Summary
A man checked out 100 books from Beachwood Library in Beachwood, Ohio, covering Jewish history, African-American history, and LGBTQ topics, and later posted social media videos showing the books with captions referencing “cleansing” libraries before burning them.
Princeton University’s Bridging Divides Initiative alerted the library about the posts.
The books were worth about $1,700. Since they are not overdue, the library will bill the man later.
Police say the matter is civil unless he fails to pay. He is now banned from returning to the library.
“A man”
This person has destroyed public property. Whether or not he pays, his name should be made public. People who know him should know what kind of person he is. His employer should know who they have hired. His employer’s customers should know who they are dealing with.
This is not normal behavior. This person is a sociopath and society needs to know who he is.
If you do that kind is stuff publicly on social media, you’re pretty much begging for people to make the connection between your name and those actions.
Agreed. He didn’t have any problems posting it to social media. There’s no reason not to include his identity in the article. Even if he posted under a pseudonym, that should still be included.
This is not normal behavior. This person is a sociopath and society needs to know who he is.
I wish people would stop throwing clinical terms around like this. Socio/psychopathy is a complicated psychiatric disorder with distinct behavioral and psychological markers, not a synonym for “evil.”
Sadly, you don’t need a psychiatric disorder to engage in despicable behavior. “Normal” people are quite capable of being racist, sexist douchebags, and most racist, sexist douchebags are not mentally ill. Bigotry is a product of culture, not abnormal psychology.
I think the correct clinical diagnosis in his case is “flaming asshole”
He doesn’t want us to read those book, by the same logic, would it be OK to cut off that mans genitalia because we don’t want him to reproduce?
If I were dictator I would announce a new LGBTQ and African American wing of the library and dedicate it to him, with a placard showing his payment to the library for the books he has to pay back, but he doesn’t deserve to have his name anywhere…
Just remind yourself that if that were the case you absolutely would be a dictator.
I don’t want it
I think having his name represented on something in which he hates is absolutely deserved and hilarious.
In Ohio felony theft is over $1000.
republicans are swine.
This fucking prick couldn’t read and unluckily could use fire, like a basic caveman.
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He is probably less than even some cavemen. There are some bits of late cave art that have been interpreted as proto-writing. There were possibly literate cave people.
from the library’s perspective this couldn’t be simpler. they have an exact list of which books to replace and who to charge for the balance.
Also, open a fund that people can donate to. With a damage like $1700, they can probably get back multiple times that in a week.
Yeah but in the current climate I’m worried he’s going to encourage other bigots to be similarly destructive, and that shithead nazis will come to his defense and try to normalize it.
yeah on the one hand it limits the availability while they are rebought but I guess on the plus side their authors make more money.
well of course, I agree. but the library can’t control that; they’re just trying to hold on and survive.
Sadly. More power to the librarians! Those folks are truly knowledgeable and capable. I wish we would empower them to do so much more then just “survive”.
And hopefully minority authors make more sales because of it, get more publicity because of it and the bigots pay the bill.
In my state the librarian can have a warrant issued for your arrest if you fail to return or pay for books worth over a certain amount after giving proper notice. It’s either $50 or $100 iirc.
The library may need to review its policies if a person can borrow 100 books at once, though.
Sending a bill is one thing; collecting on it is another. As it stands now, the library is out $1700 and those books aren’t necessarily getting replaced soon (or if they are, something else is not getting done instead).
An example needs to be made so that this tactic doesn’t spread.
Meanwhile, the library just buys new copies of all the books out of tax money.
Assuming their budget doesn’t get cut
That’s assuming that all of the books are still in print and available.
If my personal collection was burned, there are several books that are not replaceable. Especially when you get to books about marginalized groups - things put out by small presses. Limited releases.
The books were worth about $1,700. Since they are not overdue, the library will bill the man later.
Police informed CCPL that, because a contract was entered when the books were borrowed, failure to return or pay for the books would become a civil matter turned over to the city prosecutor.
Should the man return to the Beachwood Library, he will be banned from the property.
Shoutout to libraries. Absolute diamonds in the rough. Burn books? Whatever, people don’t return books all the time. When they’re overdue, here’s the bill, next!
