The independent commission formed to review a police report detailing police actions during the April 2-3 disturbances will hold its first formal meeting at 4 p.m. today at East Lansing City Hall to map out its plans for the summer.
Establishing a meeting schedule and general direction for the group will consume a majority of its first gathering, Commission Chairman and East Lansing Mayor Mark Meadows said.
"I would like to see us set general topics for each of those meetings," he said.
Meadows said he estimates the group will operate during the next three months to create a final report to submit to the East Lansing City Council in the fall.
To ensure members would have an objective view of the disturbances, representatives were chosen from MSU, East Lansing and the state, Meadows said. The level of force used by police officers and plans for future disturbances could also be changed, Meadows added.
Each member chosen for the commission did not participate or witness the disturbances, he said, so they could remain as unbiased as possible.
An independent commission was formed following the observation by many students and others involved that the police acted too harshly and teargassed prematurely during the disturbances that followed the men's basketball team's loss in the Final Four.
Beth Alexander, an MSU physician and member of the Celebration Committee, said she is going into the commission without any preconceived notions about the night's events.
"It will be important to look at the breach of trust on multiple levels so we can move forward," she said.
Other commission members said they want to probe the mentality of community members to help ensure an end to violent demonstrations, and to find out why they start.
"I am so hopeful the commission will be able to examine the celebrations and violent events so that we can figure out what is going on here," East Lansing resident Nancy Schertzing said.
She added that she wants to paint an accurate picture of the events that took place during the disturbances.
The other members include Joe Tuchinsky of the American Civil Liberties Union, Nate Barnes of the city's Community Relations Coalition, Steve Thompson of the Human Relations Commission, Raymond Beach, who serves as the executive director of the Michigan Commission on Law Enforcement Standards and Robert Ianni of the Michigan Attorney General's office.
Also representing MSU is Derek Wallbank of the University Student Commission and Ed McGarrell, director of the School of Criminal Justice.
City Councilmember Bill Sharp attended the commission's first informal meeting and said he is looking forward to the release of its final report.
"I would like to see a plan for the future," he said. "My hope is to have some kind of plan that can be accepted by all parties. The university is ready to look at helping come up with solutions.
"I hope it is not a witch hunt."
Kris Turner can be reached at turne112@msu.edu.
