Eighty percent of the books in the People's Library have perished, according to Occupy Wall Street librarians. "I want our books back," Frances said at a press conference on Nov. 22. "I want our space back. I want our movement back."

On the morning of Nov. 15, NYPD and DSNY swooped into Zuccotti Park and shut down the hub of the OWS protest movement. All belongings not taken quickly were hauled off by sanitation workers. That included the 5,000-book People's Library.

At the McLaughlin & Stern law offices on Madison Ave., former NYCLU head Norman Siegel stated sharply that Mayor Bloomberg "needs to replace every book." Many of the thousand or so books recovered were displayed on the conference table. Torn and tattered, they're hardly useable. "It's heartbreaking," Frances sighed.

The American Library Association has rallied behind the People's Library. "The dissolution of a library is unacceptable," says the group's president Molly Raphael. "We support the librarians and volunteers of the Library Working Group as they reestablish the People's Library."

Siegel and the librarians present presented three demands: 1) an apology and acknowledgment of wrongdoing by Bloomberg; 2) replacements for all the books that have not been found; 3) a space to recreate the library.

Another librarian, Mary, said the collection "embodied the spirit of the movement and the spirit of the age. This is an attempt to silence our movement."

"You can take our park, but you can't take our spirit," Frances added. "We're not going anywhere."

Responding to this criticism, the Mayor's office coldly commented that the protesters had "ample opportunity" to remove the library and other personal belongings.

Not according to those who were in the park during the early-morning raid. One of the librarians said he left the park to store some belongings but wasn't allowed back in. Within minutes, the library was taken down and the books dumped. What happened to the 4,000 books still unaccounted for no one seems to know.

Among the missing books is Pot Culture, which I signed and donated to the library in October. Some of the librarians recognized the title, but it appears to have disappeared.

"We want a public explanation," the National Lawyers Guild's Gideon Oliver concluded. "We will not rest until that happens."

Also see:
In Search of the Lost People's Library
Tommy Chong on Occupy LA
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