Candice Demas lost part of her right pinkie on March 15 when a door slammed on her hand as she was escorting a teen into the library after an eight-girl fight outside, according to the March 22 New York Daily News. The paper reported that some of the girls involved returned to the library the next day and harassed staffers, and the library was closed March 17. “We felt it was critical to temporarily close this location in order to develop a solid [safety] plan,” said Brooklyn Public Library Executive Director Ginnie Cooper in a statement.
City officials blasted the decision to close. “It makes absolutely no sense,” said Charles Barron, a councilman whose district includes part of Brownsville. “I don’t think you stop a community from reading just because there was a crime.” New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg added, “It seemed to me that the library vastly overreacted. We’ve asked the police department to make sure there’s plenty of protection there.”
Posted March 24, 2006.