3. ME, Lewiston 21st c

The closure of the mills brought about a significant downturn in Lewiston, especially among the working class community (not associated with Bates College). With the mills closed the town center, Lisbon Street, fell into disrepair, vacancy and blight. Aside from the ‘gown’ population it has been a time of poverty and decline and little momentum for change. This began to shift in 2002 (just months after the attacks of September 11, 2011) when a significant number of Somali refugees, originally in Atlanta, began relocating to Lewiston for lower rents, better schools, and theoretically more accepting people. Those already down an out suddenly felt threatened by the increased competition and perception that they would be supporting them. Despite the history of immigration in the town, the Somali were different and perceived as yet another group more relevant than the former hegemony. Protests ensued as the mayor requested they stop coming and hate crimes were committed. Despite this perception the Somali population has re-appropriated many of the vacant buildings on Lisbon Street creating their own town center and occupying business’s that had been vacant for decades.