We don’t live in the age of books anymore. Shit like this is ignorant and fascist but also just symbolic. Libraries are cornerstones of a free society, but the physical paper itself isn’t nearly as important anymore. It’s hilariously replaceable.
I want the list of books. “Banned” and “burned” books go hard as hell. Maybe even files for the m@tes to get 'em all at once. The modern age can undo all this idiot’s work with a single link.
The books were worth about $1,700. Since they are not overdue, the library will bill the man later.
honestly that’s hilarious as fuck 😂
Librarians are pretty chill, unless you’re a loud talker hehe
Except that librarian in the disc world books. He would probably rip some arms off.
“Banned” and “burned” books go hard as hell
Every library I’ve been to in the last 5 years has had a poster of “banned books” specifically to advertise them because people (especially teenagers) love that shit.
We don’t live in the age of books anymore.
We don’t, but there’s problems with only relying on electronic information that can be swapped out at any time. Don’t have to burn the information when you can make it say whatever you want.
I worked at an elementary school (public) in a very red state.
I had been overhauling the library computers (I was IT) all day and had been chatting with the librarian. Cool chick, probably 10 years older than me, so late 30s. I was dating my wife at the time, so I wasn’t looking to date, but got invited out for drinks with other librarians from the district.
After a few rounds, the topic turned to censorship, book bans, etc.
Every single one of them, from the churchy prim and proper lady, to the more alternative types, we against banning books and discussed how to get the kids access and and encourage them to read them, without losing their jobs.
I had to shutdown their plan to distribute cheap flash drives with banned material on them a la guerilla distribution - ie, leave it where kids would find them.
And that is why next week Mr. Case’s cyber security BS thing was about how we don’t plug random shit we find in to computers.
Ohio let’s you check out 100 books at a time?
I mean it’s not illegal
To destroy someone else’s property?
If he hadn’t rented it they might consider calling it that but that’s a normal “oops the books gone” fine.
pretty sure it’s not legal to destroy something you don’t own. The fact that he’s getting fined is a pretty clear indicator.
He’s getting fined by the library. But, it can be illegal to destroy something you don’t own. Take for example vandalism. The key for even that is eluding or attempting to elude cleaning it up/paying to do so. Think about it. Is it illegal to dent someone’s car? Not if you pay for repairs. It’s the fleeing the scene without paying that it becomes a crime.
Same could be said here. Yeah he made a vid glorifying an anti-LGBT stance on YouTube by burningthe books. But its fine if you return a full copy in same or better condition to whom you borrowed the book.
He’s getting fined by the library for the same amount he’d get fined for “losing” it since it’s $17 a book. That doesn’t seem like it’s illegal or that it matters.
Something this article doesn’t mention is that the population of Beachwood is predominantly Jewish, so this was very targeted
How is that not criminal destruction of property? Some of those books may not even be replaceable. 😠
Because the man was legally in possession of them at the time. It’s the same reason that you have to go through a tedious process to have your car reported stolen if you let someone borrow it and don’t bring it back.
Generally don’t sign a TOS when tossing your buddy the keys.
Project Gutenberg is ensuring that all books are 100% replaceable. Don’t worry, this ignorance cock hasn’t done anything that can actually interfere with people being able to obtain and read any of the material he’s taken.
“this ignorant cock hasn’t done anything that can actually interfere…”
He absolutely has. Stop being a pushover. In the coming weeks this will be normalised American behavior. Push back.
Hear this well, your reaction of outrage is why he’s doing it. Should he be charged for his destruction of public property? Absolutely. But should we really be putting him on a right wing soap box by making tons of posts raging about his bullshit acts of ignorance? Definitely not.
I think we may have different definitions for “replaceable”.
Digital copies are serviceable, they are by no means a replacement.
Anything digital can be made into a physical copy with almost comical ease. I don’t want this mouth breathing red hat to have the satisfaction of doing more than simply creating a minor inconvenience because everything he has done can be replaced in a few days. At his expense no less.
Good thing it wasn’t a Tesla, then “the man” would be doxxed by mainstream media outlets, he’d be tried as a terrorist, and the cops would have been deep into investigations before the sun came up.
