June 31,2020 Your Source for Livonia Happenings
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A campaign to alert visitors that Livonia has a reputation of
racial profiling. Driving while Black.
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Delisha Upshaw
Senior Director of Marketing and Communications at
Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History
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one of the founders of the
Livonia Citizens Caring About Black Lives is promoting a billboard campaign to raise levels of consciousness about the perception of Livonia enforcing the ticketing of people of color, Driving While Black.
As of publication they are $400 short of the monies needed for a 2 week run along a major freeway. This is the billboard proposed pictured on the left.
She explains her reasoning while suggesting steps necessary to generate and maintain a conversation aimed at building trust between "our law community and our residents. "
"We’re peacefully protesting, initiating the difficult conversations, educating, listening, writing letters, making phone calls, requesting meetings, showing up in person to plead with our city council members, using our own dollars to submit Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests for information that should be readily available to us as tax-paying citizens of this city.
"While Mayor Brosnan has had the courage and humility to acknowledge publicly that this conversation about racial equity in Livonia is necessary, many of our civic leaders (elected and appointed) have responded to citizens with apathy, silence, criticism, public mocking and the release of confusing and misleading information that is the complete opposite of transparency.
"It is our belief that transparency and accountability are the stepping stones to building trust between law enforcement and the community. We are determined to keep the conversation going."
She is asking the community to "please help by supporting this Interstate Highway Billboard Campaign to end racial profiling and race-based traffic stops in Livonia.
She asks for your help for
LCCABL to buy 4 weeks of billboard space to highlight the decades-old problem of racial profiling in Livonia, Michigan. Only 4% of residents are African-American, but traffic court is filled with African Americans."
This is the fundraising site to fund this billboard:
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Reaction from FridayMusings:
I marched in solidarity with 2,000 hometown neighbors, stood with the students at Seven and Middlebelt, covered both the walk and the student show of support. It was all of my obligation to in the words of Dr. Conway Jeffress to mourn in a public way "
over the senseless killing of George Floyd and of the terrible deaths of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor and too many other men, women and children. We have once again seen our country’s deep divide over race, justice and inequality come to light."
But this typewriter is struggling with the current proposed campaign. So let me share my perspective, not as an opposition but rather as a possible alternative that could be longer lasting.
A two week market reach, a temporary 2 week temporary exposure with a message of this nature will only lead people to question who is the sponsor of the billboard. It could very well be a white racist organization saying blacks are not welcome in Livonia.
As I lay awake at night pondering how best to welcome and encourage people of color to come to Livonia, to shop our stores or to purchase our vast array of housing, from starter homes to dream homes. I find myself wanting to align myself with programs that places POC in a position to effectuate lasting change
What if the money raised was used to help candidates run for school board, for city council for county and state office. What if the activists behind the billboard campaign were to encourage POC to join our service clubs, our PTA's, our city commissions. Placing POC in a position to make change and be on the side of the decision making process.
Livonia has a start with a dialogue and discussion. We, or rather you as I am merely on the sideline, have raised the level of consciousness thanks to the Livonia Cares about Black Lives. And we have more to do. But to pull together. Not push apart. I would recommend:
- using the money to start a campaign for city council in 2021
- put together a core group of speakers to attend service and civic clubs with real data to win residents over
- have 1-3 spokespeople attend each city council and school board meetings to raise issues and seek support
- seek out Livonia resident POC for in-depth discussions and surveys to determine the feelings of hundreds of residents
- Work with the Chamber of Commerce to identify ways that our business community can be recognized as welcoming diversityc
If dialogue and communication is what is needed then by all means provide Musings with your point of view and let's collectively develop a course of action to move the subject forward.
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Is Livonia's Driving While Black reputation fair or unfair?
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Congresswoman Haley Stevens Votes to Make Health Care &
Prescription Drugs More Affordable
As Michiganders face both the COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting severe economic downturn, Congresswoman Haley Stevens (MI-11) voted to pass the
Patient Protection and Affordable Care Enhancement Act
, a legislative package that will provide much needed relief by making health care and prescription drugs more affordable. The legislation also expands access to health care, strengthens protections for people with pre-existing conditions, reduces racial and ethnic health coverage disparities and reverses the Trump Administration’s harmful actions to sabotage the Affordable Care Act (ACA).
The
Patient Protection and Affordable Care Enhancement Act
makes health care more affordable by lowering health insurance premiums with strengthened and expanded affordability assistance. Specifically, the legislation expands eligibility for premium tax credits beyond 400 percent of the federal poverty line. The legislation creates a national reinsurance program to help cover the costs of consumers with expensive medical conditions, which helps lower premiums, and provides funds to states to help lower deductibles and out-of-pocket costs for everyone.
