Why don’t stores that sell books get the same amount of scrutiny? I see A Court of Thorns and Roses books everywhere.
Because this is a boil-the-frog situation. The path is k-12 school libraries -> public libraries -> academic libraries and bookstores. The way fascists get the public comfortable with the idea of banning books is by starting with examples that look like “common sense” to the uninformed, and then ramp up the attacks as they gain institutional power.
While attempts to ban books from stores are currently few and far between, one notable example was this attempt to get Gender Queer removed from the shelves of bookstores in Virginia: https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2022/05/20/gender-queer-barnes-and-noble/
Serious answer, probably because books from book stores aren’t available to the poorest classes. Libraries are (and are meant to be!) a threat to every status quo.
This is specifically a school library, not a public library. And no, I do not support book-banning in any way, shape, or form. Just keeping the facts straight.
But public libraries and public librarians are also under attack.
And no, I do not support book-banning in any way, shape, or form.
Just so you know, I didn’t think you did. I hope my response didn’t come across that way.
No, not at all, I just think calling this socio-economic class-based is incorrect. Being in school is not a class (no pun intended).
To support the idea that it is class based, I suspect we will find it is being selectively applied to poorer communities, which specifically drives the most able-to-change-jobs (often the best) librarians to move to other communities where this is not being applied.
I base my assumption on historic selective enforcement of other laws with similar vulnerability to abuse - such as selective enforcement during prohibition.
I believe that librarians, of any kind, are being targeted, be because libraries are historically a source of improved equity.
So my assertion is that any action taken against any library should be examined carefully under a lens of suspected class warfare.
If you don’t think that Republicans are interested in an all-out assault on libraries in general, I kindly suggest you check a book out about it from your local library (while you still can).
cops will only read a book if it means they can put someone in jail
You’re assuming they can read at all
But they distributed them to a adult man, not a minor.
I mean, I’m sure he has baby-brain, but that’s not legally binding.
They didn’t distribute them to him either, he fucking took pictures then went home and found PDFs or used police funds to purchase eBook copies.
Does…
Does he not know how libraries work?
He was busy, still looking for holes drilled in between books.
Which I assume he didn’t actually read, but rather just did a Ctrl+F and typed in as many rude words as he could think of.
These fascist snowflakes need to be marginalized in a strong way
Dream job lol. Do whatever you want, no strings attached, no requerements, no responsibility, and you are entitled to a higher position in any dispute with civilians. They aren’t a part of the working class, they are a class of their own, lapdogs of the ones in power. How could this happen?
I see you got new name.
I agree.
I’m happy it didn’t hurt my brand recognition. It’s bad for business.
Removed by mod
At least he read them. More than I’d expect
They’ve been doing stuff like this for years. In 1990, a Florida judge ruled that an album by 2 Live Crew was obscene, and police officers went into stores and threatened to arrest anyone who sold copies of the album. The obscenity law specifically requires a “lack of serious literary, artistic, political, or scientific value” and they were able to get it appealed.
Reading the article it’s actually more insane than it first appears. He’s been doing it for two years. This wasn’t an investigation ordered by a court, it was evidence he himself was compiling for his own legal complaint, which was dismissed when finally brought to the DA.
You know who else did this shit?
Nazis.
“Else”?
“German Nazis.”
I don’t get what you mean
They mean the else isn’t necessary cause they’re just Nazis. So they’re doing Nazi shit like banning books.
Let me guess, he’s a “christian”?
Oink oink! What a scumpig.
Cop: these books made me horny, you should be ashamed of yourself for allowing me to get turned on by a book, in fact I’m going to confiscate all of them so no one else has to be turned on by this filth.
Where’s the story here? No charges filed. Nothing happened.
What’s the point of this story?
You don’t find it newsworthy that a cop wanted to use his badge to (at minimum) intimidate librarians and (at worst) charge them with trumped up bullshit?
Why is this greaseball employed if he can’t find something better to do with his time than to make sure people can’t read the books he hates?
True, cops using their power to destroy people’s lives for political reasons is not much of a story in America anymore.
But it should be.
Sure sure. Two librarians were harassed and one was driven out of her job because of the investigation. But there were no charges, so everything is peachy, right?
The point is to try to stop taxpayer money directly funding fascism. Unfortunately it’s Texas, so there’s no real way around that given the current state government.
The minor these materials were distributed to? The officer that was investigating the library. Cuz he’s obviously a big fuckin’ baby.
Or because he likes reading sexy books on his work time.
I am of the belief that people who spend this much time in the mindset of trying to find "inappropriate material minors are reading"are in fact, just pursuing a really weird fucking kink or getting off on it in some way.
I refuse to believe that this cop isn’t stuck in some kind of pedo-adjacent sexual obsession.
The police are so absurdly radicalized in this country.
