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Business owners, residents and council weigh downtown safety after chaotic weekend events
Summary
Multiple downtown business owners, residents and the council discussed a rise in late‑night violence and nuisance activity around downtown East Lansing and called for a mix of enforcement, operational changes and transparency on police response; council and staff suggested a future discussion‑only meeting.
Multiple downtown business owners and residents told the City Council on Sept. 9 they have seen an increase in loitering, fights and safety problems in the downtown business district, particularly late at night, and urged action to restore safety and customer confidence.
Business owners described customers avoiding downtown and employees quitting because of harassment and threats. Ali Hader, who identified himself as a downtown business owner, said his establishment has been there roughly 30 years and reported “loitering and encampments” that have harmed customer traffic; he urged council to “bring back a narrowly tailored loitering ordinance” and to expand the city’s camping ordinance to cover the downtown sidewalk business district.
Other downtown speakers, including Paul Vlahakis (owner of multiple downtown businesses) and John Vlahakis (manager at a downtown bar/restaurant), said officers have responded rapidly in violent incidents and credited police with preventing further injury. John Vlahakis described multiple instances of stabbings and fights in public plazas and said police “had him locked down” and deployed less‑lethal force to prevent further harm.
Several speakers and council members referred to incidents during “welcome week” that generated social‑media footage. Council member Watson said she learned about some incidents through TikTok and urged greater transparency, including access to body‑worn camera footage: “Either you did something wrong or you did something right. ... Can we look at it with our own eyes too?” Council member Meadows said the council should set up a discussion‑only meeting to consider a range of responses, and Council member Aultman described technical steps (traffic calming, enforcement options, and an ordinance restricting modified mufflers) that could be pursued.
City manager and staff remarks said the city is pursuing both short‑term enforcement and longer‑term process work: staff recognized a staffing and resourcing dimension to downtown calls and said traffic‑control and safety‑planning items will be brought to the Transportation Commission and that regional partners (MDOT) may be invited to future meetings. The city manager also announced staff efforts on traffic calming in specific neighborhoods and invited patience as staff manage a high volume of public email.
Ending
Council members asked for a focused discussion on downtown safety and options; several said they would schedule a discussion‑only agenda item to explore coordinated responses with police, business owners and regional partners.
