By Colin R Brown
As a member of Grassroots Central Mass, I, Colin Brown, want to share my own deeply personal perspective on the tragic events of October 25th. Hailing from Hardwick, Massachusetts, I’m a student at Saint Joseph’s College of Maine, majoring in political science. This is a story of the tragedy of the Lewiston, Maine mass shooting.
October 25th will forever be etched in our memories as a date that changed lives. Just 15 minutes away from my college, a mass shooting occurred, leading to a manhunt for the perpetrator, Robert Card. Three days before this individual entered a local bowling alley and callously took the lives of innocent people. My friends and I enjoyed ourselves in the same bowling alley. Just to think I sat in the same seats as the same people who had to dodge bullets and die is mentally overtaking me.
On the second day of the manhunt and lockdown, my girlfriend and I braved the anxiety-laden atmosphere to fetch food for her service dog. The scene was surreal: police presence was everywhere, Walmart was nearly deserted, and an air of fear gripped the community. Emotions were running high, and the impact on students and the community at large was immense.
This tragedy struck close to home for me. A close friend’s uncle was among the victims, and many of my friends from Lewiston and the surrounding areas knew people directly affected or who lost their lives. The emotional toll on the campus and community was immeasurable.
In my role as the class President of the freshman class, I felt a tremendous responsibility to our college community. I issued multiple statements addressing the shooting and maintained constant communication with the college president and campus safety officials to ensure our campus remained safe.
On the night of the 28th, we received the news that Robert Card’s life had come to a tragic end through a self-inflicted gunshot wound, effectively ending the manhunt. While relieved that the immediate threat was over, there was a deep sense of sadness, knowing that justice could not be served for the lives lost.
During the manhunt, a curfew was imposed, allowing students to venture out during the day but requiring them to return after dark. This served as a stark reminder of the fear and disruption this event had brought into our lives.
The tragic events that unfolded in our community are a stark warning. We need stronger, safer gun laws, not just in Massachusetts but across the entire nation. An assault weapons ban is essential to safeguarding lives in our country. Massachusetts can lead by example, taking steps to ensure that such tragedies do not happen again. It’s a collective responsibility to work towards a safer future, where such incidents are prevented.
