Deadly violence an anomaly in public libraries
Cleveland Public CLEVELAND — Library officials often take into account potential violence, like the deadly shooting Tuesday, July 23, of a 19-yearold man inside one branch, when making decisions, especially as libraries increasingly serve as hubs for neighborhoods and communities.
Tuesday’s shooting in the bathroom of the South Brooklyn branch that left Brandon Cutnoe dead is believed to be the first deadly shooting inside a Cleveland library since 1984.
Cleveland library officials declined to comment on the shooting. Cleveland Public Library spokeswoman Tana Peckham the branch has security guards when its open, but do not have metal detectors.
“Cleveland Public Library, first and foremost, is focused on the safety of our patrons and our staff,” Peckham said in an email. “We are working with law enforcement and defer any details of an investigation to them.”
Cleveland Public Library Executive Director Felton Thomas Jr. said during a February editorial board meeting that complimentary WiFi, computers and a host of other amenities means increased public use. As a result, library staff is trained to deal with people with mental-health issues or and public safety issues.
He said they’ve made libraries “safe spaces,” where someone can report issues they’re having in the community.
Thomas also said they’ve even taken violence into consideration when determining how many branches the city should have. He said industry standard dictates that cities should have one library for every 20,000 residents, meaning Cleveland should have about 20.
Cleveland has 27, in part because the city wants to ensure that all residents can walk to a branch without walking across gang territories, Thomas said.
“People tend to look at libraries in a sentimental way, with the librarians shushing people,” Thomas said. “But we deal with a lot of difficult issues with the things that the kids are dealing with it.”
Violence at area libraries are rare and even more rare when it happens inside a branch.
A 2016 fight at South Brooklyn branch spilled into the parking lot and resulted in a 2-week-old girl being thrown from a car and the girl’s father shooting another man six times, including twice in the head.
In 2013, an 18-year-old man, Mustafa McWhorter, was shot to death outside the Eastman branch on Lorain Avenue. In 1994, a gunman fired a shot inside the downtown library after the staff couldn’t find the book he sought. In 1984, a gunman killed a library employee and wounded another employee and library patron in the downtown branch.