Editor’s Note: This story has been updated to more accurately reflect what happened.
From May 2 -10, Beachwood police responded to calls of 100 books from genres of LGBTQ+ education and minority history being burned from the Beachwood branch of the Cuyahoga County Public Library.
Many authors, readers and community members voiced frustration and expressed concerns of censorship.
Cleveland’s Interfaith Group Against Hate, a coalition of Jewish, Muslim and Christian congregations, was one group banding together in efforts to fill the void of the burned titles.
Dr. Kate Gillooly, minister at Heights Christian Church and member of IGAH, saw the attention the burnings got on social media and wondered why nothing was being done.
“I was shocked and horrified that such a thing had happened,” Gillooly said. “There seemed to be a sense of pandering of this being terrible, but not sure about any sort of next steps.”
The group held a book drive to compensate for the burned books from the same genres.
Gillooly and members of the IGAH decided to hold their virtual book drive to “respond to hate with love,” which Gillooly said is why it was formed and why it operates.
Authorities were first alerted about the man burning the books after he shared a photo with a trunk of 50 books and the caption of “cleansing the libraries” on the social media site Gab, known for hosting discussions of hate speech.
He acquired the 100 books in a span of over a week at the beginning of April and claimed he was borrowing them to help him understand his queer son.
Princeton University’s Bridging Divides Initiative, a research group that tracks political violence, identified the posts on social media and notified the library.
The books were identified as property of the CCPL by matching the description of the perpetrator’s checkout history.
The damages in library property totaled $1,700, according to the police report.
The investigation into the crime remains ongoing, and once complete, the Beachwood prosecutor will determine if probable cause was present.
Beachwood Police Chief Dan Grispino said his department stands against any bias-motivated or hate-motivated crimes.
“We are committed to vigorously investigating and prosecuting any hate-motivated incidents within the city of Beachwood,” Grispino said. “Our priority is to maintain a community that can thrive without the fear of threats of intimidation or violence.”
Chief Communication and External Relations Officer for the Cuyahoga County Public Library, Kate McCreary, said she could not comment.
At the Kent Free Library, director Stacey Richardson said its management has not discussed goals or targets related to the incident.
Kent Library’s circulation policy allows for checkouts of up to 75 items during one session.
“We are really fortunate with our library that we have not had any book challenges on any books in our collection on any of these same topics that were burned in the … Beachwood incident,” Richardson said.
While libraries, like the Kent Free Library, are not facing the same issues, IGAH continues its mission of restoring books to the Cuyahoga County area with donations totaling $12,000.
The group is currently working to schedule book fairs where Gillooly said people can buy and contribute books.
The next book fair will be their Shavuot Book Fair on June 4, and more information can be found on their website, where donations can be made as well.
“This is an opportunity for people to recognize they are not alone in their distaste for what happened and their desire to do something in response,” Gillooly said. “It’s a reminder that none of us has to figure out our response all by ourselves, we can always join together.”
Nikki Gasiewski is a reporter. Contact her at [email protected].
