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Residents press council for firings, accountability after officer-involved death; council continues city manager leave
Summary
Dozens of residents at the June 2 East Lansing City Council meeting demanded the firing of Police Chief Jennifer Brown and City Manager Robert Bellman, accused the police department of racialized use of force, and urged stronger oversight; council continued the city manager's leave after a closed-session consultation with attorneys.
Dozens of residents pressed the East Lansing City Council on June 2 over police conduct, withheld videos and what speakers described as weakening of local oversight — and the council returned from a closed session to continue the city manager's leave.
James Mccurtis Jr., president of the NAACP Lancing branch, told the council the department used “excessive force” in the April 15 shooting of Isaiah Kirby and called for Police Chief Jennifer Brown’s resignation and stronger accountability from elected officials. “We’ve called for Police Chief Jennifer Brown’s resignation since August,” Mccurtis said during public comment.
Other speakers from the Coalition for Justice and community groups urged the council to restore full funding and independent legal counsel for oversight bodies, to drop charges they considered the result of over‑policing, and to delay votes that would reduce the Human Rights Commission’s authority. Nadia Sellers, identifying herself with the Coalition for Justice, said the city had spent “more than a million dollars” on attorney fees linked to litigation related to policing and personnel decisions and urged council action.
Kath Edel, who addressed a separate FOIA issue (see related article), and multiple callers described a pattern of withheld footage and delayed transparency that, they said, erodes trust. Simone Perasa, identifying herself as a member of Ellip (the East Lansing Independent Police Oversight Commission), said oversight bodies have limited access to evidence and cautioned against further curtailing commission authority.
Council members responded in remarks and later took the matter into closed session under the Michigan Open Meetings Act. The motion to enter closed session cited MCL 15.243 for attorney-client privileged correspondence; the roll call entering closed session recorded Whan, Meadows, Singh, Mayor Pro Tim Griggsby and Mayor Alman voting yes. After returning to open session, the council voted to continue the city manager’s leave of absence during the investigation and authorized the mayor and city attorneys to proceed in the manner discussed in closed session. The motion to continue the leave was moved by Griggsby and seconded by Whan and carried by voice vote.
Mayor Pro Tim Griggsby said he plans to convene more community conversations, and Council Member Singh said the council would continue dialogue with current and former city employees and review charter-related governance issues raised by some commenters. Several speakers urged the council to delay any ordinance changes affecting oversight until those conversations and reviews occur.
The council took no personnel action on the police chief at the meeting; speakers’ demands for firings remain community requests pending any formal disciplinary or employment decisions.
Next procedural steps announced at the meeting included staff review of proposed HRC changes and continued follow-up on investigations; the council did not schedule a special vote on personnel at this session.
