Man Torches 100 Books on LGBTQ, Black, and Jewish History
After checking out books on LGBTQ, Black, and Jewish history, an Ohio man burned them and posted the video online, sparking outrage.
On April 2, a man walked to the Cuyahoga County Public Library’s Beachwood branch and applied for a library card. He then checked out 50 books on Jewish history, African-American history, and LGBTQ education.
The next day, the Princeton University Bridging Divides Initiative (PUBDI), a group that monitors social media for hate crimes, told the library system that the man had posted a photo of a car trunk full of books, bearing CCPL stickers alongside a caption about “cleansing” the libraries.
Eight days later, the man returned to the Beachwood branch and checked out another 50 books on similar topics, claiming that he wanted to learn more because is son is LGBTQ. The librarian reportedly found the man’s behavior “odd and concerning,’ but said he made no threats, reported the Sun Press.
The man later posted a video to social media in which he appeared to burn all 100 books.
The video shows one book with a Cuyahoga County Public Library sticker on it and matches one of the titles checked out by the man.
The library contacted police about the man to file a complaint.
While Ohio has no laws protecting LGBTQ people from hate crimes or discrimination, it remains unclear whether the man could face hate crime charges for trying to intimidate Black or Jewish people by targeting books dealing with the history of those communities.
According to the Cleveland Jewish News, an estimated 85.9% of Beachwood’s population is Jewish — a fact that could be significant in determining why the man chose to check out the books from that specific branch.
The Beachwood Police Department told ABC affiliate WEWS that the matter remains under investigation.
“Our department stands against antisemitism and all acts of bias-motivated crimes,” the department 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.”
The library could choose to pursue legal action against the man, including compensation for the burned books.
The books that were burned were valued at approximately $1,700. The library will have to wait until the books are overdue to send the bill to the man.
Police informed the library that, because a contract was entered when the books were borrowed, failure to return or pay for the books would become a civil matter — rather than a criminal matter — and would be turned over to the city prosecutor.
While the Cuyahoga County Public Library declined to comment on the ongoing investigation, it did say it would seek to replace the lost works.
“[W]e have taken steps to protect our staff, customers, and property,” the library said in a statement. “This customer has been restricted from all Cuyahoga County Public Library properties and their borrowing privileges have been revoked. We are in the process of replacing the books in question.”
Community members responded to the book burning. On May 12, members of the Interfaith Group Against Hate, a left-leaning coalition of religious communities that seek to work together and promote tolerance, rallied outside Fairmount Presbyterian Church.
Rabbi Robert Nosanchuk, of Congregation Mishkan Or, told WEWS that he had seen the book-burning video, but the members of the coalition were intentionally not sharing it to avoid giving the man additional attention.
“When you share a video like this, all you do is encourage the haters to grow their actions, to grow their message,” he said.
The Interfaith Group Against Hate is holding an online book drive to replace the lost books. There will be opportunities for community members to donate books to the library at the Shavuot book fair on May 30, at the “Pride in the CLE” book fair on June 7, and at a Juneteenth book fair on June 19 at Loganberry Books, according to Ideastream.
The group says that for each book that was burned, they are donating 10 books related to race, religion, or LGBTQ topics to various libraries across the community.
Leventhal, the daughter of a retired Shaker librarian, said the story “hit way too close to home.”
“I am just a wildly independent, random mom who wanted to do something positive,” she said.
Ohio State Sen. Casey Weinstein (D-Hudson) shared a post on social media last week asking people to consider donating to the library in response to the book burning.
“I’m incredibly heartened when people speak up after incidents like these and support the Jewish community, support the LGBTQ community, support the African American community and others that can be targeted in acts of hate like this,” Weinstein said.
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