EAST LANSING, Mich — Downtown safety concerns in East Lansing have prompted the Downtown Management Board to request that city officials consider implementing a loitering ordinance.
- The Downtown Management Board voted Thursday to send a letter to city council about implementing a loitering ordinance.
- Business owners like Ali Haider have been vocal about safety concerns in downtown East Lansing.
- East Lansing previously had a loitering ban that was amended in December 2020.
Downtown business owners have been raising concerns about safety issues for months.
WATCH: East Lansing business owners push for loitering ordinance amid safety concerns
"It's a very, very crazy scene if you come between 1 am to 3 am," said Ali Haider, a downtown business owner.
I first spoke to Haider back in September, after he showed me a video that he says shows his employee being assaulted twice inside his downtown business.
"It's been really hard to run a business, and it's really hard to keep employees because nobody wants to work when it isn't safe," Haider said.
Haider wanted to see a loitering ordinance put into place in the city, saying it could help businesses that have been impacted by recent safety issues.
Those calls are now growing after the city's Downtown Management Board voted Thursday to send a letter urging the city council to implement an ordinance to address loitering and camping downtown, which they say has contributed to those safety issues.
The city used to have a loitering ban. A section of the city's disorderly conduct ordinance previously stated in part that people could not "loiter, remain, or wander in or about a place without apparent reason and under circumstances which warrant alarm for the safety of persons or property..."
That ordinance was amended in December of 2020 after months of discussion from the city council to see what was "worth policing," according to previous city council meeting recordings.
The letter approved by the DMB says in part, "While the DMB is committed to ensuring that East Lansing remains a welcoming and inclusive community for all, we also recognize the importance of maintaining a safe, comfortable, and vibrant environment for those who live, work, and play in our downtown."
The City Council is set to meet again on November 18, but no agenda has been released yet. I'll continue to follow this story and bring you the latest as it develops.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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