Wauwatosa mayor defends response to protests in wake of officer Mensah decision

WAUWATOSA, Wis. (CBS 58) -- It's been several weeks since Wauwatosa became the center of protests calling for police accountability. 

On Tuesday, Oct. 27, Wauwatosa Mayor Dennis McBride addressed criticism about his handling of the unrest. 

Mayor McBride defended his decision to impose a 7 p.m. curfew on the city during the recent Joseph Mensah protests. He said the curfew was not meant to suppress protests. 

Rather, McBride said he wanted to take aggressive action to protect the community. 

"I would've been so criticized if what happened in Kenosha happened in Wauwatosa all over again after the lessons of Kenosha," Mayor McBride said. "If someone had gotten killed, if someone had gotten hurt, had buildings been burned down, I would've had that on my conscience for the rest of my life and I would've deserved all the criticism I received after that."

McBride added his only regret was making the curfew for 7 p.m., and not later in the night like 9 p.m. He said the later curfew would've given several more hours for people to demonstrate.