Residents urge East Lansing council to fire police chief, cite alleged pattern of biased policing

Speakers during the public-comment period on June 30 urged East Lansing’s City Council to take further personnel action and to restore oversight powers for the Human Rights Commission.

Kayla Gomez, introduced by the clerk as the first public commenter, said the council’s recent action involving the city manager was "the right call" but argued that more must be done. "It is time to fire police chief, Jennifer Brown," Gomez said, asserting that "under her leadership, the department has shown a pattern of racist policing that has harmed residents and eroded trust." She urged the council to "restore the Human Rights Commission's powers, and remove Chief Brown."

Robin Etcheson, who identified her residence and spoke after Gomez, told the council she believes the problem is the department’s leadership rather than rank-and-file officers. "The police department is not the main problem. The way they are being led is a problem," Etcheson said, adding that data exist she says show the department's conduct is "racially motivated and biased" toward groups including LGBTQ+ residents and lower-income white residents.

An additional commenter offered a personal example of a young man who suffered during a police encounter and appealed emotionally to the council about the consequences for youth in the community.

The remarks were delivered during the public-comment portion of a meeting in which the council took separate legal actions; the transcript does not record any council votes or other formal actions in response to the speakers’ calls to fire the police chief or to restore the Human Rights Commission’s powers.