Two East Lansing City Council members publicly demanded the release of police body camera footage from the Aug. 2 arrest of Myana Collins at the Tuesday, Aug. 11 council meeting, marking the first time elected officials have formally confronted the East Lansing Police Department over the incident.

Mayor Pro Tem Chuck Grigsby and council member Mark Meadows both called for the footage to be made public. Community members and Collins' family called for Police Chief Jen Brown to resign or be fired.

"I am very, very frustrated in regards to where we are at right now, and the lack of progress of where we need to be," Grigsby said, according to WLNS.

Meadows told the council the city needs to reassess how it governs and polices downtown East Lansing. Both he and Grigsby specifically demanded ELPD release the body-worn camera recordings from the Collins arrest.

Collins, 20, was arrested outside Harper's Restaurant and Brew Pub in the early morning hours of Aug. 2. Bystander video shows her being carried out in wrist restraints, tased, held face-down on the ground by multiple officers and struck repeatedly while handcuffed. She sustained injuries to her arms, legs, back and head, according to East Lansing Info. She has not been charged with any crime, and the reason for her arrest remains unclear.

As we reported Aug. 7, one officer was placed on paid administrative leave and an internal investigation was opened.

NAACP president criticizes lack of transparency

James McCurtis, president of the Lansing NAACP, told the council the department's call for the public to submit video footage rings hollow when ELPD won't release its own recordings. He said the department needs "a new culture."

The city's Aug. 3 press release asked residents to share video with ELPD but stated body camera footage would only be released after the internal investigation concludes and the City Attorney reviews it. No timeline has been given.

McCurtis, Collins' family and multiple community members also called for Brown's resignation and reworked de-escalation training for ELPD officers.

Broader concerns raised

Khadja Erickson, who does homeless outreach work in East Lansing, told the council ELPD's conduct makes her fear for her own safety during nighttime street outreach.

The demands come amid mounting scrutiny of the department under Brown's leadership. ELPD officers used force more than 50% more often in 2025, Brown's first year as chief, compared to 2024, according to an East Lansing Info analysis of city reports. In April, the city's Human Rights Commission found ELPD had racially discriminated against two men who were pepper sprayed and arrested downtown in August 2025, according to WLNS. On April 15, ELPD officers shot and killed Isaiah Kirby, 21, a Black Michigan State University student.

ELPD has also proposed revisions to its use-of-force policy that would remove language recognizing "the sanctity of each human life," according to East Lansing Info.

Neither ELPD nor Chief Brown has publicly responded to the council's demands. The internal investigation into the Collins arrest remains open with no stated deadline for completion.

Anyone with information about the Aug. 2 incident can contact ELPD Captain Adrian Ojerio.