How incredibly stupid. A beautiful old building, housing free resources for those who don’t have their own computers, need information, can’t afford to buy books, and all the other stuff libraries are known for.
I taught in a library school and used to use Enoch Pratt Library policies as a model for my students. Sigh. I know a lot of people on FR hate librarians, but they aren’t all libs and I did my fair share to convert a few. : ) Lib or not, they do care for their communities and I’m sure would be shocked to learn people wanted to burn a library.
I’m an older black female. I saw this crap after MLK when we had the national guard in DC. Neighborhoods that took the brunt of the rioting didn’t come back for DECADES - not until whites wanted to gentrify. These people are idiots and criminals. No one will want to do business there, so when they complain there are no businesses in the hood, they can look to themselves for the blame.
Takes a sort of “looking ahead” type of thinking which these folk apparently do not possess. or they just dont give a rat’s ass.
Decades? Detroit was destroyed by the ‘67 riots. It never really came back. What was a somewhat mixed race city became a no-go zone for whites.
Upshot of all this Bravo Sierra over time will be whites again refusing to live or play in areas with more than a token number of blacks. Except this time I expect fewer people will couch it in politically correct terminology.
Heckuva job, Barky.
The Enoch Pratt library is fantastic, second to none. There really is nothing like it.
But, I am not too worried about a molotov cocktail. Takes more than that.
I DO worry more about the vagrant kitchen and shelter set up across the street years ago by the Catholic diocese at the otherwise wonderful Basillica of the Assumption.
This society is out of control. Libraries are like sacred places to me. Even the smell of books and all that knowledge on the shelves. I’ve always admired librarians. My conservative sister-in-law is one. I feel your sorrow at what is happening. It is personal to me too. Ugh!