Maineweek Madness: Protests, Obviously, and Also Some Killer Jellyfish

By Molly Osberg  |  June 4, 2020 | 2:12pm
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Maineweek Madness: Protests, Obviously, and Also Some Killer Jellyfish
Lion’s Mane Jellyfish (not in Maine) Photo:Getty

This week in Maine, as in every state in the country, protestors have gathered nightly to challenge the institutions that killed George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Tony McDade, and countless other black Americans. And, as in nearly every American city, local police responded with displays of force considered significantly at odds with the scale of unrest. On Monday night, a largely peaceful protest and 1,000-person strong “die-in” turned violent when Portland police—citing damage to businesses like Urban Outfitters, threats to police vehicles, and bottles full of piss hurled at cops—pepper-sprayed protestors and fired at least one rubber bullet. By Tuesday, the nightly protests included a visit from this guy, who police later said was probably using an “observation device” rather than what plainly appears to be a rifle:

Should anyone, at this very late juncture, be unclear on the scope and necessity of these protests, the Press Herald included in its report this anecdote:

Some passing motorists honked in support of the demonstration, while others antagonized them – one man driving a large black pickup truck reached out from his open window, made the shape of a gun with his fingers and mimicked shooting a group of young black men standing on a corner, two blocks from the epicenter of the confrontation, before driving off.

[Press Herald] [Bangor Daily News] [News Center Maine]

Speaking of racists, the Brewer Deputy Mayor resigned yesterday after a classic round of my-ill-considered-comments-were-actually-a-hack. On Monday, Thomas Morelli claimed to the Brewer police that a nefarious computer-type had broken into his Facebook account and posted inflammatory comments about George Floyd. It appears it was not, in fact, a hacker who made those comments, and Morelli has been charged with making a false report to the police. [Bangor Daily News]

This week in Posting:

[Bangor Maine Police Department]

The largest species of jellyfish in the world have been washing up on Maine’s beaches. The quivering yellow-and-purple globs, called lion’s mane jellyfish, have tentacles that can grow longer than 100 feet. “They are very, very large and ugly looking, too,” says one resident who happened upon the foul creatures. Elsewhere in animal news, a Maine loon stabbed an eagle in the heart in a thoughtful show of solidarity with the antifa protestors who are trying to destroy America. On a lighter note, an Acadia falcon named Lizzie has finally found love in a hopeless place.

Trump is headed to Maine on Friday, and pretty much everyone except area Florida Man Paul Lepage thinks it’s a terrible idea. The President is said to be visiting Puritan Medical Products, where Covid-19 testing swabs are produced. He will also hold a roundtable with local fishermen.

The DOJ has decided that Maine Governor Janet Mills’s order for out-of-state visitors to quarantine for 14 days is potentially unconstitutional, as it discriminates against tourists, which may come as a surprise to the guys who tried to forcibly quarantine some guys with Jersey plates a few weeks back.

Until recently, I hadn’t been aware of just how many reality TV shows take place in Maine—a function, I assume, of various L.A. execs doing terrible Mainer impressions for each other over lunchtime drinks. Recently, a colleague sent me a link to the History Channel’s series about guys who love Uncle Henry’s; a reader forwarded along this new thing about a group of relentlessly hardy women who rip off tourists and make stuff out of poop:

Now, if you live in Maine or Alaska, you too can have a piece of all of this glory: Sharp Entertainment is currently casting for “Mountain Love,” a show about city dwellers who move to shack up with their partners who live off the grid.

This week in Fuck Susan Collins:

Briefly:

  • A tutorial on flaming weeds from the homestead editors. [Bangor Daily News]
  • A Canadian man stole a commercial fishing boat and attempted to abscond to Maine. [Press Herald]
  • A longtime advocate for immigrants in Portland has died [Press Herald]
  • Jezebel congratulates Riley and Nate on their love, temporarily memorialized into some seaside rock. [Times Record]
  • And, finally, from the Press Herald:
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