State Representative Bowen: Mensah’s account of protest is false

State Representative David Bowen says the accounts given by Wauwatosa Police and suspended police officer Joseph Mensah regarding what happened between him and protestors Saturday night is “totally inaccurate, irresponsible and false.

In a statement posted on his Facebook page, Bowen says he was at the protest the night of August 8, 2020 and says what he witnessed is not what Wauwatosa Police and Mensah says happened.

Part of his statement reads:

“In my time at the protest in front of Mensah’s home, I personally felt threatened by his actions; spraying pepper spray into the crowd, yelling & inviting protestors to fight him, taking his big dog out to portentially attack people. What ‘responsible’ person, supposedly looking for a peaceful conversation, would do those things?

“No one tried to kill him or his girlfriend. That’s a lie. No one tried to enter his home. That’s a lie. There weren’t several shots fired. Another lie. No protestor shot at the back door. That’s the biggest lie. Joseph Mensah chose to engage with a protestor, and pulled the trigger on that individual’s firearm. From my own experiences Saturday night and the statements made in the time since, I have concluded that Joseph Mensah’s credibility must be questioned. I personally believe that he can not be trusted to tell the truth.

“In sum, Officer Mensah’s actions on Saturday night as well as the elaborate story he’s chosen to concoct in the wake of those events highlight one important truth: Joseph Mensah is not fit to represent any community as an officer of the law, and he needs to be removed from that position immediately.”

Read the full statement below