An Open Letter to City of Livonia Officials

Dear Mayor Brosnan, and staff,

Chief Caid, and the Livonia Police Department,

Kathleen McIntyre, and the City Council,

and members of the Human Relations commission,

I believe you have the best intentions at heart. You are serving your city and its citizens to the best of your ability. I believe you take pride in Livonia. I believe you love this city. In no conversation, or comment, have I seen anything to tell me otherwise.

We are all human beings, imperfect, and at times, emotional. I feel emotions are running high in some city responses to the billboard that was put up by LCCABL. I am here to implore you, go ahead and feel those feelings, but then get to work.

This is about a system.

This is about policy.

It isn’t personal.

It’s also not JUST about Livonia, but it just so happens that this is where we all lay our heads.

Therefore, this is where we are starting to make changes to something that is bigger than us, bigger than our city, and bigger than our state. Systemic racism and race-based policing are receiving long overdue national attention. The media attention paid to the billboard is proof of that.

There are people for whom a traffic stop causes trauma.

LPD, you highlighted that perfectly when you shared the comments of Ms. Anderson-Peek who was terrified at the idea of her son interacting with the police. She had a trauma-response. To a flat tire.

We all know that is unacceptable. None of us want that for another person, because we are all human beings who love other humans. We all feel the pain of a mother in fear for her child. In this case, our empathy and emotions serve us well.

Yet this is so much deeper than our personal feelings, our love for our town, and our visceral reactions to things we hear that sound insulting and disturbing.

There are safeguards we can put in place, not to stop the trauma dead in its tracks, but to start a healing process. Those safeguards are more important than feelings or politics.

Livonia Citizens Caring About Black Lives is a group of people that have informed ourselves about these safeguards. We have educated ourselves on what happens here, and what doesn’t, to the best our ability. I am proud to be part of this group. I am humbled that I have been allowed to speak on their behalf. I am awed by the intelligence, power and strength displayed by these citizens every day.

I respect your years of service. I respect your skills in politics, diplomacy, public safety. I admire the commitment you’ve made to public service. That is truly admirable.

I ask that you lay your feelings of hurt aside. I ask that you set aside rhetoric and preconceived notions. I implore you to listen to Black voices. Not only when they are praising you, but when they are calling you out, as well. That is how you can join me on the rocky, difficult path to becoming an ally.

I try to listen first, then use my voice to make sure others are heard. I take the gift of education that I received from LPS and Schoolcraft college, and use it to write blogs, essays and FOIA requests that work toward the goal of changing the system. My goal is to spread the message among friends who have power and influence.

You have so much more at your disposal than I do. You have direct power to change the system. You can start at any time.

Put aside your feelings.

It’s time to get to work.

Sincerely,

Sara Overwater