LANSING, Mich. (WLNS) — The NAACP Lansing Department is asking for East Lansing Police Chief Jennifer Brown to resign, alleging racist remarks and a deceptive account tied to arrests exterior Dave’s Scorching Hen on Aug. 24.
The group says surveillance video contradicts an East Lansing Police Division assertion that officers used pepper spray after observing violence regardless of issuing a number of instructions.
Whereas discussing a current report with 6 Information that particulars how use of pressure towards Black folks is greater than some other demographic, Brown talked about a “disproportionate number of minorities” coming into the neighborhood to commit crimes.
Surveillance video seems to undermine EL police model of pepper spray incident
“We have a very transient population, and over the last month, starting with Welcome Weekend, we have had a disproportionate number of minorities come into the community and commit crimes, and as police officers we are simply responding to those crimes,” Brown informed 6 Information in September.
Brown, who has served as police chief since Might, apologized for these remarks: “I offer my deepest apologies for unintentionally offending members of the community I serve,” she stated. “East Lansing is a welcoming place that draws people for work, school, sports, and downtown entertainment.”
East Lansing Councilmember Dana Watson stated she is “frustrated” with Brown’s feedback and stated the apology lacks substance.
“The East Lansing Police Department did not just get it wrong — they chose to mislead the public,” NAACP Lansing Department President Harold Pope wrote in a press release launched by the department, calling for Brown’s elimination and for metropolis officers to retract the division’s statements and denounce the remarks. The department additionally urged stronger oversight of ELPD.
The group added, “Such statements are not only inaccurate and inflammatory, but it also reinforces dangerous stereotypes about Black and Brown people. These comments and actions illustrate why Black and Brown communities continue to distrust law enforcement systems.”
ELPD directed 6 Information to contact Brown straight. An automated reply from her e mail stated she is out of workplace till Oct. 20, 2025.
Zack Priehs and Todd Heywood contributed to this report.
