FridayMusings has found yet another member of our Livonia faith community that is reaching out to help those in need. 

Christ our Savior Lutheran Church on Farmington Road about 1/4 mile north of I-96. The pantry is open on Fridays from 10-12. 

They have food to help people with no residency requirement. If you have children or family members living outside of Livonia then by all means have them stop by Christ our Savior Lutheran Church this Friday.

 Thank you Christ our Savior for reaching out. Musings will help you spread the word. And thank you Cynthia Windecker for dropping a dime on the typewriter to make him aware of this generous church reaching out program.

Chief Curtis Caid saddened by the death of George Floyd. He respects peaceful protests.

This letter from Livonia Police Chief Curtis Caid was posted Monday on the Livonia Police Department Facebook page:

Like all of you, we at the Livonia Police Department are shocked and saddened by the loss of George Floyd's life in Minneapolis. As we have seen across the nation, many protests have occurred in response to this and yesterday, a peaceful group assembled at the Livonia Police Department and Livonia City Hall.

I had the opportunity to meet with this group and discuss the training and community outreach efforts conducted by Livonia PD, one of which is "Advocates and Leaders for Police and Community Trust" (ALPACT). ALPACT is a great group where community leaders and law enforcement come together to increase communication and understanding. As we serve our community, and as a regional partner in Southeast Michigan, the members of the Livonia PD are committed to these ideals. Even though this tragedy occurred in Minnesota, this incident has done tremendous damage to the relationships that we have fostered. Know that we are committed to re-building those relationships and creating an even stronger bond.

We respect the rights of those who wish to protest in a peaceful manner, however, violence or destruction of property is unacceptable and undermine the message. If you intend to organize a demonstration/protest, we can assist to help provide a safe and legal event. Our contact is Lt. Petsch at 734-466-2387. As demonstrated in the video clips from Sunday's protest, dialogue and conversation are the best methods to express your views and get through these challenging times, together. Stay Safe.

In keeping up to speed on current Livonia activities FridayMusings is sharing that a newly formed group, Livonia Citizens Caring About Black Lives  is organizing a peaceful demonstration for this Sunday at 4:00 pm. 

The demonstration is to begin at the Livonia City Hall.

Natalie Whitbread Barnes, one of the moderators of the groups Facebook page explains that "we have made it very clear to our members that this will be a PEACEFUL protest. We will have speakers, people who will share their personal stories. This is NOT an attack on the Livonia Police Department.

"We respect all the hardworking police officers, and the work they do to keep our community safe. However, something in the system is broken and we need to fix it. I hope you will join us."

When Musings readers were asked to rate elected officials on a scale of 1 -- 5 with one being the lowest and five being the best the cumulative ranking from the highest to the lowest was:

4.6     Mayor Maureen Miller Brosnan

4.1     Congresswoman Haley Stevens

3.9     Governor Gretchen Whitmer

3.9     State Senator Dayna Polehanki

3.8     Representative Laurie Pohutsky

3.6     U.S. Senator Gary Peters

1.7     President Donald Trump

Some of the comments (merely a representative sample) left by those who completed the above survey included:

I'm glad our state and local leaders represent all their constituents w/o malice!

Mayor Brosnan is doing a very good job. Very innovative.

  Not at all satisfied with Trump is not strong enough language.

Trump must go! 

Maureen needs more time to evaluate.

We need more women

Officials should be public servants, not self-interested, with concern for those in need at this difficult time. 

Politics aside, 45 (Trump) is a public health and national security menace (it's like the mafia is in the White House). He and his hangers-on are personally responsible for having divided this country more than since the Civil War. I weep for Republicans of conscience in these days of their party being hijacked by corporate oligarchy and the religious right. I cringe that the MAGA crowd cannot or will not see the racism and misogyny inherent in their party message and "governance". 

The current public health crisis was not on anyone's radar last year. if it had been, with the need for a crisis manager skill set an issue in the mayor's race, I suspect Maureen would have won by a larger margin. She's done a fabulous job as a dynamic and proactive leader.

When Musings readers were asked to rate various governmental units on a scale of 1 -- 5 with one being the lowest and give being the best the cumulative ranking from the highest to the lowest was:

4.6     City of Livonia

4.3     Clarenceville Public Schools

4.1     State of Michigan

4.1     Livonia Public Schools

2.9     Wayne County

Some of the comments (merely a representative sample) left by those who completed the above survey included:

The Governor is doing a good job, all things considered. 
Even though there are those who strongly disagree with the governor's stay at home plan, I think she's really looking out for us. I've learned a new way to shop and visit my doctor. We've been quarantined since February. It's annoying, but we're still alive. 

Demonstrators in Lansing have embarrassed our state.