Library staff and volunteers, left to right, Rose Dionne Archivist & Reference Librarian, Abigail Woods, Ward 2 Councilor in Biddeford, Jessica Reilly, Volunteer with Better Biddeford and Nicole Clark, library director, look over some of memorial offerings left for Sebastian Friday. (Shawn Patrick Ouellette/Staff Photographer)
In a windowsill of the McArthur Public Library in Biddeford, a collection of stuffed Bluey toys was lined up in the sun to dry out.
The sun was shining Friday afternoon, but clouds threaten to roll in and once again rain down on a memorial built on the corner of Hill and Pool streets to mourn Johan Sebastián Durán Guerrero.
Guerrero was shot and killed near the intersection by a federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent on Monday morning. His daughter, 3-year-old Dulce, was seen with her mother, Martha Karolina Rojas Alvarez, at the scene, still wearing her Bluey pajamas. Guerrero had just left for work.
The Bluey toys weren’t all that was left to dry at McArthur Library.
On the door to a small room in the library was a sign that read, “Please keep door closed. Dehumidifier on to preserve items.” In that room, tables were adorned with a slew of signs, letters, and works of art made to mourn Guerrero.
Library staff and volunteers collected some of memorial offerings left for Sebastian to try and save them from the rain. They are currently laid out at the McArthur Library in Biddeford. (Shawn Patrick Ouellette/Staff Photographer)
When an unexpected storm squall rolled through Biddeford on Thursday afternoon, community members knew what they had to do.
Jessica Reilly, a Biddeford resident who moved here just a year ago, had been working with Abigail Woods and a few other residents to preserve the memorial and protect sensitive items from the rain.
Woods is a City Council member representing Ward 2, which includes the corner of Pool and Hill streets. She said she’s been to the memorial every day this week, and she wanted to find the balance of respecting the memorial and guarding it from the rain.
In an effort to protect items like stuffed toys and signs, the group of residents called McArthur Library and asked if they had space to house the sensitive items away from the elements.
Volunteers leapt into action amid the downpour, filled a car with objects made of paper, fabric and wood and brought them to safety a little over half a mile away.
On Friday, a room upstairs had been dedicated to preserving these items.
Rose Dionne, archivist and reference librarian, came in from working from home to get started on drying the items out.
Using dehumidifiers, soft dry brushes and the occasional paperweight, Dionne got to work, hoping to leave the items in the best condition possible.
Library staff and volunteers collected some memorial offerings left for Sebastian to try and save them from the rain. They are currently laid out at the McArthur Library in Biddeford. (Shawn Patrick Ouellette/Staff Photographer)
Dionne said that her training as an archivist prepared her for the emotional parts of the job.
“I feel like I was prepared in a academic way, but of course, that’s so different than the emotional element,” said Dionne. “I’ve lived in Biddeford since 2014. I lived right on Lincoln Street, this was my neighborhood. So that’s sort of something nothing can prepare you for.”
Reilly said the goal of the in-progress archive is to protect the items for what Guerrero’s family eventually plans to do with them.
The library, along with the volunteers who helped take the items in from the rain, has been in contact with a representative of the family to make plans for what to do with the memorial items long term.
“We plan to be good stewards of the memorial for as long as we’re needed,” said Reilly.
Nicole Clark, library director, said this sort of thing is exactly what a library is for.
“We’re here to serve our community,” she said. “To try to preserve these things, we’re going to do whatever we can to support them, even if it is just providing a little bit of space for these items.”
When Guerrero’s family is ready to decide what to do with the objects, the items will be ready for them.
One laminated coloring sheet, adorned with the children’s cartoon character Bluey, reads, “I’m 8 years old, and I’m sad you lost your dad. I also left a big Bluey toy. You can have it.”
