We, as Tosa community members who love our city and are committed to its growth and success, denounce the Wauwatosa Police Department’s escalating use of force against individuals protesting police brutality and inequitable policing practices. 

We are heartbroken that people are unnecessarily dying at the hands of police right here in this community which we all nurture and contribute to in various ways. The purpose of the recent protests in our city is to call attention to this horrendous reality, and to demand that Tosa does better. We can do better. We are also alarmed by the Wauwatosa Police Department’s escalation in use of force against protestors, including:

• the pepper-spraying of a 17-year-old for shining a flashlight at a police officer
• the smashing of a car window and holding at gunpoint a couple who were mistakenly identified as being part of a protest caravan when they were simply driving home from dinner
• the beating of a woman who, although already complying with officers’ demands, was so brutally and severely beaten that she required overnight observation at the hospital for a concussion  

The vast majority of Wauwatosa protests have been peaceful, and the volatility of only a handful can be correlated to escalated police response. The use of tire-deflating strips and repeated ticketing of protestors is a blatant attempt to control the manner in which our community shows up to contest this brutality, while not at all addressing the root causes of the justified upset.

These are not the actions of a police force that should PROTECT and serve all members of our community. I am adding my name to this petition to call for the Wauwatosa Police Department to cease and desist using force against individuals exercising their 1st Amendment right to protest.

Meeting protest with brutality rather than addressing the demands of those who are protesting brutality only prolongs the struggle. End this vicious cycle today.

Sincerely,

Photo Credit: Isiah Holmes