BEACHWOOD, Ohio (WJW) — A man who checked out dozens of books from a public library in Ohio burned them in a social media video, local authorities said.
According to the Beachwood Police Department, the man entered the Beachwood Public Library on April 2 and applied for a library card.
Investigators said he then checked out 50 books “on topics including Jewish history, African American history and LGBTQ education,” the police report said.
A library official told police she was later contacted by Princeton University’s Bridging Divides Initiative, a group that reports suspected hate crimes online.
The group told the official a photo posted to social media on April 3 showed the suspect with a car trunk full of books and a caption related to “cleansing the libraries.”
Beachwood police said the books in the photo had Cuyahoga County Public Library stickers and appeared to match the topics of those the man checked out the day before.
Investigators said the man returned to the library on April 10 and checked out another 50 books on similar topics.
“During this encounter, (the man) told a librarian that his son was in the LGBTQ community, and he was trying to learn more about it,” the police report read.
The librarian said the man’s behavior was “very odd and concerning” but that no threats were made, Beachwood police said.
The Bridging Divides Initiative later told library officials that a video posted online showed the suspect allegedly burning the books.
Investigators said at least one of the books clearly had a Cuyahoga County Public Library sticker on it and matched one of the books the man checked out.
The incident was reported to police May 2.
According to Beachwood police, the checked-out books were not yet overdue. Once overdue, library officials would make the man pay for the books.
The police report said the 100 books are worth about $1,700.
The police investigation is ongoing at this time. According to Beachwood Police Chief Dan Grispino, once the investigation is complete, a city prosecutor will determine if a crime was committed and if charges should be filed.
“The Beachwood Police Department is actively investigating this incident. Our department stands against antisemitism and all acts of bias-motivated crimes,” Beachwood Police Chief Dan Grispino said in a statement. “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.”
State Sen. Kent Smith, D-Euclid, issued the following statement condemning the incident:
“I condemn this act, not only because it is a crime against our institutions and community, but also because it is fundamentally un-American. This nation was founded on the right to free speech and open expression, and our libraries are the embodiment of that promise. Libraries are designed to be community-based safe harbors of free thought. Libraries offer ideas. This is their fundamental role in our democracy and why they are so vital. This act of violence is not just a crime against the public catalog of literature that was destroyed, but also is a violation of the marketplace of ideas that is a bedrock principle of American life.
“This action will not be, should not be, and cannot be tolerated inside the 21st Senate District, this state, or this nation. There is no place for such hate, censorship, or intimidation in Beachwood, nor this country.”