Jay-Z showed his support of protesters this week by paying the fees for those arrested and fined in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin, where demonstrators are calling for justice in the death of Alvin Cole at the hands of police, according to a spokesperson for Team Roc.
The entrepreneur rapper and Team Roc -- the social justice arm of Roc Nation that Jay-Z founded -- offered their support after learning that no charges were brought against Joseph Mensah, the officer who shot Cole on February 2.
Cole was shot and killed outside a Wauwatosa mall when police responded to a disturbance call, police said.
Wauwatosa Police Chief Barry Weber told reporters at the time that Cole fired a gun before an officer returned fire.Milwaukee County District Attorney John T. Chisholm said there was "sufficient evidence" showing that Mensah believed deadly force was necessary and "that belief was objectively reasonable."
Chisholm's decision to not charge Mensah has sparked protests in the city. They come in the wake of national demonstrations over law enforcement's treatment of Black Americans.
Some two dozen people were arrested Thursday, two of whom asked for medical attention, Wauwatosa police said in a news release Friday. Alvin's mother and sisters were also arrested.
"Our hearts break for the family of Alvin Cole and the Wauwatosa community," Dania Diaz, director of Team Roc, said in a statement.
"Not only did the District Attorney's Office fail to hold Officer Joseph Mensah accountable for killing Alvin, but the local police also arrested and injured Alvin's mother Tracy and his sisters as they peacefully protested alongside Jacob Blake's father."
Jay-Z and Team Roc are also calling on Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers to appoint a special prosecutor to investigate the shooting.In July, Jay-Z took out a full-page ad in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel calling for Mensah's prosecution.
This isn't the first time Jay-Z has been vocal on social justice issues. The billionaire took out full-page ads across the country in dedication to George Floyd in June and in 2015 posted bail for protesters marching against police brutality.
Latest Stories
-
Actress Sola Sobowale debunks drug trafficking and arrests in Saudi Arabia
4 mins -
Zebra on loose after escape in US mountain country
17 mins -
Apple iPhone sales fall in nearly all countries
24 mins -
Bawumia takes campaign tour to Western Region
42 mins -
Ghana and India discuss trade at the fourth JTC meeting
1 hour -
Nkwanta South: MCE kneels to beg chiefs to give peace a chance
1 hour -
NDC hopes to win a majority of votes in Ho Central
1 hour -
Ghana moves up to 50th on World Press Freedom Index
1 hour -
I will make you millionaires – Bawumia assures small-scale miners
2 hours -
Majority caucus requests reconvening of Parliament
2 hours -
Ghana ranks as 4th most stressful country for workers in Sub-Saharan Africa
2 hours -
Today’s front pages: Friday, May 3, 2024
3 hours -
CAFCC: USM Alger file appeal at CAS to contest CAF’s decisions on RS Berkane jersey
4 hours -
Africa’s Outstanding Professional, Engr. Ebenezer Kwadjo Dankyi
4 hours -
‘Only 300 businesses in Ghana meet criteria to participate in AfCFTA’
4 hours