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Man checks out 100 books from Beachwood Library, then burns them in social media post
(www.cleveland.com)
Ohio let's you check out 100 books at a time?
this post was submitted on 11 May 2025
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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?
In Ohio felony theft is over $1000.
Throw the book at him!
He'll just burn it. Got to hit him with it...
This has been happening for a while... but I still remember the not too long ago when many conservatives were talking about how all libs were book burning Nazis. Never saw a lib burn a book, but they are, and doing it far more often and with far greater volume.
This is the mentality of MAGA. SMH
Should justice be served, the irony is that this man will end up paying for 100 brand new books on civil rights and LGBT topics.
Oh wait... Ohio? Nevermind, not holding my breath...
republicans are swine.
If everyone did that tomorrow, it would be well worth it.....
Before its legal to do that, we can identify and jail assholes who hate. So I propose that this is ok, but also mark every controversial book and follow sketchy guys and gals trying to check those out.
What was that thing we learned from history about burning books again?
I mean it's not illegal
pretty sure it's not legal to destroy something you don't own. The fact that he's getting fined is a pretty clear indicator.
He's getting fined by the library. But, it can be illegal to destroy something you don't own. Take for example vandalism. The key for even that is eluding or attempting to elude cleaning it up/paying to do so. Think about it. Is it illegal to dent someone's car? Not if you pay for repairs. It's the fleeing the scene without paying that it becomes a crime.
Same could be said here. Yeah he made a vid glorifying an anti-LGBT stance on YouTube by burningthe books. But its fine if you return a full copy in same or better condition to whom you borrowed the book.
He's getting fined by the library for the same amount he'd get fined for "losing" it since it's $17 a book. That doesn't seem like it's illegal or that it matters.
To destroy someone else’s property?
If he hadn't rented it they might consider calling it that but that's a normal "oops the books gone" fine.
"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.
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.
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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.
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.
well of course, I agree. but the library can't control that; they're just trying to hold on and survive.
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Good thing it wasn't a Tesla, then "the man" would be identified 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.
The books were worth about $1,700. Since they are not overdue, the library will bill the man later.
Police informed CCPL that, because a contract was entered when the books were borrowed, failure to return or pay for the books would become a civil matter turned over to the city prosecutor.
Should the man return to the Beachwood Library, he will be banned from the property.
Shoutout to libraries. Absolute diamonds in the rough. Burn books? Whatever, people don't return books all the time. When they're overdue, here's the bill, next!
We don't live in the age of books anymore. Shit like this is ignorant and fascist but also just symbolic. Libraries are cornerstones of a free society, but the physical paper itself isn't nearly as important anymore. It's hilariously replaceable.
I want the list of books. "Banned" and "burned" books go hard as hell. Maybe even files for the m@tes to get 'em all at once. The modern age can undo all this idiot's work with a single link.
"Banned" and "burned" books go hard as hell
Every library I've been to in the last 5 years has had a poster of "banned books" specifically to advertise them because people (especially teenagers) love that shit.
We don’t live in the age of books anymore.
We don't, but there's problems with only relying on electronic information that can be swapped out at any time. Don't have to burn the information when you can make it say whatever you want.
I worked at an elementary school (public) in a very red state.
I had been overhauling the library computers (I was IT) all day and had been chatting with the librarian. Cool chick, probably 10 years older than me, so late 30s. I was dating my wife at the time, so I wasn't looking to date, but got invited out for drinks with other librarians from the district.
After a few rounds, the topic turned to censorship, book bans, etc.
Every single one of them, from the churchy prim and proper lady, to the more alternative types, we against banning books and discussed how to get the kids access and and encourage them to read them, without losing their jobs.
I had to shutdown their plan to distribute cheap flash drives with banned material on them a la guerilla distribution - ie, leave it where kids would find them.
And that is why next week Mr. Case's cyber security BS thing was about how we don't plug random shit we find in to computers.
They got the spirit! Libraries and librarians are some of the most fundamental "good" in society. They're basically the canary in the coal mine - when they start to go, we all know there's nothing but toxic gas in the room, and need to do something about it.
It is a shame that there's very few ways of going "rogue" with access to digital information that doesn't involve tremendous security risks to the uninitiated.
"We want to secretly give kids the ability to get whatever information they want!"
"Great... let's start with 'don't ever accept packets of digital information from unidentifiable sources'"
The books were worth about $1,700. Since they are not overdue, the library will bill the man later.
honestly that's hilarious as fuck 😂
Librarians are pretty chill, unless you're a loud talker hehe
Except that librarian in the disc world books. He would probably rip some arms off.
Same as it ever was.
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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Something this article doesn't mention is that the population of Beachwood is predominantly Jewish, so this was very targeted
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?
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"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.
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