East Lansing City Council further postponed the vote on a controversial public camping ban ordinance following increased pushback from homelessness advocates at a council meeting on Tuesday. The ordinance is part of East Lansing Police Chief Jen Brown’s attempt to introduce solutions to reduce violence downtown after unlawful pepper spray and Taser usage by city police officers during MSU’s Welcome Week.
The proposed ordinance would prohibit anyone from using bedding, sleeping bags or other materials with the intention of setting up a temporary living space in alleys, parks and other public areas. Camping in private and commercial spaces is already prohibited in the city of East Lansing. Enforcements would follow reasonable attempts made by a police officer to place the individual in a shelter.
If found in violation, individuals could be fined up to $25 for first-time offenses during a twelve-month period and be charged with a civil infraction. Repeat offenders may be charged with a misdemeanor, face imprisonment of up to 30 days and be fined up to $100.
Since the introduction of Ordinance 1566 at a Dec. 9, 2025 council meeting, homelessness advocates have denounced the legislation for furthering the criminalization of homeless populations in East Lansing.
A second ordinance, Ordinance 1565, has also been criticized by advocates for further alienating the homeless population by restricting loitering in city-owned parking spaces. If passed, individuals who are walking to and from their vehicles in parking spaces that are not paid for may be penalized.
Brown’s solutions have remained wildly unpopular among advocates, and she's received criticism after defending the offending police officers in an October interview with WLNS, saying they were “simply responding” to a "disproportionate amount of minorities” that commit crimes in the city.
“It's so important to recognize that Chief Jen Brown is at the center of this,” Executive Director of the Mid-Michigan Resource Center Khadija Erickson told The State News. “She used Black and brown bodies potentially being a detriment to the community as a vehicle to harm an even wider swath of the community. I mean, it really is incredible that she still has her job.”
During public comment, assistant geography professor Stephen Przybylinski said that no existing social science literature has found that bans on camping and loitering effectively reduce homelessness.
“All it seeks to do is enhance the homelessness incarceration nexus,” Przybylinski said.
Przybylinksi also rejected the idea that the homeless population has contributed to “issues” downtown that have affected local businesses. The businesses are “thriving,” he said.
