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East Lansing City Council members will consider narrowing a proposed ban on camping in public spaces after meeting with groups who say the proposal would unfairly target unhoused individuals.
Advocacy groups like the American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan and the Michigan Coalition Against Homelessness criticized a proposed ban on camping in public spaces as overly broad. During a meeting last month, residents spoke in opposition to the proposed ordinance for more than two hours.
During a meeting next week, East Lansing City Council members will discuss amending the proposal to address specific types of conduct.
Rather than banning all public camping, the focus would pn be removing people from an area when the city has an event planned in that spot, City Manager Robert Belleman said.
Councilmember Kerry Ebersole Singh said police have previously encountered people sleeping on an outdoor stage where a concert was scheduled.
“We currently do not have anything on the books that would help support a police officer engaging with someone who may be preventing a community event,” Singh said.
Another amendment would reduce violations from a misdemeanor to a civil infraction, meaning tickets could be issued but there would be no jail time attached.
Singh said the East Lansing Police Department is in the process of hiring a third social worker to focus on the unhoused population downtown.
City Council members also recently approved two new police officer positions focused on downtown.
During a meeting Tuesday night, City Council members will consider putting more city funds toward sheltering unhoused community members in a local hotel during periods of extreme cold.
The city has already spent more than $10,000 this winter on hotel rooms during three Code Blue emergencies. Singh said City Council members didn’t expect how many nights this winter would have dangerously cold temperatures.
Belleman said it’s a temporary solution to avoid leaning on the city of Lansing.
“Mayor Schor had called at one point and said, you know, 'We are near capacity, if East Lansing is going to send unhoused to the city shelter, then the city should look at partnering financially,'” Belleman said. “I said I’m all for that if we can’t find an alternate.”
He said the hotel rooms can be more accessible for families and people with disabilities than shelters.
Singh said Ingham, Eaton and Clinton counties should work together on a long-term regional solution.
