LEWISTON — The Downtown Lewiston Association said Thursday that the city’s new Community Engagement and Accountability plan is a good first step in curbing youth gun violence. 

However, it said no plan will succeed in the long term if it does not expand beyond law enforcement and legislative reform to methods of prevention and broader community engagement.

The association is a nonprofit representing downtown businesses, nonprofits and residents with a mission to promote the commercial district as the heart of the city through economic development, marketing and advocacy.

City Administrator Bryan Kaenrath announced the gun violence initiative Wednesday, two days after an attack on Walnut Street left a Lewiston man in the hospital with a gunshot wound to his leg. The city plans to increase law enforcement in key city areas and push for legislative reform holding offenders accountable. 

The main component of the initiative pushes the City Council to authorize an extra $200,000 for overtime for the Police Department, a vote the council is expected to take Tuesday.

“Our businesses are under siege right now, and this plan takes immediate steps to address the recent crime surge in our city,” Lewiston Mayor Carl Sheline said. “For lasting change, however, we need to invest in our youth and community infrastructure.”

Sheline said efforts to curb youth gun violence will require the entire city coming to the table. It is encouraging to see conversations happening already, he said.

“We’ve seen the positive impact of increased patrols in the core downtown business district firsthand,” said Danielle Snow, chair of the association board. “At the same time, we believe the plan has real gaps in community engagement and prevention that the city needs to build out and resources for it to succeed.”

Prior to Wednesday’s announcement, the association issued a news release asking the city to take immediate action: identify a person accountable for downtown safety so agencies can better work together; give youths a place to be when not at home or in school; fix lighting in impacted neighborhoods; and increase patrols in trouble areas. 

“Where (the city’s plan) misses is upstream,” Snow said Thursday. “As written, the plan is largely about arrest and detention, with little on preventing young people from picking up a gun in the first place.”

Snow said the association would also like to see a community engagement piece defined beyond police deployment, with a clear way for residents to be heard. That’s why the group is offering an “engagement pillar” through summer jobs for at-risk youth, cleaning and lighting affected areas, and “trusted community messengers who can reach families in ways uniforms can’t.” 

The association also wants a coordinator who works across all workstreams so law enforcement, local services and community engagement can connect. “We’re not asking to take anything out of the plan; we’re asking to complete it.”

Enforcement can stabilize the downtown in the short term, Snow said, but the long-term improvements depend on prevention and engagement work being built and funded. 

“We are glad to see the city respond to our call for concrete action,” Snow said. “The association wants to be a partner here, not a bystander. We’ve offered to advise, help shape the community-engagement work, and bring our members to the table. This is work our whole community has to do together, and we’re ready to do our part.”