LEWISTON, Maine — The Lewiston City Council is set to revisit the long-running issue of unmet needs among survivors and families affected by the October 25, 2023, mass shooting, with the City Council agenda posted online showing the Maine Resiliency Center is slated to appear before councilors at the Tuesday, March 17 meeting.
At the center of the discussion is a resolution authorizing city staff, working with the council and community partners, to develop and carry out a survey or similar assessment of the outstanding shooting-related needs and financial burdens of known individuals affected by the massacre. Under the resolution, the assessment would be voluntary and conducted in a way that is respectful of privacy, dignity, and participants’ well-being, with findings later reported back to the council.
The proposal did not arrive in a vacuum. It comes after weeks of emotional testimony, public frustration, and growing criticism that too many survivors and families are still looking for answers nearly two and a half years after Maine’s deadliest mass shooting. At the council’s February 17 meeting, survivors and relatives pressed city leaders to confront lingering financial and emotional hardships, as well as broader questions about how funds raised in the aftermath of the attack were distributed.
Much of the political heat has centered on the attitudes and conduct of Lewiston Council President David Chittim and Councilor Scott Harriman during that public reckoning.
Harriman drew attention during public comment when shooting survivor Ben Dyer, who said he had been shot five times that night, directly called on him to look at him and “don’t look away,” accusing the councilor of showing disrespect during testimony. That moment became one of the defining images of the meeting and added to the sense among many in the room that some city leaders were detached from the pain still being carried by survivors.
Chittim, for his part, struck a more dismissive tone when he said questions surrounding the post-shooting fundraising had been answered “over and over and over again” and suggested the council might never satisfy those who remain unconvinced. That comment landed poorly with critics who say survivors were not asking for repetition, but for accountability, clarity, and a genuine effort to identify who still needs help.
The council ultimately voted 7-0 in February to table the resolution rather than act immediately, citing unanswered legal questions and a need for more detail. The issue returned on March 3, when city leaders agreed to move forward by involving the Maine Resiliency Center and waiting for its March 17 presentation before taking the next step.
The Maine Resiliency Center has positioned itself as a hub for support, resources, and recovery services for those affected by the shooting, and its appearance Tuesday is expected to help guide the council’s next move.
https://www.maineresiliencycenter.org
Amy Sussman, aunt of Max Hathaway, who died in the shooting, and a fierce advocate for the families and survivors, said, “Every survivor who spoke at the last council meeting and the one before asked the council for acknowledgment and accountability of the Maine Community Foundation fund actions. They asked why the nonprofits got money and way more than they did. I don’t understand why the council isn’t learning what happened with the money that went to nonprofits.”
Sussman added, “The survivors and victims’ families were offered three minutes. It’s been two and a half years, and they were given three minutes to speak. Why hasn’t there been a time set aside for the council to truly hear them in a roundtable discussion? Doesn’t the council want to know what happened to them and what their concerns are? The Maine Community Foundation could make this right. They could offer the amount given to the nonprofits and direct it to the survivors and victims’ families. They chose to give money to nonprofits, collecting that money on the back of over 160 victims, their families, and survivors. Just make it right.”
