The Little Free Library went up a week after the inauguration, its wooden walls painted to evoke the White House eight blocks away. But if the book box coincided with President Trump taking office, its tiny plaque pined for the previous administration.
“In Honor of Michelle LaVaughn Robinson Obama,” it said. “Lawyer, writer, and First Lady of the United States.” [snip]
But then the library began attracting more attention for what was written on its outside than what was contained within.
First someone wrote “eyesore” on it, although it wasn’t clear if the word was meant as criticism or merely a tagger’s moniker. Then came the broken window and the missing plaque. [snip]
One neighbor swept out the glass and painted over the graffiti. Another covered the library in patriotic decorations for Election Day, including a smiling portrait of Michelle Obama above an American flag.
But the vandal — or vandals — struck again, tearing it all down.
“Help restore the book exchange,” someone wrote on the broken window.
So someone did, replacing the window with a new one. “Michelle Robinson Obama” appeared again in bronze painted lettering.
Yet it was only a few days before a vandal crossed out her name and christened the library for Trump.Here's the library with the original plaque and the glass broken out:
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| (Photo: Michael E. Miller/ Washington Post) |
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| (Photo: Michael E. Miller/ Washington Post) |
This happened in a neighborhood where only 4% of voters went for Trump, mind you. But it doesn't matter; like the neo- Nazis who marched in Charlottesville and the "Proud Boys" Nazi street fighters, they feel empowered to wreck anything anywhere they see as a threat or a challenge to their white supremacy. This library was a right- wing snowflake's trifecta: Democrat, woman, African- American.
By their actions small and large, they've given us permission to hate them. And we do.
4 comments:
Hate for the right reason is NOT a bad thing.
One Fly - Agreed. We here hate fascists / Nazis / bigots without exception.
It's heartbreaking that common kindness and civility have been shoved out of the way by hate-filled monsters. How could that lovely bookstand possibly hurt them? Why do they have such a violent nature? Someone should set up a camera to see who does the vandalism and go after them.
Here in my hometown, there was a multi-community project where each suburb got these large theme statues to represent their area. One town, Beavercreek, got a beaver statue. Soon after it was set up, kids vandalized it with paint and hammers. But there were witnesses and the teens who did it all confessed.
The mayor took them to court and the judge assigned them the task of first cleaning it up and repairing the damage. Then each of the teens had to follow a schedule of guarding the statue in person for a period of time. It hadn't been vandalized since.
Holding these people accountable, holding Republicans accountable, holding Trump accountable is what we should have been doing all along. But with majorities in their favor, it was nearly impossible. We have to step up and make the media step up and stop the vandalism of our democracy and our country right now. And in 2019, we need to make them pay.
donnah - we're with you on that!
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