this post was submitted on 11 May 2025
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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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[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 day ago (1 children)
[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 day ago

He'll just burn it. Got to hit him with it...

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 day ago (1 children)

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.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

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...

[–] [email protected] 39 points 2 days ago

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

[–] [email protected] 88 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) (4 children)

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.

[–] [email protected] 41 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) (1 children)

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 😂

[–] [email protected] 17 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Librarians are pretty chill, unless you're a loud talker hehe

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 day ago

Except that librarian in the disc world books. He would probably rip some arms off.

[–] [email protected] 13 points 2 days ago

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.

[–] [email protected] 17 points 2 days ago

"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.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 2 days ago (1 children)

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.

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[–] [email protected] 37 points 2 days 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?

[–] [email protected] 74 points 2 days ago

Same as it ever was.

[–] [email protected] 179 points 3 days 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.

[–] [email protected] 78 points 3 days 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.

[–] [email protected] 19 points 2 days 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.

[–] [email protected] 13 points 2 days ago

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

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[–] [email protected] 42 points 2 days 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.

[–] [email protected] 19 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago)

In Ohio felony theft is over $1000.

[–] [email protected] 26 points 2 days 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…

[–] [email protected] 11 points 2 days ago

I think having his name represented on something in which he hates is absolutely deserved and hilarious.

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[–] [email protected] 29 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days 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.

[–] [email protected] 13 points 2 days 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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[–] [email protected] 50 points 3 days 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?

[–] [email protected] 38 points 2 days ago (7 children)

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

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[–] [email protected] 26 points 2 days 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.

[–] [email protected] 13 points 2 days ago

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

[–] [email protected] 16 points 2 days ago (1 children)

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

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[–] [email protected] 94 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days 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.

[–] [email protected] 64 points 3 days 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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[–] [email protected] 35 points 2 days ago (2 children)

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

[–] [email protected] 34 points 2 days 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

[–] [email protected] 20 points 2 days ago

But what an awesome problem to have!

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[–] [email protected] 9 points 2 days ago

This is the mentality of MAGA. SMH

[–] [email protected] 38 points 3 days 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.

[–] [email protected] 54 points 3 days ago

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

[–] [email protected] 9 points 2 days ago

republicans are swine.

[–] [email protected] 50 points 3 days ago (2 children)
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[–] [email protected] 31 points 3 days 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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[–] [email protected] 31 points 3 days ago

Sounds like a hate crime to me.

[–] [email protected] 20 points 3 days ago (1 children)

This should be charged as a hate crime or incitement

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[–] [email protected] 14 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Take away his library card!

[–] [email protected] 12 points 2 days ago

"He is now banned from returning to the library."

It's in the article.

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