Wauwatosa issues curfew following decision in Mensah case

WAUWATOSA, Wis. (CBS 58) -- The city of Wauwatosa has issued a state of emergency curfew each night beginning at 7:00 pm on Wednesday Oct. 7, and ending at 6 a.m. on Monday Oct. 12. This, following the Milwaukee County District Attorney's decision not to charge a Wauwatosa police officer in the fatal shooting of a teenager. 

The curfew also means:

• People should stay home between the curfew hours – except for people who are going to or from work, such as government officials, social service workers, and credentialed members of the press acting in their official capacities.
• No overnight parking of vehicles during this time, as to allow emergency service vehicles to respond when and where necessary.
• Gas stations are closing between the curfew hours. Gas stations and hardware stores are prohibited from displaying and selling materials which could be used to start or accelerate the burning of buildings or the containers used or capable of being used to transport and dispense such materials.
• City Hall and the Wauwatosa Public Library will be closed to the public October 7 – 12. See full details about how to access city services, including absentee ballot drop off locations.

Meantime, businesses in Wauwatosa have been long preparing for the release of the decision. Driving down North Avenue, it didn't take long for CBS 58 crews to see precautionary measures in place. 

"We’re trying to protect the business that’s been here for 30 years. The last thing we would want to do is start from scratch if something were to happen.," said Jeff Fellows, business owner. 

#OnoKineGrindz in #Wauwatosa is boarding up. pic.twitter.com/xSvThaDjyS

— Christine Flores (@CFlorestv) October 7, 2020

Jeff Fellows' mercantile business is right across from Mayfair Mall. He says the decision is one he's been thinking about for the past month. 

"We’re just trying to protect the building, we’ve got big glass windows," Fellows said. "There’s no guarantees that this can be protected, so we’re going to take some precautions and take care of it ourselves." 

Some businesses announced they would be closing early for the safety of their staff an customers. 

"Because we built our business brick by brick, even though we do support Black Lives Matter, it would hurt us so much if our store was looted," said David Lau, business owner. 

City officials say the decision was something they've prepped for since Mid-July.

"We’re fully prepared for any level of unrest that may occur. We expect protests and we hope and pray that those will be peaceful protests," said Wauwatosa Mayor Dennis McBride. 

Some business owners are remaining hopeful for peace in the city. 

"We’re all one community. I hope everyone would consider this their community and take care of each other," said Jessie Sorgatz, business owner.