Homeless woman arrested for Merlo Library arson
Homeless woman arrested for Merlo Library arson
By Gary Barlow
Copyright by The Chicago Free Press
Staff writer
A fire that destroyed about 90 books in the gay and lesbian collection of Lakeview’s Chicago Public Library branch June 13 turned out to be the work of a homeless woman upset at the library’s staff, not an anti-gay hate crime as GLBT activists had feared.
Chicago Police arrested Erica Graham, 21, June 21 and charged her with attempted aggravated arson for setting fire to two shelves of the gay and lesbian book collection at the CPL’s Merlo branch, 644 W. Belmont.
Police said Graham used matches to start the fire because she was upset with how library staff were treating homeless people. Graham’s only listed address was 3179 N. Broadway, the location of the Broadway Youth Center, a drop-in social services agency that primarily serves GLBT youths.
Police said Graham went to sleep in the library after setting the fire. She was awakened and evacuated with other people in the library after patrons smelled smoke and alerted the library’s staff.
Police said Graham started the fire in the gay and lesbian book collection because of its location in the back corner of the library’s second floor. Graham was caught after police received a tip from someone she had bragged to about starting the fire. About 10 books in the library’s African American book collection were also destroyed.
The gay and lesbian book collection, the only such dedicated collection in the CPL system, was put together over the past 11 years by the Merlo branch’s staff, led by branch manager Cynthia Rodgers and librarian Patrick Corriere, and contained more than 800 books.
A library spokeswoman said the destroyed books would be replaced. GLBT groups, including the Gay Liberation Network, which held a vigil outside the library June 20, and the Chicago Commission on Human Relations’ Advisory Council on LGBT Issues, have discussed holding book drives for the library. Individuals may also donate funds dedicated to the Merlo branch’s gay and lesbian collection through the Chicago Public Library Foundation at www.chicagopubliclibraryfoundation.org.
By Gary Barlow
Copyright by The Chicago Free Press
Staff writer
A fire that destroyed about 90 books in the gay and lesbian collection of Lakeview’s Chicago Public Library branch June 13 turned out to be the work of a homeless woman upset at the library’s staff, not an anti-gay hate crime as GLBT activists had feared.
Chicago Police arrested Erica Graham, 21, June 21 and charged her with attempted aggravated arson for setting fire to two shelves of the gay and lesbian book collection at the CPL’s Merlo branch, 644 W. Belmont.
Police said Graham used matches to start the fire because she was upset with how library staff were treating homeless people. Graham’s only listed address was 3179 N. Broadway, the location of the Broadway Youth Center, a drop-in social services agency that primarily serves GLBT youths.
Police said Graham went to sleep in the library after setting the fire. She was awakened and evacuated with other people in the library after patrons smelled smoke and alerted the library’s staff.
Police said Graham started the fire in the gay and lesbian book collection because of its location in the back corner of the library’s second floor. Graham was caught after police received a tip from someone she had bragged to about starting the fire. About 10 books in the library’s African American book collection were also destroyed.
The gay and lesbian book collection, the only such dedicated collection in the CPL system, was put together over the past 11 years by the Merlo branch’s staff, led by branch manager Cynthia Rodgers and librarian Patrick Corriere, and contained more than 800 books.
A library spokeswoman said the destroyed books would be replaced. GLBT groups, including the Gay Liberation Network, which held a vigil outside the library June 20, and the Chicago Commission on Human Relations’ Advisory Council on LGBT Issues, have discussed holding book drives for the library. Individuals may also donate funds dedicated to the Merlo branch’s gay and lesbian collection through the Chicago Public Library Foundation at www.chicagopubliclibraryfoundation.org.
posted by Carlos T Mock at 10:07 AM
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