LEWISTON — Officials are seeking feedback on developing an equity statement for the Twin Cities, an initiative meant to re-establish the work of the City SPIRIT council that formed in 2018 to address conflict and inequity.
The council is a collaboration of city, school and community leaders from Lewiston and Auburn, which is now turning its focus on continuing the work of Lewiston’s Equity and Diversity Committee.
It will host a virtual discussion Friday to solicit feedback on the statement, which according to its website will “provide a common foundation and commitment to the healing of inequality and provide space and opportunity for truly equitable approaches for all community members to flourish.”
Discussions on racial equity have continued in Lewiston since last summer, when nationwide protests over the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis sparked an inward look at city policies.
During a City Council workshop this week, Police Chief Brian O’Malley said the SPIRIT council will continue the work of the Equity and Diversity Committee, which presented a comprehensive set of recommendations to the council Tuesday.
He said the SPIRIT council felt its first goal should be writing an equity statement, not just for the police departments in both cities, but for both city governments and school departments. But, he said, first they wanted to get feedback.
“We’re not just going to say this is what your equity statement is, we want feedback from the community,” he said. “I think it’s very important for everyone in the city to recognize that people have different perspectives than they have on their dealings with the police, with the courts, the schools,” and to take those perspectives into consideration when making decisions.
The SPIRIT council was first formed in 2018 through a U.S. Department of Justice grant aimed at addressing conflicts that arise from race or religion, following the death of Donald Giusti in Kennedy Park and the resignation of former Mayor Shane Bouchard after a racist text message was revealed.
The acronym “SPIRIT” stands for “site problem identification and resolution of issues together.” The council first initiated the “Peace in the Park” de-escalation program in Kennedy Park. It then held an all-day conference with city government and elected officials, law enforcement, the faith community, and nonprofit and youth organizations.
During a City Council discussion this week, members of the Equity and Diversity Committee said the SPIRIT council is an opportunity to bring people together “to collaborate as one unit.”
Ayesha Hall, co-chairperson of the committee, said she agrees that it makes sense to continue the equity discussions with the SPIRIT council.
So does committee member Tonya Bailey-Curry. But, she said she was initially hesitant about the idea, because “past initiatives that we’ve done in the city just didn’t have enough legs underneath them, so they didn’t last. The people that were meant to be served by these initiatives were actually hurt from lack of progress.”
But, she said, she supports the council and its renewed effort to bring more voices on board.
According to its website, members are inspired to “reignite the City Spirit work because we believe that this challenging time is also an opportunity to reshape our own community toward one of belonging, inclusion and equity.”
“Establishing a joint equity statement for the cities of Lewiston and Auburn is a crucial first step in the process,” it states.
The final recommendations from the Equity and Diversity Committee urged city officials to continue the work through the SPIRIT council, “as both a mechanism to help realize the goals detailed in this statement as well as to aid in the development of an overarching equity implementation plan for the city of Lewiston.”
The virtual forum will be held from 11 a.m. to noon Friday. To register, go to www.lewistonmaine.gov, or click here.
Copy the Story LinkSend questions/comments to the editors.
Success. Please wait for the page to reload. If the page does not reload within 5 seconds, please refresh the page.
Enter your email and password to access comments.
Hi, to comment on stories you must . This profile is in addition to your subscription and website login.
Already have a commenting profile? .
Invalid username/password.
Please check your email to confirm and complete your registration.
Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.
Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.