1d ago

Man checks out 100 books from Beachwood Library, then burns them in social media post

www.cleveland.com

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.

104 comments

This is the mentality of MAGA. SMH

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

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?

In Ohio felony theft is over $1000.

republicans are swine.

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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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

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.
- Just remind yourself that if that were the case you absolutely would be a dictator.
  
  I don’t want it

I mean it's not illegal
- pretty sure it's not legal to destroy something you don't own. The fact that he's getting fined is a pretty clear indicator.
  
  He's getting fined by the library. But, it can be illegal to destroy something you don't own. Take for example vandalism. The key for even that is eluding or attempting to elude cleaning it up/paying to do so. Think about it. Is it illegal to dent someone's car? Not if you pay for repairs. It's the fleeing the scene without paying that it becomes a crime.
  Same could be said here. Yeah he made a vid glorifying an anti-LGBT stance on YouTube by burningthe books. But its fine if you return a full copy in same or better condition to whom you borrowed the book.
  
  He's getting fined by the library for the same amount he'd get fined for "losing" it since it's $17 a book. That doesn't seem like it's illegal or that it matters.
- To destroy someone else’s property?
  
  If he hadn't rented it they might consider calling it that but that's a normal "oops the books gone" fine.

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.
  
  Generally don’t sign a TOS when tossing your buddy the keys.
- Project Gutenberg is ensuring that all books are 100% replaceable. Don't worry, this ignorance cock hasn't done anything that can actually interfere with people being able to obtain and read any of the material he's taken.
  
  "this ignorant cock hasn't done anything that can actually interfere..."
  He absolutely has. Stop being a pushover. In the coming weeks this will be normalised American behavior. Push back.
  
  I think we may have different definitions for “replaceable”.

"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.

Same as it ever was.

Take away his library card!
- "He is now banned from returning to the library."
  It's in the article.

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!
  
  Have they learned about the wonders of interlibrary loans yet? (And Anna’s Archive, if they don’t mind digital…)
- After "fuck this maniac," this was my second thought.

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?
- They are well aware. They are following the same playbook.
- 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.
- Yes. These people know exactly what they're doing.
  
  The thing that actually genuinely confuses me is the fact that most of these people are proud that we beat the German Nazis.
- I’m not German. So obviously I can’t be a Nazi.
  
  "ThE NaZiS wErE sOCiALiSt aNd iM nOt SoCiaLiSt"

What a horrible human being. If destroying books or repressing knowledge is part of your dogma you are on the wrong side of history.

This should be charged as a hate crime or incitement
- Terrorism

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.
- Shows which way the police lean, doesn't it?

"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.
- 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"
- 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.
- If you do that kind is stuff publicly on social media, you’re pretty much begging for people to make the connection between your name and those actions.

Good thing it wasn't a Tesla, then "the man" would be identified 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.

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.
  
  In my state the librarian can have a warrant issued for your arrest if you fail to return or pay for books worth over a certain amount after giving proper notice. It's either $50 or $100 iirc.
  
  well of course, I agree. but the library can't control that; they're just trying to hold on and survive.
  
  And hopefully minority authors make more sales because of it, get more publicity because of it and the bigots pay the bill.
  
  yeah on the one hand it limits the availability while they are rebought but I guess on the plus side their authors make more money.
- Also, open a fund that people can donate to. With a damage like $1700, they can probably get back multiple times that in a week.
- The library may need to review its policies if a person can borrow 100 books at once, though.
- 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.

1 year for every book seems an appropriate sentence
- 1 year for every book seems an appropriate sentence
  No! An appropriate sentence would end in a period, question mark, or exclamation point!
  
  Ouch you got me right in the pedantry
- I believe it would be appropriate if he were to experience what he put all those books through.

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
- Some of those titles may have been requested from other libraries in the same library system. My library limits me to, say, 20 books. But I can request another 20 from Second Library one town over, and another 15 from Third Library two towns over. The books all get sent to My Library and placed on the hold shelf for me, and checked out at My Library. Each library has their own lending policy.
  Yeah, it's messed up. Grumble grumble rude butthead that would check out 80+ DVDs at a time and yell at you if you didn't check in his returns fast enough (so he could max out his checkouts again).
- Yeah the limit at my library is 14, which is more than generous even if you happen to be researching a topic for a report / thesis etc.

Sounds like a hate crime to me.

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

The library should be taking this douches nozzle to collections, and replacing the destroyed materials.
- I think that's the point. But legally they have to wait for them to be overdue. At least that's my understanding.
  
  Shouldn't be too long, most libraries have a 4-wk lending period.

Nazis gonna Nazi
- Americans gonna let them
- And all the other nazis do not see nazis.

This fucking prick couldn’t read and unluckily could use fire, like a basic caveman.
- He is probably less than even some cavemen. There are some bits of late cave art that have been interpreted as proto-writing. There were possibly literate cave people.
- He can read. At least enough to not pick just random books.

Meanwhile, the library just buys new copies of all the books out of tax money.
- That’s assuming that all of the books are still in print and available.
  If my personal collection was burned, there are several books that are not replaceable. Especially when you get to books about marginalized groups - things put out by small presses. Limited releases.
  
  This is some random library, my point is, he's going to get billed for the books that he might not care about, but they're not just going to be gone.
- Assuming their budget doesn't get cut

https://12ft.io/https://www.cleveland.com/community/2025/05/man-checks-out-100-books-from-beachwood-library-then-posts-on-social-media-video-of-those-books-burning.html

104 comments