East Lansing Waiting on Charging Decision Before Releasing Videos of Controversial Arrest

It’s been one month since a video showing an East Lansing police officer striking a restrained Black woman several times was posted online. It’s been three weeks since a majority of the East Lansing City Council said more footage of the incident should be released.

Still, the city has not publicly communicated any information beyond an Aug. 3 statement that said the video circulating does not show the entire incident and that an officer involved was placed on paid leave. 

In a short, email chain East Lansing Info obtained through a records request, Mario Morrow Sr., a communications consultant hired by the city, said on Aug. 6 he agrees that the city should not release body camera footage until charges are brought, writing “what is taking so long for these charges?”

Councilmember Mark Meadows told ELi in a phone call Tuesday his understanding is the city is still waiting until the county prosecutor decides whether or not to pursue charges against Myanna Collins, the 20-year-old woman seen in the video, before releasing footage. 

Ingham County Prosecutor John Dewane told ELi in a phone call Monday that his office has not yet completed a review of the evidence and that it could be another couple of weeks before a decision is reached. 

Dewane said he has not been able to complete a review because he was recently in trial prosecuting David Gaines Jr., a Lansing man charged with involuntary manslaughter in the January 2025 death of a man in East Lansing who lost consciousness after he was punched by Gaines, fell and hit his head, and later died from his injuries. A judge ruled a mistrial on Aug. 20 in this case. 

Dewane added that his top assistant prosecutor, who he would also like to review evidence, has been working on a murder trial. He said that the office issues charges for people who are in custody more quickly, and Collins has not been held. 

Meadows told ELi Tuesday he believes footage from body cameras and nearby businesses that captured the incident should be released “as soon as possible.” He said he’s been advocating to just put the footage out, but that some people would argue releasing the footage now would influence the prosecutor’s decision. 

He added that he has seen body camera footage and said the video posted on social media shows a relatively brief part of the interaction. 

The video of an ELPD officer striking Collins has been the latest controversy involving the police department, but community members have filled most of public comment at City Council meetings for about a year saying East Lansing police are using excessive force against communities of color. 

Last fall, the city publicized the arrest and sought criminal charges against two Black men accused of fighting, only for security footage to reveal one of the men had stepped in to deescalate an altercation. In April, police fatally shot Isaiah Kirby, a 21-year-old Black man suspected of stabbing a man moments earlier. Across 2025, there was a dramatic increase in the number of times force was used by ELPD officers compared to prior years, force that was disproportionately used against people of color. 

The city’s inaction during the month since the video of the officer striking Collins was posted online shows a lack of accountability, Lansing NAACP Branch President James McCurtis Jr. told ELi in a phone call Tuesday night. He said what is seen on the video – an officer hitting a woman who is face down and screaming in fear – is unacceptable. 

“I know they put this person on paid leave, but that’s all we’ve heard in the public,” McCurtis said. 

McCurtis said he has been regularly meeting with East Lansing officials since he became the branch’s president in April, as did former branch President Harold Pope before he stepped down to run for a seat in the state legislature. While McCurtis said he remains hopeful there can be improvements to the city’s police department, city officials have been unresponsive to the requests from the NAACP and other activists. 

The ELPD needs major improvements in the department’s culture, McCurtis said. That means East Lansing Police Chief Jennifer Brown needs to resign or be fired, and police policies need to be strengthened to increase accountability. 

“We understand that being a police officer is not an easy job,” he said. “What we want to see is a cultural change. You can still police with humanity and that’s what we’re seeing missing when it comes to Black and brown people. They’re not policing with humanity.”