LEWISTON, Maine — On Tuesday evening, the city of Lewiston decided to implement further restrictions on where people experiencing homelessness can stay overnight in the city.
The new ordinance bans camping, sleeping, or being on the grounds of any municipal building or property between the hours of 9 p.m. and 5 a.m.
The vote passed 4-3.
"The intent is not criminalize anything, but to give us a little bit more power that we can move people along, tried to find them a safe place. We do so with compassion," Lewiston Police Chief David St. Pierre said at Tuesday's meeting.
"All you want to do is sit there and talk and talk about doing something. Remember, there's going to be another person dying out there," Randy, an unhoused person told city councilors. "I'm not speaking just for myself. I'm being a voice for those who are too scared to speak up and who you think are invisible. Remember that when you guys go home tonight to your nice warm beds."
An amendment was added to the ordinance and passed 4-3 so the restrictions will take place April 1, 2023.
This fall, Lewiston lifted a six-month moratorium on new homeless shelters in the city. No new shelters have been established since the moratorium ended.