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BIDDEFORD, Maine (WMTW) — It has been six weeks since Johan Sebastian Duran Guerrero was shot and killed by a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer in downtown Biddeford. A public library in the Maine city is now working to gather items from two memorials that were formed in Guerrero’s honor.
The former lobby entrance to McArthur Library is packed with posters, signs, letters and handwritten cards, some of which are blurred because they were out in the rain.
“We’ll get as much information as we can out of it, but it’s a heartfelt thing,” said Rose Dionne, archivist and reference librarian at McArthur Library. “Looking at this collection, we are at the very start of this story. So in 50 years, what will people be looking for?”
One memorial grew at the corner of Hill and Pool streets, which is where Guerrero, 25, was fatally shot on July 13. Another memorial formed at nearby Mechanics Park, which served as a gathering spot for protests.
The director of MacArthur Library, Nicole Clark, said all of the items from the memorials will be archived. Guerrero’s family will then take what they want and the rest will remain in the library’s rolling shelves.
Dionne said the size of the collection is almost overwhelming.
“Most of the time, I get one-off pieces from people. Certainly, the amount is surprising,” Dionne said. “That’s why we are out here in the old lobby rather than in my office, because this stuff simply wouldn’t fit there.”
Dionne said preserving the items from the memorials is a way to protect a piece of history.
“I think this is a really powerful collection because it shows, sort of as directly as possible, what people thought in this moment,” she said. “I think that will be an incredible piece of history.”
The library is working with the city to decide on future plans for when and where the collection might be available for the public to view. Since there are a lot of items to go through, it will be a while before a public viewing happens.
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