After nearly three months of meetings, the independent commission reviewing the April 2-3 disturbances has not reached a conclusion as to what happened that night.

The direction the group is heading is unclear, some members said. Commissioner Andrew Schepers, who is also ASMSU student assembly chairman, said the meetings could have a different focus because many of the topics discussed are covered in a police report compiled after the disturbances.

"One of things that has been confusing for me is what are we really meeting for," he said. "We need to get somewhere. It is a big political game - it's a way to make people look good and show the city is making an effort."

Commissioner Nancy Schertzing said the group is on the right track and headed in a positive direction.

"I do feel like we are headed in the right direction," the East Lansing resident said. "What the end result will be, I do not know. The right direction is getting to hear all the different sides. I think that what we are doing right now is we are looking at the whole picture."

Following the men's basketball team's loss to the University of North Carolina, a police-estimated crowd of about 3,000 people poured out into East Lansing streets, causing $5,775 in property damages. Nearly $2,500 of these damages were attributed to a stolen duck statue in the downtown area, which was later returned.

During a June 21 meeting, East Lansing Mayor Mark Meadows said the commission has a mission statement, and it exists to gather information about the events of the disturbances.

"We are going to review what happened this year and in prior years to make recommendations," he said at that meeting.

Although he has missed a couple meetings, Schepers said he understands how important it is to rebuild the trust between the student body and the city.

"I knew going into it I wasn't going to be able to go to 100 percent of the meetings," he said.

Even when present, Schepers, along with the other commission members are only allowed to ask a select number of questions.

"It is tough when you only have a chance to ask two questions," he said. "You are kind of handcuffed."

Meadows did not return phone calls made by The State News on Sunday.

The most recent independent commission meeting on Friday focused on the use of munitions. East Lansing police Lt. Tom Johnstone explained the policies and use of pepper spray and tear gas.

Schertzing said she wouldn't have put this item on the agenda, and some meetings could focus on more discussion-oriented topics.

"When are we going to get to the meat of this?" she said. "I have all these questions that churn away in my gut."

Although some commissioners said they found the presentation helpful, some of the same information could be found in a police report compiled by East Lansing police Chief Tom Wibert, which all the commissioners have and were supposed to have read.

"It was overkill," Schepers said. "One of the troublesome things I have gotten out of the commission is we hear a lot from the police."

Although officers from the East Lansing Police Department are present at every meeting, some commission members said they want representatives from the MSU police department to also attend the meetings.

"I don't know why the only people we hear from are the East Lansing police," Schertzing said. "Both East Lansing and Michigan State had leadership responsibility - I thought I understood it was a 50/50 arrangement."

Kris Turner can be reached at turne112@msu.edu.