I moved to Lewiston a year ago. I admit that initially, some things about my Ward 5 neighborhood made me uneasy; I had never lived among so many folks struggling to get by.

But I knew that my unease said more about me than it said about others, and I’ve come to embrace my neighborhood. We’re all just people who want the same things: comfort, security, purpose.

When I hear rhetoric about “taking back our streets” that encourages residents to eye one another with suspicion, I feel afraid for my neighbors. I’m frustrated at the implication that some of us have a right to be here and others do not.

I want my vote to go to someone who views their neighbors not as criminals but as people, who understands that “often the same things are good … for everyone.”

This is why I support Billie-Jayne Cooke for Lewiston City Council.

Zoë Lidstrom, Lewiston