Killing libraries is not about saving money, it’s about restricting knowledge. Beware the leader that doesn’t want the people to read.
Idk about NYC, but my local library might as well rebrand to a homeless shelter. I love the concept of libraries, but if they aren’t going to throw out the homeless people using it as a place to jerk off and do drugs, then idk what to do. I personally don’t feel safe at ours, especially with my kids.
Yeah, you shouldn’t see homeless people. no one should!
(/s)
I mean, this but unironically? No one should be seeing homeless people because they shouldn’t be homeless.
But they do exist, something systematic must be changed for then not to exist. (Public housing, maybe?)
But until than, what?
There’s maybe two problems with this:
- public housing is a part of the picture, and so are public libraries. The solution is certainly not to cut library spending just because there are homeless people using it
- Thinking there being homeless people around is an issue that needs solving is itself pretty bigoted. Like, maybe you have a problem with people who haven’t showered for a while? or people who use the library for personal activities because there are no better places for them to do them? But ‘these people are a problem’ itself becomes problematic because you’ve consolidated those qualities you find objectionable into a class of person, and that makes it really easy to forget/misplace/dismiss the humanity those people deserve.
It’s a common attitude, so don’t feel like i’m picking you out personally to scold. More people should be aware of how that attitude dehumanizes people experiencing shelter insecurity.
