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Vandal Sets Fire to Gay Collection in Chicago BranchGay rights activists in Chicago say a June 13 arson fire at the John Merlo branch of the Chicago Public Library may have been a hate crime. About 100 books were destroyed after someone set a fire on the library’s second floor, where a 1,000+ collection of gay-lesbian-bisexual-transgender books is located.Police are investigating the fire but have not yet labeled it a hate crime, CPL spokesperson Maggie Killackey told American Libraries. Firefighters were called to the scene, she said, but the library staff moved patrons to the first floor and extinguished the fire. Although library officials had not yet tallied the value of the burned and water-damaged books, Killackey said that they would all be replaced. She also pointed out that since the story ran in the local newspapers, callers from all over the country are offering to help replace the collection, and the Chicago Public Library Foundation does accept monetary donations that can be directed to this specific collection. Posted June 16, 2006. |
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