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Laurel Merchant stands June 21 outside the Livermore Falls Town Office on the summer solstice, holding a sign that says “Homelessness is not a crime.” Merchant said the longest day of the year can bring extreme heat, while Sunday’s thunderstorms underscored the risks faced by people living outside without secure shelter. (Courtesy of Laurel Merchant)

Laurel Merchant marked the summer solstice June 21 by standing near the Livermore Falls Town Office with a sign that said “Homelessness is not a crime.”

Laurel Merchant holds a sign June 21 that says “Homelessness is not a crime” outside the Livermore Falls Town Office. Merchant used the day to raise awareness of the risks faced by people living outside during extreme heat, cold and severe weather. (Courtesy of Laurel Merchant)

Merchant did not hold the larger homelessness awareness vigil she organized last year because the solstice fell on Father’s Day. Instead, she brought the sign to the town office area before thunderstorms moved through the region.

Merchant, who has experienced homelessness herself, said the observance is meant to remind people that those without secure housing can face dangerous conditions year-round, including severe weather.

Merchant said she now has housing and was able to get indoors before the rain began, unlike when she was homeless.

“I have a house now. I am not gonna be out in that pouring rain in a thunder shower like I used to have to be,” Merchant said. “It’s scary when you’re in the thunder shower like we just had and you’re homeless.”

Laurel Merchant holds a sign June 21 that says “Homelessness is not a crime” in Livermore Falls at the town gazebo, where she has held past winter and summer solstice homelessness awareness vigils. Planning is underway for a larger vigil during the 2026 winter solstice. (Courtesy of Laurel Merchant)

She said she brought the sign inside before the rain started, then briefly returned with a friend to take photographs.

Last year, Merchant held a June 21 vigil at the Livermore Falls gazebo in memory of Brett Staples, a Farmington native and Dirigo High School graduate who died in Portland in 2024 after experiencing homelessness and mental illness. Merchant displayed Staples’ photo during that event and said he deserved to be remembered.

Manny Reis, a community outreach and event organizer, said the larger homelessness awareness event will instead be held during the winter solstice. Merchant said homelessness can affect anyone and that communities need to respond before people reach a crisis.

Laurel Merchant holds a handmade sign June 21, 2025, that says “Homelessness is not a crime” during a homeless awareness vigil at the gazebo in Livermore Falls, an event held in memory of Brett Staples and to call attention to local housing insecurity. (Rebecca Richard/Staff writer)

Rebecca Richard is a reporter for the Franklin Journal. She graduated from the University of Maine after studying literature and writing. She is a small business owner, wife of 33 years and mom of eight...

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