Incoming BSA president Marcus McDaniel invited members of the administration, including Vice President for Public Safety and Chief of Police Marlon Lynch and Senior Vice President for Student Life and Engagement Vennie Gore.

“I’m always willing to support and participate in student activities, especially for circumstances like this, upon invitation because I knew I need to be invited for these things,” Lynch said.

Lynch wrote a statement to share with the crowd. He said events like these increase expectations for law enforcement as a whole.

“I think the importance of my statement is, yes, I have a job here and it is in law enforcement but I’m no different than anyone else that’s here and been impacted by a tragedy like that,” Lynch said. “Having sons as well and just the overall impact of it, I’m not exempt from that. However I can be supportive, whatever change I can facilitate here at MSU, I’m willing to do that.”

Lynch hopes for future collaboration with student groups. He said there is a Police and Public Safety Advisory Committee that is co-chaired by two students. McDaniel said he invited Lynch because he thinks the police force should have the opportunity to speak.

“What the solidarity component for the cops is we need to be able to stand together and unite to get to know each other and build that coalition so, in the future, we can make that change,” McDaniel said. “Divided we fall, united we stand. The reason why I said it backward was because if they’re not here, we’re already divided.”

Student leaders also spoke at the vigil, including Miss Black MSU Cara Drew and ASMSU DEI Officer Christine So. Student groups like C.O.R.E.S. and the Asian Pacific American Student Organization also attended to support. Grand Rapids community members encouraged students to be active in social justice. 

“All these different groups are here, so now you know who’s in your corner,” McDaniel said. “Now that you know who’s in your corner, let’s put all these resources together. So that’s the whole point. For me personally, as the incoming president, this is really something that is needed to happen because at the end of the day, now that we are here, what now?”

McDaniel hopes to use his role in BSA to learn about police policies at MSU and create more awareness in the community.

“How can you change something if you don’t know anything?” McDaniel said. “If you don’t know anything, you just go about your merry day because that doesn’t affect you. But now that you know, you have the opportunity and the possibility to change it.”

BSA Public Relations Officer Angela Solomon appreciated the attendance from student groups.

“I think that support is really important because personally, for me as a student, we see on social media all the time that there is a lack of support for Black students on campus,” Solomon said. “There are students that aren’t supporting us, and that’s been made clear. So to have students come behind us and stand up for us, that just makes it even more personal.”

She hopes these groups, like C.O.R.E.S & COPS, continue to support BSA outside of events like this.

“We don’t just need them to come out to events and support us, we need them to support us when they’re writing bills and when they’re making legislation and when they’re talking to their RSOs and when they’re talking to their friends,” Solomon said. “When people are saying those comments … we need them to speak out against that. It goes beyond this vigil. We need more than that.”