Authorities in Beachwood have launched an investigation after a man went to a public library and successfully checked out 100 books on Jewish history, African American history, and LGBTQ+ education before burning them.
Per WOIO, the Beachwood Police Department said the unidentified man took the books from the Beachwood Public Library on Shaker Boulevard. The man is said to have obtained the books by using a new library card he applied for on April 2.
Authorities said he initially used the card to take out 50 books on Jewish history, African American history, and LGBTQ+ education. The man was reported to Cuyahoga County Public Library Chief Communications and External Relations Officer Kate McCreary by Princeton University Bridging Divides Initiative (BDI) – a “non-partisan research initiative at Princeton University that tracks and mitigates political violence in the United States.”
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Authorities said BDI informed McCreary that the man took to Gab.com to share a photo of books in a car trunk, saying that he was “cleansing” the libraries. Authorities also said that the books in question were emblazoned with Cuyahoga County Public Library stickers, and they seemed to look like what he obtained from the library.
Authorities said that on April 10, the man returned to the Beachwood library and took out 50 more similar books, WOIO reported. McCleary said that though the librarian saw the man’s behavior to be weird, he did not issue any threats, per authorities.
During a conversation with the librarian, the man is said to have claimed that he was trying to educate himself on LGBTQ topics as his son was part of the community. Authorities said a social media video later showed the man allegedly burning the books, prompting the BDI to notify McCleary.
The Beachwood Police Department said that the books in question were the same as the ones he took from the library. And since the date for the books to be returned was not due, McCreary and Cuyahoga County Public Library Head Security Coordinator Ryan Grame only contacted police to document the case.
The BPD said Grame informed them that a bill would be sent to the man if the books were overdue, adding that it would be sent to collections if he failed to pay, WOIO reported. On May 2, however, the BPD informed Grame that because there’s a binding contract and a bill will ultimately be sent, the case is expected to be a civil one.
Authorities said they are trying to ascertain if there is probable cause to determine if the man committed a crime. “If there is probable cause and depending on whether the crimes are misdemeanors or felonies, the charges will be filed in the appropriate court and those charges will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law,” the BPD said.
“The Beachwood Police Department is actively investigating this incident. Our department stands against antisemitism and all acts of bias-motivated crimes,” Beachwood Police Chief Dan Grispino also said. “We are committed to vigorously investigating and prosecuting any hate-motivated incidents within the City of Beachwood. Our priority is to maintain a community that can thrive without the fear of threats of intimidation or violence.”
Ohio state state Senator Kent Smith in a May 9 statement also described the man’s actions as “fundamentally un-American.”
“I condemn this act, not only because it is a crime against our institutions and community, but also because it is fundamentally un-American. This nation was founded on the right to free speech and open expression, and our libraries are the embodiment of that promise,” Smith said.
“Libraries are designed to be community-based safe harbors of free thought. Libraries offer ideas. This is their fundamental role in our democracy and why they are so vital. This act of violence is not just a crime against the public catalog of literature that was destroyed, but also is a violation of the marketplace of ideas that is a bedrock principle of American life.”
Smith added: “This action will not be, should not be, and cannot be tolerated inside the 21st Senate District, this state, or this nation. There is no place for such hate, censorship, or intimidation in Beachwood, nor this country.”
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