LANSING, Mich. (WLNS) — East Lansing Police Chief Jen Brown is responding to criticism surrounding a remark she made final week about minorities throughout an interview with 6 Information, one some native leaders have labeled as insensitive or racist.
East Lansing Metropolis Councilwoman Dana Watson says she is pissed off with the next remark Brown made in response to not too long ago launched statistics that present the East Lansing Police Division makes use of “force” in opposition to a disproportionately massive variety of Black and African American folks.
“Starting with Welcome Weekend, we’ve had a disproportionate number of minorities come into the community and commit crimes, and as police officers, we are simply responding to those crimes,” mentioned Brown.
Kath Edsall, the Vice Chair of the East Lansing Unbiased Police Oversight Fee, says the feedback have been racist, calling on chief Brown to coach herself on the connection between minorities and the police.
“Overtly racist, absolutely racist. She has not devoted any portion of her life to truly understanding the history of policing, she has simply run with the tropes that are familiar to her. Blackness and Brownness equal criminality,” mentioned Edsall.
Brown apologized for the feedback over the weekend, releasing the next assertion:
“I provide my deepest apologies for unintentionally offending members of the neighborhood I serve. East Lansing is a welcoming place that pulls folks for work, college, sports activities, and downtown leisure. The main focus of the East Lansing Police Division is on stopping violence and defending the lives of our residents and guests alike.
It’s an honor to serve all residents of the Metropolis of East Lansing as their Chief of Police. Wanting ahead, I’ll proceed to work with our neighborhood to offer transparency on our policing efforts and earn the belief of these we serve.”
Watson mentioned the apology lacks any actual substance.
“It doesn’t acknowledge the impact it had for us, the harm that it does for our community, and what she plans to do differently if anything,” Watson mentioned.
6 Information reached out to Brown for additional remark. She declined to sit down for an interview and referred us to the above apology.
