EAST LANSING — The East Lansing Independent Police Oversight Commission voted 7-1 to demand East Lansing Police Chief Jennifer Brown’s resignation during a special meeting on Thursday, Oct. 16.
Commissioners have been upset with a particular comment by Brown and what they say has been a lack of transparency from the East Lansing Police Department following complaints of excessive force by police officers during the weekend of Aug. 23-24 in the city’s downtown.
The comment that concerned the commission was made to WLNS TV-6. The station reported that in September, following the arrests, Brown told a reporter, “We have a very transient population, and over the last month, starting with Welcome Weekend, we have had a disproportionate number of minorities come into the community and commit crimes, and as police officers we are simply responding to those crimes.”
Oversight commission Vice Chair Kath Edsall took issue with Brown’s comment.
“I at my core cannot support that. How much racism is too much racism before she is removed?” Edsall told the State Journal. “This, to me, is enough racism. Any racism would indicate to me that she is not capable of doing her job. Even more than making that racist statement, I don’t think she in any way understood how harmful and how impactful that was.”
Edsall read the motion demanding Brown’s resignation. The motion passed 7-1, with commissioner Mike McDaniel being the sole no vote, Edsall told the Lansing State Journal.
Brown did not return a phone message from the State Journal. A phone number of McDaniel could not be located, and the city’s website has no contact information for the commissioner.
The commission was created in 2021 to increase accountability of the police department and strengthen conditions to lead to community trust in the department, according to the City of East Lansing website. The commission prioritizes addressing racial inequities and use of force policing.
Commissioners have been critical of the police department since Welcome Weekend, when fights, large crowds and safety issues happened in the downtown area.
Officers broke up the fight by using pepper spray, said Nadia Sellers, CEO of the Okemos-nonprofit the Honey Bear Project, and she claimed East Lansing officers used “excessive force” in dealing with a group of college-age Black men over the Aug. 23-24 weekend.
Soon after, community members demanded the release of video while Brown noted the department was working to determine what video it could release as other videos circulated on social media depicting some of the turmoil.
Oversight Commission Chair Ernest Conerly and Edsall said the city wasn’t doing enough to address the rumors circulating through the community or establishing the facts of what happened.
The police department eventually released body camera footage, but overhead footage of the downtown disturbance that resulted in two Black men, 21 and 22, being pepper sprayed by police was excluded in the original release, upsetting Edsall.
“She did not release that video which knowingly countered the narrative she was trying to convey in her press release, this one of excessive violence,” Edsall said.
The two men were charged with misdemeanor crimes like disturbing the peace, fighting and obstructing an officer. Charges against the men were dismissed on Friday, said Jack Rucker, an attorney representing one of the men, although online court records did not show those updates.
Harold Pope, president and spokesperson for the Lansing NAACP chapter, confirmed Friday that the organization is also calling for Brown’s resignation.
In an open letter to East Lansing City Manager Robert Belleman, Executive Director of the Women’s Center of Greater Lansing Rebecca Kasen wrote, “Chief Brown’s words cannot be undone or explained away. Every arrest of a person of color will now be questioned. Every interaction between the police and our community will carry the weight of her remarks. She could attend ten thousand hours of DEI training, issue tearful apologies, and pledge change, but the public trust has been broken in a way that cannot be repaired while she remains in leadership.”
The Lansing chapter of the Alpha Phi Delta, a fraternity that focuses on the advocacy for the African American community, also called for Brown’s resignation.
“The community’s confidence in law enforcement depends on honesty, fairness, and transparency–when leadership fails to uphold these principles, it is the duty of civic organizations like ours to speak out and demand change,” the organization wrote in a press release.
Brown was named chief in May, having served since December of 2024 in an interim capacity. She took the interim role after the previous interim chief, Chad Pride, asked to return to his previous position as deputy chief pending his retirement in late January.
Brown became the city’s first permanent police chief since Kim Johnson stepped down in May 2024 amid an internal investigation, ending his second stint with the city. Johnson worked for the department from 1982 until 2012, attaining the rank of captain, then returned in 2020 after then-Chief Larry Sparkes retired amid controversy surrounding two excessive force investigations regarding the same officer.
Johnson was placed on leave in April 2024 after an internal complaint prompted an internal investigation by the city attorney. The city refused to release any details about the investigation or nature of the complaint.
Contact Karly Graham at kgraham@lsj.com. Follow her on X at @KarlyGrahamJrn.
This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: Police oversight commission calls for East Lansing police chief’s resignation
Reporting by Karly Graham, Lansing State Journal / Lansing State Journal
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