Jay-Z and Roc Nation Pay Legal Fees For Alvin Cole’s Mother and Others
Written by SOURCE on October 10, 2020
Jay-Z and Roc Nation have posted bonds for several protestors in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin, including the mother of Alvin Cole – the 17-year-old who was fatally shot by the city’s police.
CBS News reports that Hov and the social justice arm of Roc Nation, Team Roc, paid an undisclosed amount of court fees for Cole’s mother, Tracy, and his sisters, Taleavia, Tristiana, and Tahudah, on Thursday. Team Roc also helped bond out several other demonstrators who were arrested while protesting Cole’s death.
Wauwatosa police fatally shot Alvin Cole outside of a local mall in February. This week, Milwaukee County District Attorney John Chisholm announced that the officer who killed Cole, Joseph Mensah, will not face criminal charges.
“In this case, there is sufficient evidence that Officer Mensah had an actual subjective belief that deadly force was necessary and that belief was objectively reasonable,” Chisholm said in his 14-page review of the incident. “I do not believe that the State could disprove self-defense or defense of others in this case and therefore could not meet the burden required to charge Officer Mensah.”
This sparked outrage throughout the community. The Cole family and their supporters took to the streets in protest of the decision. They were joined by the family of Jacob Blake, who was shot in the back by police in Kenosha, Wisconsin.
Per the Wauwatosa Police Department, 24 people were arrested for violating the city’s 7 p.m. curfew. Cole and Team Roc claim “excessive force” was used during these arrests while authorities reported that two protestors requested medical attention.
“Our hearts break for the family of Alvin Cole and the Wauwatosa community. 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,” the executive director for Team Roc, Dania Diaz, said.
