LEWISTON — Fear, frustration and concern mark the feedback city councilors are getting from constituents on a recent uptick in gun violence. 

Lewiston police have responded to multiple gunfire incidents and made several arrests in the past several weeks. 

Last Thursday, one teen was hospitalized with a gunshot wound to the leg. Two teens were arrested and charged in the incident. 

The following day, police Chief Carly Conley said officers had made 12 juvenile arrests for violent crimes or gun-related offenses over a period of days and seized seven firearms, four of which were stolen. 

Conley said the department is strategically reallocating personnel and resources to increase police visibility and patrol areas of concern. 

“By combining increased saturation details with our department’s advanced investigative and technological tools, we are seeing tangible results in our efforts to curb violence,” Conley said. “Our intensified focus over the past week has led to significant enforcement success.”

Many residents and some city councilors see the increase in youth gun violence as a trend, one that has many considering leaving the city.

“People are afraid to sit on their porches, walk their streets or even allow their kids to play outside near their homes,” said Ward 2 Councilor Susan Longchamps.

Some homes, apartment buildings and vehicles have been struck by bullets. Homes should be a safe haven, Longchamps said, and many families do not feel that sense of safety. 

“No family should have to live with the fear that a stray bullet could enter their home at any moment,” Longchamps said.

Ward 7 Councilor Bret Martel said among concerns from his constituents was a local contractor who said he is conflicted when his subcontractors ask if they are safe on his jobsite. Martel said he is not comfortable assuring residents that they can be safe at any given time when traveling within the city.

“At its core, this problem stems from a lack of accountability both at home and in schools,” Martel said. “When violent behavior is excused or justified, it creates an environment where young people learn that even the worst actions carry very little consequence. I place significant responsibility for the continued violence on activist judges, particularly within the juvenile court system.”

Ward 1 Councilor Joshua Nagine said beyond his frustrations about a deteriorating sense of community safety and damage to the city’s reputation are his own concerns that the criminal justice system is not working. 

“We cannot continue to release people, including children, with firearms offenses back into the community shortly after breaking our laws while endangering themselves and others,” Nagine said, adding that there should be a zero tolerance approach for all crimes involving firearms. “Some lines should not be crossed, and if they are, repercussions have to be swift and severe. These acts are threats to the entire community.”

Martel said it is time for action, accountability and examination of the roles parents, partners, caretakers, school administrators and other influential adults “who have helped foster this environment” play.

“Too often, these kids are involved in shootings on Friday and are back at parties drinking, using drugs, and accessing firearms again by Tuesday,” Martel said.

Ward 3 Councilor Scott Harriman said because the city has become “awash with guns,” there needs to be a larger conversation about our culture, why it’s so easy to obtain firearms and the policies that could be put into place limiting the “proliferation of guns in our communities and on our streets.” 

“We need to make sure we support our youth with a strong school system, after-school programs, and other positive outlets for their energy so they don’t end up in a cycle of lawlessness and violence,” Harriman said, adding that some of the solution comes from within the home. “Parents and other responsible adults also need to be educated about storing firearms safely and then be held responsible if they fail to do so and their guns fall into the wrong hands.”

Mayor Carl Sheline agreed with the sentiment that afterschool programs have a profound effect on youths. He said gun violence harms the entire community as many constituents have reached out to him with fear and concern. 

“We need to look for ways to get guns off Lewiston streets,” Sheline said. “When you have a 13-year-old shoot a 14-year-old, it presents obvious questions for their respective parents. What resources can we offer for parents whose children have been involved in crimes and for parents who have at-risk youth? These are the community conversations that are currently happening.”

Sheline said his message to Lewiston parents is to “know where your kids are and who their friends are” and to seek assistance from the people and organizations they best know and trust.

“A couple of years ago, I attended the funeral of the two young men who were shot dead on Knox Street,” Sheline said. “During the service, Sheik Saleh said something that has stuck with me ever since: If you have a gun, the only thing that will happen is that you will kill someone or someone will kill you.”

Councilors also largely agreed that Lewiston police are pulling out all the stops to address the issue of gun violence, youth-involved gun violence in particular. Nagine and Longchamps said police need the support and cooperation of the wider community, including relatives and those who know involved individuals, and for the criminal justice system and state lawmakers to step up.

“This issue cannot fall solely on law enforcement,” Longchamps said. “The city, the courts, community leaders, families and residents all have a role to play in addressing this violence. We as a council must continue supporting our police department when they come to us asking for resources, policies or tools that can help combat these crimes. Public safety has to remain a priority. … If we truly want to combat gun violence in Lewiston, it is going to take the entire community working together.”

Nagine said he encourages everyone to give Lewiston police the space to lead on the issue as investigations are suppressing violence when they take guns out of the hands of those who shouldn’t have them. 

Martel said the department is doing an excellent job responding to incidents after they happen, but cannot predict violence; they are severely understaffed, which only compounds the problem.

“This problem was not created overnight, and it will not be solved overnight, but it is time for real leadership in Lewiston,” Martel said. “Enough with the platitudes and the suggestion that another soccer field, basketball court or after-school pottery class will somehow solve this crisis.”