NPR's Scott Simon speaks with Boston librarian Stacy Collins about how libraries are taking up issues of policing and Black Lives Matters.
SCOTT SIMON, HOST:
Librarians across social media are joining the call to address racism, and many are demanding an end to police violence against African Americans in libraries.
So my opinion is that we do not require police in libraries, that the role and function that they perform right now is not - and this is not to take away from the fact that there are security issues, there are safety issues, there are services that library staff are not trained or equipped to provide, but police do not need to fill those functions as well, especially when they represent both further harm and further lack of safety to folks who may already be in crisis.
But what happens is the issue of behavioral problems or something that goes against a code of conduct or rules in a library, for example, instead of suddenly the response being a warning or perhaps a suspension of services or access to the library for an amount of time, it's now faced with police action, which is a huge escalation.
SIMON: The American Library Association issued a statement condemning violence against black people by police, along with violence against protesters and journalists.
