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Residents decry sudden removal of DEI liaison, urge police accountability at East Lansing council meeting
Summary
Public commenters told the April 14 discussion-only East Lansing City Council meeting that the city handled the removal of DEI liaison Elaine Hardy poorly and renewed calls for accountability after a pepper-spray incident; NAACP and Human Rights Commission findings amplified demands for action.
Public comment at the East Lansing City Council's April 14 discussion-only meeting focused on the abrupt removal of Elaine Hardy, director of the city's Diversity, Equity & Inclusion office, from her role as liaison to the Independent Police Oversight Commission and on renewed demands for police accountability.
Amanda Morgan, identified herself as a community member, said the March memo notifying the oversight commission that Hardy would no longer serve as liaison took effect immediately and deprived the commission of an opportunity to recognize Hardy's service. Morgan called Hardy 'professional' and said she 'showed a wealth of knowledge the city of East Lansing benefits from.' She asked why the change had been handled without a transition similar to prior staff departures and whether the City Manager, Robert Bellman, had used bureaucratic authority in a way that denied basic dignity to Hardy.
James McCurtis, president of the Lansing branch of the NAACP, urged council to remove Police Chief Jennifer Brown, citing a pepper-spray use-of-force incident from August that is now the subject of two federal civil-rights lawsuits. McCurtis cited a Human Rights Commission investigation he said found a pattern of racial discrimination in policing and told the council that 'every day Chief Brown remains in her position is another day you endorse her racism.'
Several other speakers amplified similar concerns. Nadia Sers gave an extended public comment describing the removal of Hardy as the latest in a pattern she said included 'bullying' by the city manager and asserted the removal was handled without the courtesy shown to a previous, white liaison. Sers made strongly worded accusations about the city manager and the council's handling of the Human Rights Commission's requests for information, and drew audible reactions from the audience.
Other speakers, including Christine Root and Owen Ron, urged council to preserve public-comment access and to be transparent with the community as it works through several concurrently unfolding issues: police discipline, oversight, and the DEI office's role. Root specifically asked that any proposal to limit public comment be reconsidered, saying it would make it more difficult for working people or caregivers to participate.
Councilmember Mark Meadows responded during the public-comment period to praise Hardy's service and to say that she had done 'a fantastic job.' Mayor Pro Tem Tim Griggsby and other members acknowledged the volume of concern and flagged the issue for follow-up, while City Manager Robert Bellman's office did not announce personnel decisions from the dais.
What happens next: Council members and staff said they would follow up. The removal and its handling have become a focal point for local advocacy groups and the Human Rights Commission; the issue overlaps with ongoing litigation and administrative reviews of police conduct and department oversight.
Who said it (first reference): Amanda Morgan, community member; James McCurtis, president, Lansing NAACP branch; Nadia Sers, public commenter; Mark Meadows, Council Member.
Note on names and spellings: This article uses the city name East Lansing and staff names as given in council remarks and follow-up materials.
