This is my neighborhood library. It's still under construction. I think it's a big mistake to renovate this tiny, old, drafty poorly located building for this neighborhood, but I guess that decision is done. I just don't want to know the price tag.
I attempted to study here a couple of times. Just too small and too crowded. I went to the interim library to study one time last April. A patron sat beside me after borrowing one of the branch's laptops. He then started shouting profanities and threats to nobody in particular. One of the librarians finally came over and asked him to stop. I thought he had Tourette's, but clearly he didn't. He agreed to stop shouting, but ten minutes later he was back at it. Keep in mind, there are about ten preschoolers on the other side of the stacks and about ten adults in this area. Little librarian reminds him to keep it down and stop shouting profanities, and tells him if he doesn't keep quiet, she's going to take away the laptop. He apologizes. Librarian leaves. Scenario repeats ten minutes later. Little librarian girl attempts to take the computer. Dingus pleads not to take it. Then says she can't take it, he has the right to the computer. Noting that some intimidation is now occurring, I had had enough at this point and I ask young Dingus to comply with the librarian's request. He turns to her and says she can have the computer but doesn't need no cracker telling him what to do, and that he'll take a cracker out. Everybody in the library laughs. Except me, the cracker.
I signal to the head librarian to call the police while Dingus begins to take a more physical stance. Librarian ignores me. Little librarian leaves the area with the computer. Dingus sits back down and continues to whisper threats towards me under his breath. I'm ready to just pack and leave, but I don't want to leave the library with no adult males who have the spine to keep this guy in check and back the library staff in this little interim building full of moms and kids. Dingus gets out of control again. Little librarian confronts him as she's trying to keep from falling to pieces and tells him to leave. He doesn't. I tell him to comply with the librarian. He asks what if he doesn't. I tell him I think he should. I walk to the other librarian mere feet away and who is intentionally ignoring the scene, and tell her to call the police. After five minutes of Dingus intimidating her colleague, she finally does. Dingus sees her on the phone, sees that I'm not leaving and gradually makes his way to the door. Twenty minutes later, library police (yes, there's a metro library police) arrive and talk to the librarians. Little librarian is so shaken, she can't even talk to the police. Older librarian is just evasive with them. She basically tells the police as I'm eavesdropping, that he just got a little rowdy and distracted. At that point, I had heard enough. I approached the police and told them what went down, specifically that Dingus made general threats against me. They said they were going to his address and would ban him from the library. I don't know what happened after that, other than most people in the library were bemused bystanders, and I never could return to concentrating on my work.
After Dingus left, the guy across the table from me, who chose to remain silent throughout the ordeal, finally spoke to me and told me Dingus came in there a lot of afternoons and that Dingus is usually high on crank, but not usually as bad as today. Indeed.
As I understand it, there's a little, older librarian who lays down the law at this branch. She clearly wasn't there that day. I haven't returned to Petworth library, but if I ever feel like I need to get into an alley fight with a crackhead, I know where to go; my local public library branch. read more