The legislation also makes prescription drugs more affordable by empowering Medicare to negotiate lower drug prices and making those prices available to Americans with private health insurance. The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimates that drugs subject to negotiation will see price reductions of up to 55 percent.
“As Michiganders face a global pandemic, it is more important than ever to defend and strengthen the Affordable Care Act,”
said Congresswoman Stevens.
“The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Enhancement Act will lower health costs and prescription drug prices, expand coverage, and strengthen protections for people with pre-existing conditions. While the Trump Administration pushes to strike down the entire Affordable Care Act, I am proud to support this pragmatic legislation to make health care more affordable for middle class families.”
The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Enhancement Act also:
- reverses the Trump Administration’s efforts to give states waivers to undermine pre-existing condition protections and weaken standards for essential health benefits;
- stops the expansion of junk insurance plans that allow insurance companies to discriminate against people with pre-existing conditions and put consumers at financial risk;
- restores critical outreach and enrollment funding that has been gutted by the Trump Administration and provide funding for navigators to assist consumers in signing up for health care;
- combats the maternal mortality epidemic, which continues to particularly impact Black and Native American people, by extending Medicaid or Children‘s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) coverage to new mothers from the current 60 days post-partum to one year;
- protects vulnerable populations from losing health coverage by ensuring that Medicaid and CHIP beneficiaries receive a full 12 months of coverage once enrolled, protecting them from interruptions due to fluctuations in their income throughout the year.
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July in Livonia
7
Drive in Movie @ 7:30
Livonia Parks and Recreation
9
Steve King and the Dittlies
Music from the Heart
Livonia Parks and Recreation ·
16
Major Woody
Music from the Heart
21
Summer Fun Series @ 6:00
Miss Paula and the Candy Bandits
Livonia Parks and Recreation
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Weekend Comeback
Music from the Heart
28
Drive in Movie @ 7:30
Livonia Parks and Recreation
30
Toppermost Beatles Tribute
Music from the Heart
August in Livonia
4
Primary Election
6
Sinjon Smith
Music from the Heart
13
Devin Scillian and Arizona Sun
Music from the Heart
20
Cruzin Jupiter
Music from the Heart
27
Cosmic Groove Band
Music from the Heart
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Musings loves to share the thoughts of our hometown neighbors
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Dr. Conway Jeffress
David Stechholz, Past President Livonia Rotary Club:
The article by Dr. Conway Jeffress, President Emeritus of Schoolcraft College, over the "senseless killing of George Floyd" was excellent. Sensitive, well-written. His closing remark was a solid and helpful reminder to us that "social change is a process, not an event. We must work at it every day."
Music from the Heart
Dan MacIver's Best Kept Secret on Harry Tatigian
Robert Biga
Quality man! Worked with him in Livonia and on the Spree Board! A gentleman and a fighter when necessary! One of the City’s human assets!
Jenn Kennedy
Wonderful man! Used to have great conversations with him back when he was a member of the Livonia Y.
Joan Zamenski
How wonderful. Great man with great goals and ideals.
David Glide
Harry (Tatigian) is the nicest man you will ever meet...
Nancy Leist
This is a fantastic bio(on Harry Tatigian)! Thanks for sharing.
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Another slice of history from Dan MacIver
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Seedlings Spotlight!~
Heidi is one of Seedlings “kids.” Check out this nice quote her family sent in:
“Heidi loves Seedlings’ books as she can touch and feel them while her parents or teachers read with her. That way she is able to follow the story and experience a real interaction with caregivers. Her parents/teachers love the books for their easy-to-handle format and the ability to build a story around the sensory input.”
Seedlings is so happy their books can help out Heidi!
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Livonia Rotary--Changing of the Guard
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Today is the final day of Janet Haas' year as club president.
Janet is one of the members of the club who has served twice as president 2003-2004 and again this year. She truly lives and breathes Rotary, she has attended numerous Rotary International Conventions, District Conferences and countless Rotary meetings and events around the world.
Janet has been grace under pressure with the many curve balls the Covid-19 crisis have thrown at her. The members of the club are extremely grateful for her willingness to serve and thankful for her leadership.
Janet has truly exemplified "Service above Self". The community says "Thank you for all you have done for the club and community. Enjoy your well deserved rest as you have shown us how to "Rotary Connects the World!"
Tomorrow the club will be under the leadership of Past President (2005-2006) Dale Coller. Dale has been a member of our club since 1976, maintains perfect attendance and is a multiple Paul Harris Fellow. He will lead the club as "Rotary Opens Opportunities."
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Livonians Bob Modes and Geno Grabinski
invite you to their expanding Print House
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