Two people arrested during Wauwatosa protest; standoff between officers and crowd ensues

Two people were arrested during a protest in Wauwatosa on Friday night, one after police officers pulled him from a bicycle and tackled him, setting off a tense, nearly 90-minute standoff with demonstrators.

The confrontation took place at North 70th Street and Aetna Court. Protesters gathered around squad cars yelling at police and demanding that the man be released.

A second person was arrested for trespassing, cited and released, Wauwatosa police said in a statement Saturday. More protests were expected Saturday evening, beginning at Washington Park.

During the start of the march on Friday there were about 100 protesters, some walking in the street and some in cars, calling for the firing of Wauwatosa Police Officer Joseph Mensah, who has shot and killed three people in the line of duty in the past five years. The Milwaukee County district attorney has ruled the first two shootings were justified; the third, which happened in February, is still under review.

Protesters have marched in Wauwatosa off and on, as they have in other Milwaukee-area communities, since the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis police custody on May 25. Those have intensified in the last week after protesters confronted Mensah at his home Aug. 8. Wauwatosa police say Mensah was assaulted in the incident. But state Rep. David Bowen, D-Milwaukee, disputed that assertion, saying protesters were antagonized by Mensah.

At the protest on Friday, police in helmets and shields pushed protesters back, and the crowd grew more agitated. 

Just before 9 p.m., the situation calmed when police began to slowly back away from the intersection.

State Rep. Jonathan Brostoff, D-Milwaukee, participated in the protest from the beginning at Doyne Park and said he witnessed the arrest.  

“(Police) ran up on one of the people that was with us who was on his bicycle, took him off, threw him to the ground, three people jumped on him and threw him in the car and drove off right away,” Brostoff said. “Then they blocked our movement so we couldn’t keep moving forward ... it’s been a very disciplined, peaceful movement, despite being attacked.”  

Brostoff said police officers looked “filled with rage, very upset, ready to crack heads.” 

“Some of them reached for their weapons and I don’t know why,” Brostoff said. “I don’t understand what they could be possibly thinking to justify this sort of thing.”  

The Wauwatosa Police Department issued a statement late Friday, saying the agency values "the right to peacefully protest in public areas but picketing at a private residence or blocking streets is not permitted."

The statement said protesters tried "to prevent the arrest by physically engaging officers and blocking off routes, preventing squads from leaving. Neighboring law enforcement agencies responded to a mutual aid request."

Police said the suspect was arrested for "his involvement in numerous incidents over the past few days" and that charges will be referred to the Milwaukee County District Attorney’s Office.

"Understanding that tensions are high, the department remains committed to serving the community," the statement said.

The City of Wauwatosa on Thursday imposed an 8 p.m. curfew for protests and announced it would begin issuing fines as high as $5,000 to those who violate ordinances banning such things as discharging fireworks without a permit, picketing outside private residences, trespassing and blocking traffic. It rescinded the curfew on Friday and clarified its ban on picketing outside private homes after legal questions were raised.

Wauwatosa has been criticized by several members of the state Legislature for its handling of protesters. 

Wauwatosa resident Robin Barry lives on the corner where the confrontation took place and said protesters have been regularly marching past her home. 

“Every single time, including tonight, the protesters have been peaceful, extremely positive, very friendly, tonight was no different,” Barry said. “They were coming up the street, the police boxed them in. They had nowhere to go and it escalated from there.” 

Barry said she is supportive of the protesters and their movement. 

“We put out bottles of water for them,” Barry said. “They can come and protest in front of my house any time they want. I’m here to support them.”  

Bowen arrived at the scene to try to mediate the situation.

“It wasn’t even 8 o’clock,” Bowen said. “I’m struggling trying to find out from police leadership why they made the arresting decision the way that they did. I think it was inappropriate to arrest the protester that way.” 

There was also a physical altercation between a protester and a reporter from FOX6 News. Protesters chased the reporter and a photographer from the scene.