I paid a visit to the New York Sanitation Department depot on 56 St. on Wednesday. That's where all the personal belongings removed from Zuccotti Park were stored. I was looking specifically for the People's Library consisting of more than 5,000 books. I found what was left of it.

On Wednesday, the Occupy Wall Street librarians recovered somewhere between 1,000 to 2,000 books at the depot. They attempted to rebuild the library in the park, but were prevented. One of the librarians, Sean Allingham, tells me the books - torn and tattered - were placed in storage.

About a month ago, I donated a signed copy of my book Pot Culture (written with Shirley Halperin) to the library. I was hoping to locate it at the depot. Inside a huge space were all of the belongings - tents, sleeping, backpacks, computers, instruments - confiscated during Tuesday night's police raid in the park. Several protesters picked through the debris as I searched for books. There were still several boxes in the back of the room. As I expected, the books looked like they'd been tossed in a dumpster. No Pot Culture, but I did stumble upon a beaten-up copy of High Times right next to to a Bible.

I grabbed the High Times and headed directly over to the pot mag's offices on Park Ave. (where I used to work). They were amused by my find.

However, what's not amusing is the city's blatant disregard for books. Many are comparing the destruction of the People's Library to Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury's 1953 novel about crushing dissent by burning books. The eviction was bad enough, but this wanton disregard for literature and resource materials is staggering in its stupidity. Shame on you, Mayor Bloomberg, NYPD and DSNY. You poured gasoline on a raging fire. You'll regret these actions.

Save the People's Library!

PS: Jami Attenburg, a writer for Salon, went to the Sanitation depot shortly after I did and collected the remaining five boxes of books pictured above in behalf of the People's Library.
http://www.salon.com/2011/11/17/saving_ows_library/singleton/

Update: "The dissolution of a library is unacceptable," says Molly Raphael, president of the American Library Association. "Libraries serve as the cornerstone of our democracy and be safeguarded... The very existence of the People's Library demonstrates that libraries are an organic part of all communities... We support the librarians and volunteers of the Library Working Group as they reestablish the People's Library."

Common Cause president Bob Edgar takes an even stronger stance: "The city should replace each title, buying two new copies for each one destroyed… And for whatever number is unaccounted for, the city should provide Occupy’s librarians with funds sufficient to buy twice as many.”

Also see:
New Yorkers Call for Economic Equality
Liberty Prevails at Zuccotti Park, Sort of
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