A Lewiston landlord called us Monday to suggest that we ought to consider the ramifications of putting bad news on the front page. That, perhaps, too much news about tension downtown was actually making the tension worse.

It was just too much bad news.

He was referring, specifically, to the Sunday story marking the five-year anniversary of Somalis arriving in Lewiston.

The story reported observations by Somalis themselves, how they perceive their choice in making Lewiston home. We have heard so much from others, it was important to hear from the Somalis about how they perceive their lives, their schools and their neighborhoods. Despite what the Somalis call a few irritating “bullies,” they feel at home here. They are happy about their choice and are determined to stay.

That’s good news.

It hasn’t been an easy journey for these immigrants to get established and it’s taking a whole lot longer than anyone anticipated. That’s not bad news, it’s just frustrating.

If we look at the numbers, when the first wave of Somalis arrived, none had jobs. Now, according to the Lewiston Career Center, an estimated 50 percent of adult Somalis are employed. We’d like the number to be higher, as would others, including Somalis.

The average number of new families applying for General Assistance per month didn’t change from February 2001 to June of 2005, despite the growing number of families moving here.

There is a jump in the number of families applying for assistance since June 2005, and that number bears watching, but we also know that Somali children are excelling in school and college campuses are enrolling large numbers of immigrants seeking degrees. In time, this education will pay off in employment and the general assistance rolls should decline.

As we’ve said since 2001, these immigrants – many who fled their native land as refugees – moved to Lewiston because there was available housing, good schools, safe parks, decent people and low crime. These are the precise characteristics we all look for in seeking a new home.

It’s really unfortunate that the five-year anniversary of the Somalis’ arrival here has coincided with an inexcusable crime at their mosque and a rash of vandalism downtown. The incident at the mosque appears to be targeted; the vandalism does not.

The furor over the incident at the mosque and the occasional bully shouting obscenities is, thankfully, not representative of the greater Lewiston community.

As the landlord we spoke to said, there will always be a select few people who will criticize newcomers, no matter where they come from. Lewiston’s core group of bullies would antagonize Hispanics, Asians and anyone else who decided to move here because these bullies, many of whom are unemployed and on public assistance, have absolutely nothing better to do.

They are, in a city of expanding minorities, a minority themselves.

That’s good news.