Photo Credit: Quinn Clark
Protesters march through Wauwatosa the night that DA John Chisholm decided not to criminally charge Joseph Mensah for the killing of Alvin Cole.
Months after Joseph Mensah was hired by the Wauwatosa Police Department in 2015, 29-year-old Antonio Gonzalez was fatally shot. The next year, Jay Anderson Jr. lost his life. In 2020, another life was lost—this time, it was 17-year-old Alvin Cole, inside of Mayfair Mall, as his mother waited for him to come home for dinner. In the span of five years, Mensah took the lives of two young men and one teenage boy.
After the killing of Alvin Cole, attorney Kimberley Motley worked with the Cole family to receive justice. Much to the surprise of many people, however, Milwaukee District Attorney John Chisholm cleared Mensah of any criminal charges. The Wauwatosa fire and police commission suspended Mensah shortly after hiring an independent investigator to look into the case. Mensah resigned from the Wauwatosa Police Department weeks before he was to fight for his job back. Now, he’s been promoted to deputy sheriff in Waukesha County.
Waukesha County Sheriff Eric Severson released a statement on Jan. 26 announcing the hiring of Mensah. “Mr. Mensah progressed through an extensive, thorough and exhaustive hiring process,” Severson wrote.
While the families of “Thee Three,” the three killed by Mensah, have called for the officer’s arrest, and many activists have rallied behind them, Severson wrote that a team reviewed Mensah’s previous work history and did not find any use of force that was against police policy.
“I have concluded along with Milwaukee DA, Wauwatosa PD, Milwaukee PD, as well as an independent investigation conducted by Wauwatosa Police and Fire commission that Mr. Mensah’s use of force was consistent with the Federal and State laws, Wisconsin training and uniformly applied police policy,” he said.
Activists Respond
Photo Credit: Quinn Clark
Many protesters’ signs in front of the Milwaukee County Courthouse called for Mensah’s arrest.
The decision has already been met with backlash. Motley wrote that she found the news to be “outrageous.” The ACLU of Wisconsin, who have helped remind protesters and activists of their rights when demonstrating, released a statement criticizing the hiring of Mensah.
“Securing some measure of accountability for Officer Mensah took months of sustained action from community members,” said Chris Ott, executive director of the ACLU of Wisconsin. “Officer Mensah reportedly received $125,000 from the WPD budget to leave the Wauwatosa Police Department. For him to simply relocate and get the same kind of job with another department is disheartening and dangerous.”
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Ott pointed out how the decision does not make sense, especially because of the country’s recent calls for change. “After seeing such deep and recent concern across the entire country about the systemic need for police accountability, it’s hard to understand the logic behind this example of just the opposite,” he said.
Many protests have called for Mensah’s arrest. The National Guard was sent to Wauwatosa after his decision. Protesters faced tear gas, rubber bullets and arrests.
The People’s Revolution (TPR) has peacefully protested for over 240 days in Milwaukee, calling for systemic change in policing. They have supported the Anderson, Cole and Gonzalez families in their demonstrations. Kamila Ahmed, member of the group, says that she isn’t surprised that Mensah has been hired in Waukesha County.
“There are no protections for the community from killer cops,” Ahmed says. “Wauwatosa found some place to tuck Mensah away so that he would not be their problem, but close enough to watch if he blows a whistle. This will be a huge liability for Waukesha financially. Mensah is now being paid by two police departments for murder. This is America.”
TPR also took to Facebook to call out the “horrible decision.” “Black and Brown people will continue to be targeted until officers like Mensah are held accountable for their actions,” they wrote. “Let us all pray that a fourth victim and family won't suffer from his actions.”
Another prominent group of activists, the Milwaukee Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression, released a statement calling for Mensah to be fired. “Serial killer cop Joseph Mensah clearly has found his home in Waukesha, but his most appropriate home would be in jail,” wrote co-founder Omar Flores.
Flores called out Waukesha’s history of right-wing politicians. “The city has firmly stood as a safe haven for unhinged right-wingers,” he said. Flores cites the Waukesha GOP’s support of Kyle Rittenhouse, the 17-year-old boy who killed two protesters in Kenosha, and many of Paul Nehlen’s supporters residing in Waukesha County, as some examples of Waukesha’s far-right-leaning tendencies. “Paul Nehlen had most of his supporters in Waukesha county, a candidate that had appeared on a podcast ‘Fash the Nation’ and an open anti-semite,” Flores said.
The Waukesha County Sheriff’s Department has not replied for a comment. The Cole family was also contacted but has not yet responded.
