WAUWATOSA — The Wauwatosa Police Department is addressing rumors swirling on the internet about protests over the police shooting of Alvin Cole Thursday night.
In six tweets posted one after another Friday afternoon, WPD said it is correcting the record after it says a number of rumors and falsehoods emerged over social media.
The first issue WPD brought up was about Jacob Blake Jr., the father of Jacob Blake, regarding his reported arrest during protests Thursday night. WPD says he was in fact not arrested by law enforcement. The Milwaukee Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression had previously stated that Blake had been arrested.
There are a lot of rumors on social media. We are correcting the record:
— Wauwatosa Police (WI) (@WauwatosaPD) October 9, 2020
1. FICTION: Jacob Blake Sr. was arrested on 10/8/2020.
FACT: Jacob Blake Sr. was NOT arrested on 10/8/2020
There were also rumors that Tracy Cole, Alvin Cole's mother, had her arm broken during her arrest. WPD says her arm was not broken. TMJ4 News has been reporting that she had injured her arm, which the Cole family attorney had informed TMJ4 on Thursday.
WPD says there are rumors that four members of the credentialed media were arrested. WPD explains that two people were arrested who did not show press credentials at the time of their arrest.
There were also rumors that the Wisconsin National Guard, which Gov. Tony Evers had mobilized to Wauwatosa to assist local law enforcement, had made arrests. WPD says the Guard made no arrests Thursday night.
The fifth issue WPD was out to settle is that the people arrested Thursday nightare still in jail. WPD says all 24 of them have been cited for violating curfew and have since been released.
And the final rumor WPD sought to dispel is that protests on Wednesday and Thursday nights were peaceful. "FACT: On 10/7, members of the group broke windows at residences and businesses and threw rocks, bricks, and glass bottles at law enforcement," according to the department's Twitter account.
Wauwatosa has seen both peaceful protests and property damage in the two nights following the Mensah decision.
