The East Lansing Police Oversight Commission reached a 7-1 vote calling for current Police Chief Jennifer Brown's resignation in yesterday's Thursday night meeting.
During the meeting, incidents that happened during Michigan State University's 'Welcome Week' were discussed and the police's conduct were reviewed.
One such incident was the pepper spraying and arrests of two young men. Each were charged with disorderly fighting, but security camera footage contradicts the charges, said Kath Edsall vice chair of the Commission.
She said the two young men were not fighting each other at all. Instead, one of the men was trying to break up an altercation and get his friend out of danger.
Brown withheld the security camera footage and wrote the press release about the incident that painted a misleading narrative, she said.
"She has lost the trust of large portions of the community in leading the police department in a way that is racially equitable," Edsall said. "It questions her ability to command a police force in using force as minimally and as appropriately as possible."
Brown said the distance in which the police pepper sprayed the two young men was unnecessary, dangerous and risked blinding them.
"There was no evidence of deescalation by that officer and he came in and immediately pepper sprayed them in an inappropriate way," Edsall said. "And yet she (Brown) has not in any way made it publicly known that that was inappropriate."
Brown reportedly made comments to WLNS earlier this month saying "during welcome weekend, we had a disproportionate number of minorities come into the community and commit crimes."
Numerous organizations in Greater Lansing have called for her resignation including the Women's Center of Greater Lansing, while City Manager Robert Belleman says he remains supportive of Brown as police chief.
He said this situation can be a learning moment for Brown, something Edsall says is unacceptable.
"How much racism is enough racism to make someone incapable of holding their job," she said.
Brown's leadership leads to harm against Black and Brown people visiting East Lansing, she said.
