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Man checks out 100 books from Beachwood Library, then burns them in social media post
(www.cleveland.com)
Throw the book at him!
this post was submitted on 11 May 2025
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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.
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...
Ohio let's you check out 100 books at a time?
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.
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.
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.
"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.
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?
Same as it ever was.
"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.
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.
I think the correct clinical diagnosis in his case is "flaming asshole"
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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.
In Ohio felony theft is over $1000.
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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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.
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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…
I think having his name represented on something in which he hates is absolutely deserved and hilarious.
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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.
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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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.
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?
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.
They are well aware. They are following the same playbook.
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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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Wait...is this for real?...Typically there is a limit to how many books you can check out...
At my library, that limit IS 100 books.
My kid regularly has ~60 books checked out. It's kind of a problem lol
But what an awesome problem to have!
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This is the mentality of MAGA. SMH
Something this article doesn't mention is that the population of Beachwood is predominantly Jewish, so this was very targeted
What a horrible human being. If destroying books or repressing knowledge is part of your dogma you are on the wrong side of history.
republicans are swine.
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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Sounds like a hate crime to me.
Take away his library card!
"He is now banned from returning to the library."
It's in the article.
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