JAY-Z and Team Roc, the social justice arm of Roc Nation, have called for the firing of Wisconsin police officer Joseph Mensah of the Wauwatosa Police Department.
In a letter written to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Team Roc noted Mensah shot and killed three black men — Alvin Cole, Antonio Gonzales and Jay Anderson — during routine traffic stops over the last five years, using a total of 19 bullets.
Mensah shot 17-year-old Cole five times near Mayfield Mall in February. In 2016, Mensah fired six shots at 24-year-old Anderson in what he claimed was self-defense. A year before, he shot and killed 25-year-old in Wauwatosa after firing at him eight times.
Team Roc also noted Mensah failed to administer CPR during all three incidents and didn’t have his dash cam on. Aside from Mensah’s three killings, no other fatal shootings have taken place within the Wauwatosa Police Department.
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“We are calling for your office to prosecute Mensah to ensure that he never kills anyone again and to immediately outfit all of our police officers with body cameras,” Team Roc said in the statement. “It is your responsibility to do the right thing, hold Mensah accountable for his actions and protect Wauwatosa citizens from further tragedy. Mensah must also be de-certified and fired from the police force immediately.”
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Team Roc took out a full-page ad in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel on Thursday (July 1), addressing District Attorney John Chisholm directly.
“How many more people must die at the hands of Officer Joseph Mensah?” the ad begins. “Since joining the Wauwatosa Police Department in 2015, Mensah has shot and killed THREE men of color — Alvin Cole, Antonio Gonzales and Jay Anderson — with an excessive total of NINETEEN fired shots. His actions demonstrate an utter disregard for the lives of these young men.”
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The letter follows Roc Nation’s recent announcement regarding the annual music festival Made In America. Unsurprisingly, the event has been canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Read the label’s statement below.
