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Berkeley Library: Abuse of Power

by Glenda "GG" (arts200 [at] prodigy.net)
A dastardly suspension from the North Branch Berkeley Library with no reason or explanation given; banning someone without good cause is pretty outrageous.
I am ‘banned’ or ‘suspended’ from the N. Branch, MY library supported by MY taxes. It was initially a week- now it’s for a month. I’m still waiting for a reason or explanation to be given. That’s an imperative, of course. There’s nothing forthcoming; I shouldn’t hold my breath.
What led up to this? A complaint letter to the Supervisor about the two filthy green chairs in the back (the only comfortable chairs in the library), rarely cleaned, and which I believe are a vector for fleas, scabies, or whatever else. They should be replaced by easy-to-clean chairs such as those at the Albany Library. The other health issue I discussed was the issue of certain individuals who don’t take- or enough- showers and /or do not wash their clothes. This was beyond the pale and much worse than the usual, tolerable situation. In my mind, it was a serious health problem that needed attention.
There are many aspects of this library which I can criticize but I ran down the main problems that impacted me.
The Supervisor had nothing to contribute whatsoever, unfortunately. He seems to have little leadership ability. I’ve seen him in the past and currently, demonstrating skills at being some kind of ‘enforcer’. I’ve questioned him in one of my writings: Is he educated in the subject of the Free Speech Movement, which Berkeley was home to? I don’t have that impression.
Either way, if they think they are punishing me they should think again. I won’t lose sleep over not using the N. Branch library. Actually, I feel relieved that I’m not going there. However, I believe that it’s important to make the effort to remedy an oppressive experience of unfair treatment. And I want to exploit the controversy as a ‘teachable moment’.
There doesn’t seem to be any awareness of the Free Speech Movement within the four walls of that library. And I wonder if the history is found in any books there, or have they been weeded out?
The staff, including the Supervisor, are seen sitting a lot, glued to their computers like zombies. I’m not begrudging the cushy jobs, but I don’t see any action to try to do anything about the health issues at the N. Branch which I am very concerned about.
I want to know if anyone else have had negative experiences at the Berkeley libraries. If so, please drop me a line. Any comments are appreciated.

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