The Lansing city council heard more than two hours of public comment during a meeting Monday night over a proposal to cut the city’s police budget in half over five years.
Councilmember Brandon Betz is joined by councilmember Kathie Dunbar in calling for diverting money cut from the police budget to social programs. They argue that would result in the prevention of crime.
Several people spoke against the plan early in public comment, including Tim Brewbaker.
“Many minority communities have complained that the police don’t do enough to protect them," said Brewbaker. "Defunding the police would make that worse.”
The tone turned to mostly supportive comments from speakers like Farhan Sheikh-Omar.
“I believe that bad cops are a symptom and not the cause," Sheikh-Omar says. "We need to cure the underlying disease.”
This was the first council meeting since Betz unveiled his proposal last week. It’s being referred to committee.
Police chief Daryl Green has opposed such cuts and argues that the LPD is underfunded.