Wauwatosa Businesses Board Up As City Waits On Mensah Decision

WAUWATOSA, WI— Other than a few businesses who boarded windows, it was business as usual in Wauwatosa. On Tuesday night, couples walked their dogs and pushed strollers and people dined outdoors since the weather was nice.

A man was spotted on a ladder putting up boards along the windows of Hue, a Vietnamese restaurant on Tuesday night on North Avenue.

On the sidewalk, colorful chalked messages called for justice. One message in capital letters read, "No more killer cops" and one simply read, "Wake up Tosa." Overnight, a fence went up around the Wauwatosa Police Station and cement barricades were moved by Mayfair Mall — where 17-year-old Alvin Cole was shot and killed in February.

The city is waiting for a decision on Wednesday regarding the fatal February shooting involving now suspended Wauwatosa Police Officer Joseph Mensah. The Milwaukee County District Attorney's Office will determine if Mensah will face criminal charges in the death of Cole.

Kimberley Motley, the attorney for the Cole family, confirmed to Patch the District Attorney John Chisholm will share his decision on Wednesday.

The Peoples Revolution of Milwaukee, part of the Black Lives Matter movement, posted a message on Facebook on Tuesday which said, "The Peoples Revolution stands with the family of Alvin Cole while they await the DA's decision."

"The Milwaukee County District Attorney is expected on Wednesday to announce the results of his investigation and whether or not to file criminal charges for Wauwatosa Officer Joseph Mensah in the shooting death of Alvin Cole, a lawyer for the slain teen confirmed.

Kimberly Motley, who represents Cole's parents, said the family plans to meet with representatives from Milwaukee County District Attorney's Office at 3 p.m."

The Wauwatosa City Hall and library will close on Wednesday at noon and reopen on Monday. The Wauwatosa School District announced that all students will do virtual learning the rest of the week.

A few businesses along North Avenue were boarded up as of Tuesday night including a wig shop, a gas station and two restaurants. Wauwatosa Mayor Dennis McBride told Patch he is not encouraging businesses to board up.

"I guess I'm not surprised some businesses are reacting that way given what has happened in other cities," McBride said.

He added he there are plans in place "to make sure Wauwatosa is not another Kenosha." McBride told Patch the goal is allow people to engage in peaceful protesting without letting things get out of hand.

Tosa Together, Indivisible Tosa and Moms Tackling Racism in Tosa released a joint statement regarding the safety measures put in place.

"We are Wauwatosa residents who are committed to working toward racial justice and addressing the history of exclusionary racist practices in our city.

We express our condolences to families of those who have lost lives to police violence, especially the Cole, Anderson, and Gonzales families.
It is with great disappointment that we see our city being closed down out of fear and distrust of what might happen. We stand for doing the hard work that it takes to build constructive relationships across differences. We also stand for an end to the structural racism and implicit bias that pervades our city and prevents real change.

Outside agitators are a concern, but the expected sharp escalation in militarized policing practices is vastly disproportionate. We need calm to prevail. A counter-productive culture of fear and
misinformation about the protesters as "outsiders" and violent has been needlessly created at a time which demands more understanding and humility. The impact of collective trauma is large in our city, and little attention has been paid to healing and restitution.

Our mayor has decided to take actions this week that show how much control the police have. They also show the escalatory tactics that our police department utilizes when controlled by fear and implicit bias against people of color.

We expected more of our city leaders. Those that did not know about the specifics of this plan shoulc have been asking more questions. Those that crafted the plan should have taken many missed opportunities to build bridges with the many groups working for racial justice in Wauwatosa. And now we need to move quickly to commit publicly to the peace and trust our city must be built on.

We emphasize our commitment to this city we call home
We call for an end to the lockdown of our city. We call for peaceful witness.
We urge trust.
We encourage police restraint and use of de-escalation training. We find the current strategies inflammatory and divisive.

We realize how this is increasing anxiety and feeds exclusionary tactics in our community.
Please join us in encouraging community members to support peaceful protest. There is no reason to believe it will not be peaceful protest. Good communication is key and so is interrupting stereotypes."