#lewiston

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.

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

White man with a long gun? Zero surprise.

April 7th

Trump is blaming the immigrants. Of course he is. He’s calling it “a foreign parasite.” Talking about border security, mass deportations, protecting American citizens. As if locking out the rest of the world will stop this. As if we’re not already rotting from the inside.

People are eating it up. You can feel the anger, the fear, seeping through the walls, pressing in from all sides. The internet is still up, for now, but it’s all the same: people screaming about illegals bringing the infection, about “rounding them up before they spread it further.” Like they haven’t been seeing their own neighbors twitching, seizing, staring too long at nothing.

None of it matters. It’s already here.

I was attacked today.

I was on Lisbon Street, trying to get to the pharmacy. The shelves were half-empty. I grabbed what I could, started heading home. And then, I don’t know.

A man came at me. Fast. Too fast. Like his whole body moved before his brain caught up.

His skin was gray with sweat, like he had a fever, but his eyes; they were wet. I could see the veins in them, red and angry and pulsing. He reached for me, fingers stiff, clawlike. His lips moved, but the words came out wrong. Garbled.

I shoved him. Hard. He staggered, his legs bent at the wrong angles, like a puppet with its strings cut. He fell against a parked car, smacking his head against the window. Didn’t even flinch.

I ran. Didn’t look back.

I should feel lucky. I’m not hurt. Not infected. But my skin won’t stop crawling.

Because for a second, just a second, when I shoved him, his face changed.

I don’t know what’s worse.

That the parasite is hijacking them. Or that they know. On a brighter note, I saw a cat today. It looks like Jenna's cat, Richard. I remember when he was a kitten and Jenna excitedly spammed me with pictures almost everyday. I haven't heard from her in a while; I might and check in on her.

— Katie Osbourne

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