LEWISTON — By and large, residents of Lewiston seemed to appreciate that efforts to combat violence in the city will involve the courts and Legislature as well as local police and outside agencies. 

“I’m thrilled to hear that they’re looping in the Legislature and judicial systems,” said Lisa Jones, who lives in the area of Hogan Road, “because they are a huge part of the issue.” 

She liked everything said by Lewiston Police Chief David St. Pierre, as it happens, and is in full support of funding for the Police Department to get more officers on the street and to provide extra cameras around the city. 

City, police and court officials announced their plans Thursday during a press conference at City Hall. They unveiled a plan to put more law enforcement on the streets, engage the community, including youth and parents, and pursue changes that could assist a backlogged judicial system. 

Maura Murphy, who lives in the Bates College area, was likewise happy about the involvement of the courts and the public at large. 

Yet, she is also concerned that not everybody seems willing to put the blame for recent violence where it belongs. 

“Community collaboration is important,” Murphy said, “but without explicit accountability placed where it belongs — on those who choose to engage in crime and violence and their parents — Lewiston citizens will continue to be hostage to unpredictable danger and social chaos that we did not used to have.” 

Jimi Cutting, who lives in the downtown area, considers the initiatives announced Thursday as sound and logical. But he also mused about what he considers a Lewiston identity crisis. 

“There are constant comments made about whether Lewiston is a town or small city, and we are policed as such,” he said. “However, we do have big-city issues going on and we need the resources to address those properly.” 

Part of the blame for some recent problems, Cutting suggested, lay with those who don’t want to get involved fully when violence unfolds around them. Police, too, have said that the cooperation of witnesses is not always available to them. 

Cutting would like to see that change. 

“It is not enough to just report a crime,” he said, “victims and witnesses need to follow up in reporting what they know to law enforcement if they want to see resolution to these situations. Witness testimony, while not always the most reliable, helps narrow the start of an investigation — something as simple as hair color narrows the window significantly in the search for a suspect.” 

Cutting, too, liked the idea of getting lawmakers involved in finding solutions. But, he said, they could go even further. 

“The Legislature, not just our own delegates, need to see just what is happening in Lewiston and not just through news reports — come to Lewiston and see it themselves,” he said. “There are things the Legislature passed that need to be rolled back so that our law enforcement system can effectively take care of Lewiston. Small crimes should never be ignored or brushed off as they can easily create a mentality of ‘anything goes.’ No, we cannot arrest our way out of certain things, but neither should we allow areas of our city to become unsafe for the citizens in the name of not making someone’s current situation even worse.” 

Part of the proposed plan put forth Thursday also involved “informational sessions” for parents and monthly meetings with organizations that work with youth and New Mainers. 

“I love the idea of parent education classes,” Jones said. “I’ve been to multiple community forums over the last 14 months and parenting/lack of parental knowledge always seems to be what we blame.” 

Beth Matthews, like Jones, also appreciated what Chief St. Pierre told the crowd gathered at City Hall.

The rest of it, she’s not so sure about.

“I absolutely trust and adore Chief St. Pierre and all the men and women that are here to serve and protect,” she said. “I have less confidence in our justice system and delegates.”

Matthews, like so many others, has felt under constant attack due to the ongoing violence and gunfire downtown. She lives off Pine Street, a frequent problem area for gunfire and other criminal chaos.

“I’m just a mom that worries about bullets penetrating my walls in the middle of the night,” she said, “and I run to LPD for support because they’re there for me … I worry for kids in my neighborhood.”