Suna Shaw has spoken words of anguish in court on behalf of family members whose loved ones were killed. She has sat in silence with crime victims while they pray for justice. And as the only full-time victim witness advocate at a police department in Maine, she has worked to help victims feel safe even when their case does not proceed to prosecution.
But at the end of October, Shaw, who works for the Portland Police Department, received a phone call for an assignment unlike any other: The Maine attorney general’s office was looking for people with experience with homicide cases to respond to Lewiston where there had been a mass shooting.
For the next three weeks, Shaw was stationed in Lewiston where she met primarily with the families of those who were killed in the shootings at Just-In-Time Recreation bowling alley and Schemengees Bar and Grille to help them begin to figure out their next steps.
Shaw — and 20 other victim witness advocates who deployed from the attorney general’s office, district attorney’s offices across the state and the Maine Department of Corrections — helped more than 200 people who lost a loved one, were injured by the violence, or witnessed the deaths of their friends and neighbors.
Now Shaw and other victim witness advocates are seeing their federal funding threatened, laying bare the vulnerability of their work to forces far outside their control. They and others serving crime victims across the state are talking more about their roles in hope that the Maine Legislature will fill in the large funding gap.
“I think it’s very humbling to sit with someone in what could be their worst hour,” Shaw said. “When someone is in the throes of a traumatic situation, there’s a lot coming at you. Sometimes your thoughts are racing. To have somebody with you who knows the process and can assist step by step I think is so crucial and so important.”
Shaw still returns to Lewiston about once a week. She and the other victim witness advocates will remain in touch indefinitely with the people whose lives were altered by the shooting while also continuing their work with crime victims as part of their day-to-day jobs, as long as the funding for their positions continue.
The funding for victim witness advocates and other victim services comes from the federal Crime Victims Fund, which was established by the Victims of Crime Act of 1984, or VOCA. The fund is not made up of tax dollars but the deposits of fines and penalties paid by people convicted in federal cases.
Those deposits have declined dramatically in recent years because federal prosecutors entered into more out-of-court settlements with defendants instead of prosecuting their cases. Victim services across Maine are expecting a 60 percent cut next fiscal year to what is their main federal funding source, but the Maine Legislature is considering a bill to fill in the gap of $6 million.
“If VOCA isn’t funded, none of us know exactly what that means. However we are being told that it will be drastic cuts,” said Lisa Marchese, deputy attorney general in charge of the criminal division. If Maine loses assistance for crime victims and their families, “the system will add additional trauma by not providing an advocate.”
Dozens filled the Hall of Flags staircase at the State House on Tuesday morning to rally in support of the bill from Sen. Anne Carney, D-Cape Elizabeth. Both Carney and Rep. Holly Stover, D-Boothbay, called the potential cuts “catastrophic.”
Several speakers — ranging from lawmakers to survivors of domestic violence — shared stories of the often exhausting work VOCA-funded advocates perform for those trying to put their lives back together.
Joanna Stokinger, who has been a victim advocate for more than 20 years, said she worked 12- to 16-hour days in Lewiston after the Oct. 25 mass shooting. She said she does not talk about her job that “has always been hard” to “get a pat on the back or gain accolades.”
“It will continue to be hard, but I have a passion for helping victims of crime,” Stokinger said. “Please don’t let crime victims in Maine suffer further because the federal funding is cut.”
The judiciary committee held a public hearing on the bill Tuesday afternoon where people spoke for more than two hours in support, including both Democrats and Republicans. No one testified in opposition.
“The recent tragedy in Lewiston provides a clear example of how these funds are used to help our neighbors and why the ongoing funding of our victim services response is essential,” Assistant House Majority Leader Kristen Cloutier, D-Lewiston, said.
She described how victim witness advocates deployed to Lewiston met with people at the hospital who were injured; arranged for ASL interpretation; helped family members recover not only their loved one’s remains but their cell phones, jewelry and cars; accessed funds to help cover funeral expenses through the Maine Victims’ Compensation Program; and organized pro bono legal help to assist with guardianship issues and access to bank accounts.
In addition to victim witness advocates, who mostly work out of district attorney’s offices, the Crime Victims Fund also supports the work of the local resource centers in the networks of the Maine Coalition to End Domestic Violence and the Maine Coalition Against Sexual Assault; Pine Tree Legal Assistance; court-appointed special advocates for children; the Immigrant Resource Center of Maine; the Elder Abuse Institute of Maine; Legal Services for the Elderly; and the Maine Department of Corrections.
Many of these agencies also helped respond in some way in the aftermath of the Lewiston shooting.
A social worker for more than 20 years, Shaw became the Portland Police Department’s victim witness advocate in November 2021. She works with detectives from the beginning of their homicide investigations to assist surviving families.
She also helps victims of violent crimes such as sexual assault and elevated aggravated assault. She communicates about the investigative and court process, connects people with resources and lends emotional support.
“I spend a lot of time getting to know the individuals that I’m serving and so trying to figure out what works for them,” Shaw said. She reminds people that they didn’t ask to be victimized. “They didn’t get into this position because of anything that they did,” Shaw said.
There are only three police agencies in Maine that can investigate killings: Portland Police Department, Bangor Police Department and Maine State Police. A victim witness advocate also works in the Bangor department, though the role is part-time and not funded with VOCA dollars, Chief Mark Hathaway said.
Despite the gravity of her job, Shaw said she does not consider it work. Rather it is more an extension of who she is.
“If you are blessed enough to find a role in your life where you are able to be your most genuine and true self, I personally think that’s where you should go — with your heart,” she said. “I have found that path throughout my time in social work.”
She hopes Maine lawmakers will support positions like hers, so she can continue to support victims, especially in light of the mass crisis created by the Lewiston shooting.
“Everyone is on their own path to healing. I think this was a tremendous tragedy,” she said. “It’s going to take a very long time as a community as a whole, as a state, to recover.”
BDN reporter Billy Kobin contributed to this story.
Erin Rhoda is the editor of Maine Focus. She may be reached at [email protected].
