Creating a city of welcome
When Martin Luther King Jr. stood on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial one summer day in 1963 he was sad that, even though the Emancipation Proclamation “came as a joyous daybreak to end the long night of captivity,” a century later African Americans were still not free.

King delivered his “I have a Dream” speech 40 years ago, and freedom still does not reign for all Americans. The fight for equal rights is not over.

We caught an uncomfortable glimpse of that in Lewiston on Jan. 11.

Whatever Mayor Larry Raymond may be, he is not a racist. He is a reputable man who did not foresee the wave of pain and and confusion his October letter would launch. He has stubbornly refused to apologize for his view that Lewiston needs some breathing room, and rightly ignores bigots.

The call last week for his resignation was out of line.

Omar Jamal, executive director of the Somali Justice Advocacy Center in Minnesota, is free to advocate for the Somalis in this community, but Raymond was elected to serve the entire city and many here share his view that the rise in migration happened too fast for us to cope as well as we can. If Raymond were forced to resign, the voice of citizens who feel as he does would be quieted. That isn’t freedom.

The Somalis have legitimate concerns. Native Lewistonians do, too. And there are unhelpful pressures being put on this community from outside sources.

Raymond’s forced resignation would split this city and that’s not what we need. We need to continue the conversation the mayor’s letter launched and work to build a city of welcome, with robust culture and a healthy economy.

The foundation for our future was established at the Many and One Coalition rally, and we cannot turn back. We – from Lewiston and from away – stood in solidarity, acknowledging that our shared destinies are, as King observed, “inextricably bound to our freedom.”

The World Church of the Creator is gone, and good riddance to it.

The hate and anger that bubbled up in this community was prodded by racists. We, the people who live here and know this community, can soothe the hurt and concentrate on our future.

We must talk frankly about the cost and the quality of life here, about job creation and cultural differences, and do so with patience and respect for opposing views.

This is our city and we can’t let others mold our future. We have to do it ourselves.


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