Photo credit: Ethan Duran
Attorneys representing the family of Alvin Cole filed complaints and open records requests at the Wauwatosa Police Department on Thursday, June 18, 2020.
On Thursday, June 18, attorneys representing the family of Alvin Cole, a black teenager who was shot and killed by Wauwatosa Police Department Officer Joseph Mensah in February, filed complaints and open records requests at the Wauwatosa Police Department building and at the Wauwatosa City Hall. Two rallies formed at both locations before joining together and marching to Mayfair Mall, settling in the parking lot of the Cheesecake Factory late that evening.
The families of Alvin Cole, Jay Anderson Jr. and Antonio Gonzalez, all whom attended the rallies, are calling for Officer Mensah and Chief Barry Weber to be fired. Deja Vishny and Kimberley Motley, the attorneys representing the Cole and Anderson families, said they wanted Wauwatosa police to start carrying body cameras. The Cole family also demanded that full video footage from the night of Alvin’s death be released.
Alvin Cole, who was 17, was shot to death by Mensah in the Cheesecake Factory parking lot on Feb. 2. The police said that Cole shot first with a stolen gun, but his family disputes the claim. The investigation surrounding Cole’s death is ongoing. Mensah was involved in two fatal shootings prior to Cole’s; him and another officer shot Antonio Gonzalez in 2015. Mensah also shot Jay Anderson Jr., who was sitting in his car, in 2016.
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After 2 p.m., Motley and Vishny submitted formal complaints to the Wauwatosa City Hall and then the Wauwatosa Police Department building. A protest group including Cole’s family, the Milwaukee Community Task Force and the Milwaukee Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression filled the police station lobby behind the attorneys. A police officer with captain’s tabs on his shoulders stepped out and said that Chief Weber was in the building but wasn’t available to talk. The police captain said that the families would have to set up a meeting with the police chief.
Photo credit: Ethan Duran
Luke Vetter with the Wauwatosa Police Department speaks to Kimberley Motley, an attorney representing the families of Alvin Cole and Jay Anderson Jr.
Justice Now
Unsatisfied with not being able to see Chief Weber, the protest group drummed beats out on the metal doorway and chanted, “What do we want? Justice. When do we want it? Now.” They also chanted, “Fire Chief Barry Weber,” and “No Justice, No Peace.” Outside, 30 more protesters lead a chant and chalked messages onto the sidewalk outside of the station.
“We want Joseph Mensah to be terminated from his employment. He should not be a police officer,” said Vishny. “He’s killed three people in five years. He’s fired 19 shots. He has not been disciplined by the police department for what he has done.”
Motley also asserts that Mensah fired 19 shots over five years. She said her and her colleagues looked at news reports of the shootings and looked at investigation files to find the number of shots fired.
Along with the complaints, Motley also filed open records requests at the city hall and at the police station. “We’re asking for personal records of officer Mensah, the police policy and procedures as it relates to deadly force, any complaints against Mensah and Weber, and Mensah’s resume,” said Motley. “We’re asking for the training that police officers have been involved in, and if they participate in those trainings.”
“What happens when [an officer] shoots someone?” Motley asked. “Do they go to counseling? We don’t know any of this information, which is really important.”
Photo credit: Ethan Duran
Taleavia Cole, older sister of Alvin Cole, leads a march that ended in the parking lot of Mayfair Mall.
Chanting the Names
After 3 p.m., around 50 people lead by cars marched through the nearby neighborhood, chanting the names of Alvin Cole, Jay Anderson Jr. and Antonio Gonzalez. They marched and drove across North Mayfair Road and through the mall parking lot, eventually reaching the spot in the Cheesecake Factory parking lot where Alvin was shot.
Leading the march was Taleavia Cole, Alvin Cole’s older sister. She had been marching through Wauwatosa since her brother’s death, and in demonstrations before that. “My goal is to get justice for The Three,” said Cole. “Not just for my brother, not just for Jay Anderson Jr., but for Antonio Gonzalez.” Antonio Gonzalez’ mother was present, speaking for the first time since 2015.
Outside of the Cheesecake Factory entrance, Cole spoke into a bullhorn, urging customers to leave the establishment. Some customers did leave, while others seated outside decided to go in.
Photo credit: Ethan Duran
Protesters marched from the Wauwatosa Police Department to Mayfair Mall for a demonstration.
“We need resources,” said Cole, talking about what she wants changed in Milwaukee. “We got to come all the way to Mayfair to shop. I’d rather go to a mall down the street by my house, if there was one. We gotta come to Wauwatosa where they don’t like us, they don’t want us to be here. Just because of our color.”
After listening to Taleavia Cole, Tracy Cole, Antonio Gonzalez’ mother and Kimberley Motley, the group dispersed after 6 p.m.
The two shootings Mensah was involved in earlier were judged as self-defense. The officer was not charged with a crime or punished internally. The Milwaukee County District Attorney’s Office is looking at Alvin Cole’s case and the Milwaukee Police Department is investigating the shooting. Vishy and Motley have said that they will use the information revealed by their open records request in the District Attorney’s review.
