#Lewiston Maine

[chronicallycouchbound]

For those that don’t know, tonight (October 25th) there has been a series of mass shootings with multiple suspects involved in Lewiston, Maine, USA.

There are 18 confirmed deaths so far and 60+ injured with 2 locations involved. The shooter(s) have not been caught, multiple counties are on active lockdown with shelter-in-place orders.

The primary suspect is a white man from a military background in firearms, Lewiston has one of the largest concentration of refugees in the state, and anytime the Lewiston/Auburn area gets any news coverage, there is an increase in hate violence against all of the people of color in the area.

People and news outlets are absolutely going to try to spin this to place blame on the immigrant and refugee communities in the area. It is so vital that people combat this racist misinformation.

Maine is a small, rural state without the resources or infrastructure for anything like this. Hospitals are overwhelmed, even with backups being called in from New Hampshire and Massachusetts. I'll post updates and fundraisers for the community as they come up. I'm so worried for my community.

[birdietrait]

here is a link to a gofundme for the victims of yesterday’s mass shooting in lewiston, maine

[caitwon]

GOFUNDMES FOR LEWISTON SHOOTING VICTIMS

For those of you that DON'T know, Lewiston, Maine experienced a mass shooting on Wednesday. I am not from that part of the state, but the state is very tight knit. You're probably 3 degrees of separation from someone, maybe 5 or 6 if you're really pushing it. The suspect has not been taken into custody because they cannot find him.

These are 16 of the 18 confirmed deaths. 13 were injured. If you can donate, please donate. If you're in the state, go donate blood if you're eligible. UPDATE: suspect was found deceased. I think everyone is feeling an immense sense of relief at the news he cannot hurt another person. That being said, the community still has a lot of healing to do.

Peyton Brewer-Hoss

Justin Karcher

Arthur Strout

Maxx Hathaway

Joseph Walker

Bill and Aaron Young

Billy Brackett

Kyle Secor

Ben Dyer

fund for all victims and their families

[vortain]

I know it's been kind of a shitty couple of weeks, especially given the heartache of what's been going on with Palestine but...

My hometown got hit by a mass shooter tonight;

I don't know if this will get much in the way of traction but I do intend on starting a donation pool and offering commissions in exchange for money for the families affected once more details have been brought forth. Updates on this will be added into a reblog of this post.

[jovialtorchlight]

Lewiston, Maine, is under attack tonight.

My backyard. The gritty city that I love. 16 confirmed. The bowling alley, where people died, is a minute from my house. On a winter day, I can see it from the back yard. I can hear the music emanating from it on a Friday night.

I'm safe. I wasn't home when this happened.

Our city is full of fear and grief tonight. Please, everyone, stay safe. You don't need to be strong, just safe. The days ahead will be dark and terrible, but we will find the light again. We are allowed to be afraid, to be terrified, to grieve, to fall apart. we will be strong again. For now, please, friends and neighbors, stay safe. that is the MOST important thing.

[ceno8yte]

Can we not fucking do this shit, please? I don't think I even need to explain how fucking awful this is.

[makingdonalddrumpfagain]

[andallshallbewell]

[mrs-ssa-hotch]

I live in Maine and the absolute senseless act of violence that happened here Wednesday night took a friend of mines life. Honestly, tumblr and my fellow Hotch accounts have been so therapeutic the last few days. It gets my mind elsewhere and right now, we need that. 🫶🏻💙

[lemonwisp]

Please keep Lewiston Maine in your thoughts, please keep all affected in your hearts. The events that have occurred over the past few days have been a huge tragedy.

As someone who lives in Maine (and relatively close to Lewiston) this is a very scary time for us.

Schools have been temporarily shut down for the time being, businesses are temporarily closing, people are staying indoors until the police arrest the man responsible for this tragedy.

It is not an opinion, it is a fact that it is not okay that some people only realize that gun violence is real, that some people only talk about gun violence, when tragedies like this occur

People should not have to die for politicians and citizens to realize the danger of guns.

[scalpelfightclub]

Hi folks. Especially my fellow Mainers. I love you. I care about you. Bad shit is happening out there in the world, and it's easy to be scared and angry and upset. And that's very valid and reasonable. But if you can, be kind. Check in on your friends and family. Tell people you care. And try and be kind. Any time there's hurt and suffering it becomes easy to be cruel, lash out and be shitty. But. That's not what anyone needs. If you can, be kind. Thank you.

[douche-canoe-regatta]

didn't know Maps did this and wish I could unlearn it... shits FUCKED guys

[batwynn]

Just a heads up:

I am not near Lewiston Maine, and I am most likely too far away to be in any danger. I do know a lot of people down there, though, and I’m trying to get in contact with who I can. It’s not going to be… good no matter what.

[cicadangel]

the victims' names of the lewiston shooting are starting to be released (1 & 2). they include a 14yo boy and his father and several members of lewiston's deaf community who were having a cornhole tournament that evening. if you are able to, please consider donating directly to victims and their families through gofundme or through the maine community foundation.

[thelukesalvez]

Mass Shootings in Lewiston, ME

Hi all, I just wanted to pop on & say a few things about the recent tragedies unfolding in Maine. This post was not made with the intent of polarization. But as many of you know, I'm a writer. And as I remain locked down, helpless while businesses and schools close, helicopters fly over my apartment and cop cars surround my community, writing this felt like the only reasonable outlet for me. Normally, I would keep something like this private. But coming together right now felt important, and this blog has historically been a place where I have been able to receive some engagement. I realize that this is not my usual content, but I write this with hopes that it will reach at least a few of you grappling with the same grief and loss that I feel and elicit some sort of connection in such dark times.

