperson and mayor responds to letter

Lowe emailed a response to Weber on Tuesday expressing his joy to serve as chair of the commission and working alongside talented and diverse people.

"That joy won't be taken from me due to any bullying and police intimidation tactics by you or anyone else," his response said.

Lowe continued, "For you to call me racist is emblematic of the very reason why diversity and inclusion training is needed not just in the Wauwatosa Police Department, but across America."

McBride responded by letter to Weber on Tuesday, stating that Weber has no power to remove a member of a commission and, as mayor, he has no power to terminate an officer.

"Once the Common Council confirms members of those commissions, they serve until their terms expire. There is no mechanism in City ordinances for their removal. Further, commission members select their chairpersons, not the Mayor or Common Council," McBride said in the letter.

The mayor said that while the commission members have the right to express an opinion, it is "regrettable" that some statements have reflected a lack of understanding of due process requirements.

"It also is regrettable that the Mensah matter has contributed to divisions between the Wauwatosa Police Department and the Wauwatosa Equity & Inclusion Commission," McBride's letter said.

The mayor ended his letter imploring everyone in the community to work together to heal the divided community.