February 3, 2003
Source: The Boston Globe
On February 3, 2003 The Boston Globe reported that "City officials report, and Somali residents confirm, that following an 18-month period when 1,100 Somalis moved to Lewiston, a drop-off began around Labor Day has been sustained in the months since the mayor's Oct. 1 letter. There have been a number of reasons for the decline, but Somalis both here and outside Maine say a perception has taken hold that the city is unwelcoming and unsafe to newcomers."