Smith Condemns Beachwood Book Burning Incident

Today, state Senator Kent Smith (D-Euclid) issued the following statement in response to reports of a man burning 100 library books from the Beachwood Public Library. The books, mainly about subjects such as Jewish history, African American history, and LGBTQ+ education, were burned in a series of social media posts, as reported by Cleveland.com.

“I condemn this act, not only because it is a crime against our institutions and community, but also because it is fundamentally un-American,” said Smith. “This nation was founded on the right to free speech and open expression, and our libraries are the embodiment of that promise. Libraries are designed to be community-based safe harbors of free thought. Libraries offer ideas. This is their fundamental role in our democracy and why they are so vital. This act of violence is not just a crime against the public catalog of literature that was destroyed, but also is a violation of the marketplace of ideas that is a bedrock principle of American life. 

"This action will not be, should not be, and cannot be tolerated inside the 21st Senate District, this state, or this nation. There is no place for such hate, censorship, or intimidation in Beachwood, nor this country.”