Mayor Ruth Beier proposed a format comprised of two half days. The first day would have council meet with a facilitator to help outline their key goals, and the second would be with groups already achieving these goals so the city can understand how to reach them as well.

A key goal, Beier proposed, would be to actually make people of color safe in East Lansing rather than simply alleviating fear of being harmed by police.

“That’s what all these protests are about. You can say equity and inclusion and implicit bias and all those things, but that’s not going to do it," Beier said. "You can’t change implicit bias, that’s why it’s implicit. So, you have to do other things.”

City Manager George Lahanas said while police reform is a critical issue because it involves the perception of safety, it is also beneficial to think about what can be done in addition to promote equity in the community.

Gregg said with the magnitude of this conversation, at the end of two half days, she suspects council will feel like they have barely begun. A key component, she said, would be to see community partners who are already doing the work council says they want to do involved in the conversation. 

“I don’t think we need to reinvent the wheel. I think we need to become aware of the work that’s being done in the community and find a way to support it,” Gregg said.

Lahanas said all of the council members have come up with a lot of good ideas on the topic, but the city now must synthesize these ideas to come up with a common goal. He proposed council attend something educational, such as the Jim Crow Museum, before beginning the retreat and then sit down and have a listening opportunity to work toward solutions.

Gregg said her fundamental motivation for proposing the retreat was to initiate conversation with council and that it is important to actively engage the Black and Brown community they are trying to improve things for.

“I think too often in this type of situation, you have a body that is made up of primarily middle-class white people and then we kind of imagine what we think would make equity better and then implement those suggestions,” Gregg said. “I think we need to get that information from (the) outside.”

One key issue highlighted in the past involved body cameras equipped to officers’ vests falling off while in action. Interim Police Chief Steve Gonzalez proposed a new vest design: sliding a camera attachment through loops on an outer carrier vest and locking it in place eliminating the risk of detachment.

Gonzalez said the main concern with this design is its more militaristic look. Rather than having each vest labeled with the word “police,” he said officer names would be attached to be more appealing.

Gregg said she is not inclined to invest in this solution right now, stating that de-equipping the police does not mean putting them in more bullet proof vests, even if it means the cameras stay attached. 

“I’m not going to be in favor of trying to equip our way out of this problem,” Gregg said.

Council Member Lisa Babcock said more cameras equate to more accountability. While it might not be the long-term solution, it is something worth doing to make the most of the current situation.

Also at the meeting, Planning, Building and Development Director Tom Fehrenbach provided updates on current downtown development projects. 

Among these, The Abbot apartments being constructed on Grand River Avenue are set to be completed in early August with a move in planned later that month.  

Fehrenbach said they are working to coordinate all the move ins into the large projects downtown and have requested plans from The Hub, Center City District and The Abbot to avoid as much congestion as possible.

In the case of a delay, Fehrenbach said developers have indicated good relationships with other projects in the areas that might have some vacancies and would utilize those if needed.

As of now, he said developers are confident they will reach the early August time frame.