this post was submitted on 11 May 2025

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584

Man checks out 100 books from Beachwood Library, then burns them in social media post (www.cleveland.com)

submitted 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago) by MicroWave@lemmy.world to c/news@lemmy.world

105 comments fedilink hide all child comments

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.

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[–] Bob_Robertson_IX@discuss.tchncs.de 180 points 2 months ago (3 children)

"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.

[–] darkdemize@sh.itjust.works 79 points 2 months ago

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.

[–] chaosCruiser@futurology.today 26 points 2 months ago

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.

[–] Tedesche@lemmy.world 19 points 2 months ago (1 children)

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.

[–] Bridger@sh.itjust.works 13 points 2 months ago

I think the correct clinical diagnosis in his case is "flaming asshole"

[–] ElcaineVolta@kbin.melroy.org 136 points 2 months ago (4 children)

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.

[–] Deconceptualist@lemm.ee 77 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago) (4 children)

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.

[–] ElcaineVolta@kbin.melroy.org 38 points 2 months ago (1 children)

well of course, I agree. but the library can't control that; they're just trying to hold on and survive.

[–] Deconceptualist@lemm.ee 15 points 2 months ago

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".

[–] GrumpyDuckling@sh.itjust.works 29 points 2 months ago

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.

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[–] grue@lemmy.world 34 points 2 months ago

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.

[–] logicbomb@lemmy.world 20 points 2 months ago

The library may need to review its policies if a person can borrow 100 books at once, though.

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[–] SARGE@startrek.website 94 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago)

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.

[–] theangryseal@lemmy.world 74 points 2 months ago

Same as it ever was.

[–] mercano@lemmy.world 64 points 2 months ago (1 children)

Police say the matter is civil unless he fails to pay. He is now banned from returning to the library.

Pretty sure Destruction of Public Property is a crime in most jurisdictions.

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[–] troybot@midwest.social 54 points 2 months ago

Something this article doesn't mention is that the population of Beachwood is predominantly Jewish, so this was very targeted

[–] Darleys_Brew@lemmy.ml 50 points 2 months ago (4 children)

He’s aware that the whole book burning thing was something that the German Nazis, the one various nations had a war with, did, yeah?

[–] Diplomjodler3@lemmy.world 38 points 2 months ago (1 children)

Yes. These people know exactly what they're doing.

[–] Darleys_Brew@lemmy.ml 12 points 2 months ago (6 children)

The thing that actually genuinely confuses me is the fact that most of these people are proud that we beat the German Nazis.

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[–] barneypiccolo@lemm.ee 26 points 2 months ago

These people think the only bad thing that the Nazis did was lose. They think the Nazis were too soft, and they intend to me much stronger this time around.

[–] j0ester@lemmy.world 16 points 2 months ago (1 children)

I’m not German. So obviously I can’t be a Nazi.

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[–] MapleEngineer@lemmy.world 13 points 2 months ago

They are well aware. They are following the same playbook.

[–] DarkShaggy@lemmy.world 50 points 2 months ago (2 children)

Nazis gonna Nazi

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[–] Doctor_Satan@lemm.ee 42 points 2 months ago

"Dort wo man Bücher verbrennt, verbrennt man auch am Ende Menschen." - Heinrich Heine

Book burners have never once been on the right side of history.

[–] Professorozone@lemmy.world 39 points 1 month ago

Ohio let's you check out 100 books at a time?

[–] antithetical@lemmy.deedium.nl 38 points 2 months ago

What a horrible human being. If destroying books or repressing knowledge is part of your dogma you are on the wrong side of history.

[–] Buffalox@lemmy.world 36 points 1 month ago

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?

[–] ThraawnSolo@lemmy.dbzer0.com 35 points 2 months ago (2 children)

Wait...is this for real?...Typically there is a limit to how many books you can check out...

[–] spooky2092@lemmy.blahaj.zone 34 points 2 months ago (6 children)

At my library, that limit IS 100 books.

My kid regularly has ~60 books checked out. It's kind of a problem lol

[–] Kite@sh.itjust.works 20 points 2 months ago

But what an awesome problem to have!

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[–] Wispy2891@lemmy.world 31 points 2 months ago (2 children)

It's almost more shocking that the library allowed to check out all those books. There can't be a legitimate reason to do so, even if he said he needed to reference them all for a thesis or something like that

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[–] blattrules@lemmy.world 31 points 2 months ago

Sounds like a hate crime to me.

[–] leadore@lemmy.world 29 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago) (7 children)

How is that not criminal destruction of property? Some of those books may not even be replaceable. 😠 You could also say criminal intimidation of protected minority groups by an obviously targeted political act.

[–] GoodLuckToFriends@lemmy.today 13 points 1 month ago (1 children)

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.

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[–] DancingBear@midwest.social 26 points 2 months ago (3 children)

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…

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[–] HowAbt2morrow@futurology.today 24 points 2 months ago (2 children)

This fucking prick couldn’t read and unluckily could use fire, like a basic caveman.

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[–] CobraChicken3000@lemmy.ca 22 points 2 months ago (4 children)

The library should be taking this douches nozzle to collections, and replacing the destroyed materials.

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[–] greybeard@lemm.ee 19 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

In Ohio felony theft is over $1000.

[–] rumba@lemmy.zip 19 points 2 months ago (3 children)

Meanwhile, the library just buys new copies of all the books out of tax money.

[–] jjagaimo@sh.itjust.works 25 points 2 months ago

Assuming their budget doesn't get cut

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[–] qevlarr@lemmy.world 19 points 2 months ago (1 children)

This should be charged as a hate crime or incitement

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[–] ExLisper@lemmy.curiana.net 14 points 2 months ago (1 children)

Take away his library card!

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