*Trigger warning for mentions of gun violence, mass shootings, and death*

I've lived in Maine my entire life. This state, it's people, & everything associated with it has been my home & heart for nearly 27 years. The entire state has a population of 1.3 million people. That's 1.4 less than the city of Chicago, 2.5 million less than Los Angeles, and 7.2 million less than New York City. Lewiston is the second largest city in Maine with a population of 35,000 people. For some perspective, Gillette stadium in Foxborough, MA can hold nearly 66,000 people, and SoFi stadium in Los Angeles can hold about 70,000.

My point with all the statistics is that Maine is small. Our communities are tight knit, and I truly mean it when I say that everybody knows everybody.

And last night, a man walked into Schemengees Bar and Grille and the Just-In-Time Recreation bowling alley in Lewiston, Maine and opened fire with an automatic rifle, killing 18 people and injuring 13 others. The impact of this tragedy will extend across the state- and probably all of New England.

And as the manhunt for the mass shooting suspect unfolds around me, I have many emotions flowing through my body. I am terrified, I am angry, I am grieving. I am frustrated, confused, and sad. I am disgusted, I am stressed, I am worried. But mostly, I am heartbroken; heartbroken for the community I love. Heartbroken for the victims and lives that were lost last night. Heartbroken for humanity.

I have been absolutely appalled to watch the act of violence committed in Lewiston last night unfold in front of me for the last 24 hours. I grew up in Turner, a small town neighboring Lewiston/Auburn and have many friends and family members still living in the area. I struggle stating this because my intent is not to make this tragedy about me. Because it is certainly not. But I'm writing this from my perspective as someone who was indirectly impacted, and I feel like it's important to remind everyone that gun violence and hate does not discriminate.

For the entire year of 2022, Maine had 29 reported homicides. It is statistically one of the (if not the) safest states in the country (to the point where I don't even lock my door most nights). Maine has always had this aura of innocence. Despite the state of the world and the way gun violence has been steadily increasing for my entire life, I have always found some solace and comfort in the fact that I live in Maine. Because despite the sorrow and grief I felt when I learned of Sandy Hook, Route 91, Virginia Tech, Pulse night club, Uvalde, Sutherland Springs, El Paso (you get the point), I could move forward and live my life. Because as awful as those shootings were, things like that didn't happen in Maine.

Until, of course, they do.

In a single evening, in a span of 24 hours, one man has completely ripped away that layer of safety from me and everyone else I know and love. Because a mass shooting did happen here. And it can happen anywhere.

I could write about how it's easier to buy a gun than Sudafed in Maine. I could write about how I feel about politicians who support the NRA with corrupt intentions despite how many lives have been lost to gun violence in America. I could also write about how Maine has high gun ownership, but extremely low firearm death rates, which makes me wonder if maybe our focus to blame is a bit off. I could write about how no matter what the crime rates in a state are, no one should have access to an AR.

But the truth is, I'm tired. I'm tired of pretending like these are new conversations. I'm tired of having the same debates every time this happens. Liberals vs. Conservatives, Republicans vs. Democrats, the second amendment vs. gun control. I'm tired of conversations about the mental health crisis- about politicians blaming gun violence on symptoms of mental health but then proceeding to vote against policies that would increase access and funding to mental health programing. I'm tired, tired, tired.

And 18 people are dead.

18 people whose lives mattered and deserved to be lived.

18 people who were parents and siblings and children.

18 people who were friends and coworkers.

18 people who were human beings.

And in addition to those 18 lives lost, there are even more injured. Some physically- even more emotionally. A little girl grazed by a bullet was brave enough to go on national TV and ask why? Why do people do this?

Why, indeed? In times of tragedy, our brains crave answers. Why did this happen? Who let this happen? Were there warning signs? The answer is almost always yes. And in this case, based on current reports, it sounds like in addition to active mental health symptoms, direct threats had been made by the suspect in the past about intent to harm. That makes it easy to point fingers. How did his family miss this? Why didn't mental health professionals act? Why was he released from the hospital if he was thought to be dangerous?

But the tragic truth is that this is so much deeper than those questions pose. And as much as our brains and hearts crave answers, playing the blame game will do nothing for us.

Stricter gun laws and removing access to AR-15s is a good start that I fully support. So go ahead and sign the petitions, write to your representatives. I certainly have, and will continue to do so. But don't be surprised if that only places a band-aid over the gaping, hemorrhaging wound that is humanity in America right now.

The truth is, I don't know what the answers are. Is it eliminating access to AR-15s? Monitoring who can buy and own weapons based on stricter background checks? Is it increasing access to mental health services? Increasing incentives for people to become mental health providers? Is this all just the unfolding, unstoppable result of human suffering and toxic stress in America?

What I do know is that my community, my home, has experienced the nation's tenth worst mass shooting in modern history. Lewiston, Maine and the lives lost last night are more than just another tragic story of gun violence in America. It's more than the 565th mass shooting in America this year, to be followed by a 566th and 567th. It's more than just a statistic. Right now the news is buzzing. People are talking, stories are being shared. But a few weeks from now, that will inevitably die down.

Lives will go on, because it didn't happen to you. It will never happen to you.

Until, of course, it does.

So please take care of yourselves, take care of your loved ones, take care of your friends and neighbors and acquaintances. And most importantly, have empathy and compassion for all.

[im-like-if-a-girl]

Can we get Maine trending please? I need Maine to trend. I need people to know that if it could happen here, it could happen anywhere. I need people to fight to ban assault weapons and fight to keep weapons out of the hands of dangerous people. There were supposed to be failsafes in place to keep this from happening. We need to ban assault weapons.