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Sen. Peggy Rotundo, Rep. Mana Abdi, Rep. Kristen Cloutier, Rep. Margaret Craven and Rep. Michel Lajoie represent Lewiston in the Maine Legislature.
One year ago, on Oct. 25, 2023, the lives of everyone in Lewiston were changed forever by a senseless act of violence. Like so many others, we all remember the fear and anxiety as initial reports of a shooting trickled in, followed by the sound of helicopters overhead, the unbearably slow pace of information, the terror of being in lockdown and the awful realization that Maine is not exempt from this type of violence. The world’s spotlight was on our community and our response.
Today, Lewiston is still grieving and trying to come to grips with the aftermath of this violence. For the survivors and families who lost loved ones, every day is a struggle. Day-to-day life returns to greater normalcy, but the grief and pain remain and are still enormous. We have begun the hard work of healing and recovering, however, and we have responded with resilience and determination. Our city is not defined by the events of that night, but by the strength and resolve of our friends and neighbors in the days that followed.
We would like to shine a light on those who helped respond to this tragedy as we navigated grief, anger, fear, and the need to rebuild as a safer community. First responders from Lewiston, Auburn and across the state worked quickly to get the situation under control and organize the emergency response. Medical personnel at local hospitals saved lives that night and continued to treat injuries for days, weeks and months afterward. And mental health counselors have been working tirelessly to help those affected by the shooting. We should also recognize the city of Lewiston and Community Concepts Inc. for quickly opening the Maine Resiliency Center as a resource for all who need help in processing our shock, anger and sadness.
Upon returning in January, the Legislature focused on helping the survivors, families of victims and others affected by the shooting. We were committed to turning our community’s despair into something positive, to honestly assess our shortcomings concerning mental health treatment and make necessary changes. This, in our view, was the best way to honor the victims.
To that end, we have increased funding for mental health services throughout the state and established policies that provide for greater gun safety. We created the Maine Mass Violence Care Fund to help violence victims with health-related expenses not covered by insurance, and we funded a new Crisis Receiving Center in Lewiston that will properly treat those who are experiencing a mental health crisis. Two additional centers will be built in Aroostook and Penobscot counties.
We also provided physical and mental health services for our brave first responders and reimbursed the city of Lewiston and other municipalities for the unforeseen overtime costs for those who assisted in the manhunt. And we made up for the sudden drop in federal Victims of Crime Act funding, which allows the attorney general’s office to provide counseling, legal help and everything in between in the wake of a tragedy.
As lawmakers, this past session posed a challenge to us professionally and personally. We felt a responsibility to pass legislation to keep our city and all of Maine safe, while respecting our state’s long tradition of responsible gun ownership. We know that there’s no one bill or law alone that can prevent acts of gun violence, but we must continue our efforts and do our best to protect our communities. Both at home in Lewiston and in Augusta, we were grateful to hear from so many community members and tried to provide a response grounded in both compassion and sound policy. Our goal has always been to listen and best represent the views of our constituents.
The tragedy has also called attention to the needs of the deaf community, which was hit especially hard. We learned that there were significant issues concerning the ability of hospital staff and law enforcement to communicate with deaf Mainers, and we now have the opportunity to fix this problem.
This is a time of remembrance, lament, hope and rededication. Last Oct. 25, our community lost Tricia Asselin, Billy Brackett, Peyton Brewer-Ross, Thomas Conrad, Michael Deslauriers, Maxx Hathaway, Bryan MacFarlane, Keith MacNeir, Ronald Morin, Joshua Seal, Arthur Strout, Bob and Lucy Violette, Stephen Vozzella, Jason Walker, Joe Walker, and Bill and Aaron Young.
They were parents, sons, daughters, coaches, veterans, mentors, friends and so much more. We honor them by staying strong, being kind and sticking together.
This fall, when you visit our diverse, vibrant and wonderful city, we recommend you stop by Just-In-Time Recreation, the bowling alley where one of the shootings took place. It is now back in business, serving its loyal customers once again. In many ways, the tragedy of Oct. 25 has changed us forever, but we will not let it diminish our spirit and our sense of community. We are still, and always will be, Lewiston Strong.
