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| The main entrance to SPL Central branch. |
I wrote about the incident, and all that followed that day,
in a blogpost titled “A question of civility, neatness and proper SPL policies.”
I am not aware of anything happening in the past three weeks
that can lead me to suppose that Sacramento Public Library Director, Rivka
Sass, or the manager of the Central Branch, Jessica Jupitus, have done anything
to investigate the fourth-floor incident or to update library rules or
procedures.
When Joanne left Central branch on the day of the incident,
it was understood that assessing the guard’s behavior and clarifying the rules
were things that needed to be done by library management.
Also, when Joanne left Central that day, I was hopeful that Joanne
and I would cross paths in the near term such to see where things stood and
think about what should next be done to make the library branch fully welcoming
toward homeless readers. But, I haven’t seen Joanne and I didn’t get any
contact information from her.
Of course, three weeks isn’t a particularly long time. It’s
not even a month! But it IS a goodly span of time such that something can have
happened.
Since the incident, I wrote Director Rivkah Sass four times,
without reply. First, on Nov. 14, I sent an email to Ms. Sass providing a link
to my blogpost re the incident. My second email to her, on Nov. 20, I am coming
to regret. It was altogether too friendly. It may have left Ms. Sass to think that
all was well and she could take the day off, put her feet up, and read a thick novel.
In my third email to Sass, on Nov 21, I sent her links to two of my blogposts
about the difficulties that homeless people have. Scientific research has shown
that average citizens dehumanize homeless people [Read "The Science of Hating Homeless People," and "Dehumanized Perception, A follow-up report."]
In a fourth email, on Nov. 28, to the Central manager, Jessica, that cc’ed
Sass, I floated the idea of “extravagant leniency” – that allows people to do
what they feel they must, short of having sex – in the bathrooms. I mean – for cryin’
out loud – it’s a BATHROOM, which is the spot specially designated as the place to do disgusting and
humiliating and unsavory things. Suppose you’re in the library and you suddenly
need to vomit. Do you run down to see the IPress machine on the second floor?
No! You scurry off to find a bathroom.
In my vital role as a blogger, I will continue to follow
this story and report on any other incidents of bad library behaviors in
regards to treatment of heroic, wonderful homeless people. [You rock, Homeless People. You know that you do.]
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