Council Delays Vote on Amendments to Police Oversight Commission; Tables Resolution On Social District

Safety in downtown East Lansing remains a central concern, with community members urging City Council members to do something during their Tuesday meeting. 

The owner of the downtown 7-Eleven, Ali Haider, addressed the council for the second time this month, pleading with them to bring back the city’s loitering ordinance in the downtown area. He said his employees continue to experience harassment, with one recent incident where a 19-year-old female employee was pepper-sprayed.

“My store was attacked by a group of individuals…I lost seven employees in the period of two days, and I’m telling you as a business owner, downtown is not secure. I don’t recommend it for MSU students, I don’t recommend it for my own kids, I don’t recommend anyone to work there,” Haider said. 

Council delays vote on changes to ordinance governing police oversight commission, release cross-reference document.

Several community members spoke during the public comment portion of the meeting against pending changes to Ordinance No. 1533, which outlines the advisory authority of the city’s independent police oversight commission. 

City officials and attorneys determined certain changes are required to align the ordinance with the police union contract that the city agreed to earlier this year. Alterations to the ordinance would include redacting officers’ names from reports the oversight commission receives to review use of force concerns and blocking the commission from receiving information on complaints until after ELPD completes its investigation and disciplinary processes.

Council was previously slated to vote on a second reading that would finalize the ordinance changes, but unanimously decided to push the decision back until its Oct. 21 meeting. Members of the oversight commission have said the changes to the ordinance go beyond what is required by the new contract.

Having strong accountability for how officers use their authority does not weaken public safety, Karen Hoene, vice chair of the city’s human rights commission, told council members during public comment. Trust in law enforcement around the country is depleted, Hoene added, and as the oversight commission was formed to address existing concerns over ELPD’s ethics, gutting oversight will only further drive a wedge between officers and the community they are mandated to protect.

“In a Democratic society, the powerful must be subject to scrutiny by the people and there is no greater power than that of life and death, which the police hold over others,” Hoene said. “The decision that you all make here, whenever you decide to vote on this, is going to have lasting impact long after you’re gone, on the safety of our community and on trust in the police department.”

All members of the City Council, except Councilman Erik Altmann, voted to release a cross-reference document that the council possesses that outlines the contradictions between the current ordinance and the requirements under the police labor agreement with the city. Members of the police oversight commission say they want to review the document to determine how necessary the proposed changes to the ordinance are. Altmann said he was voting against releasing the document because the city’s labor counsel advised against the release of the document at this time.

Resolution to establish a social district downtown is tabled.

Concerns over public safety bled into a conversation about the city establishing a social district in the downtown during the spring and summer.

The proposed Albert EL Fresco social district would allow public consumption of alcohol within a designated area stretching across Albert Avenue between Grove Street and M.A.C. Avenue. 

If it is eventually approved, the district will be operational Thursday – Saturday 12-8 p.m. beginning the second Thursday each May and running through through the first Saturday of August.

The establishment of the social district was previously brought to City Council at its Aug. 12 meeting. It was postponed until legal opinion was obtained related to liability and enforcement process.

Altmann expressed reservations about moving forward with the social district, considering recent incidents of violence in the downtown, which Police Chief Jen Brown echoed. Brown explained there are multiple factors to consider before moving forward with the social district. 

“This is a very difficult thing for law enforcement to enforce,” Brown said. “With all the issues that we have going on in the downtown right now, I think it would be prudent to take a step back and look at downtown as a whole.”

Brown mentioned the city directors have formed a committee that will meet weekly to discuss how best to address safety, proposing solutions and presenting them to the City Council.

City Manager Robert Belleman pointed out that most of the problems downtown occur when students return, leading to heavier crowds compared to the summertime. 

City Council passed a motion to table a decision on the EL Fresco social district until it receives more information from staff, the motion passed 4-1; Councilmember Dana Watson voted against it. 

Council approves contract extension with City Manager Robert Belleman.

Council also unanimously voted to approve a new contract with Belleman that will keep him as the top city employee for three more years.

Belleman will receive just over $190,000 the first year of his new contract, which is in-line with what he was scheduled to make had his previous contract continued.

Belleman’s new contract is similar to the one he signed after being hired, though it includes an additional year compared to the two-year deal he agreed to in 2023. If City Council decides to terminate the agreement early without cause, Belleman will receive a full year salary, unless he takes another job during the 12-month severance period.