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Trustees note racist social-media posts about Pride displays; police filed report
Summary
During the director's report trustees discussed racist slurs posted in response to Pride-related library content. The director said staff filed a police report and the library follows a policy of not engaging with provocative comments on official channels.
Trustees addressed a recent string of offensive social-media posts that targeted library Pride programming and materials.
The library director reported that staff received multiple derogatory posts last week tied to Pride events and a lobby display; she said staff notified the police and that an official police report was filed. "It was a racial slur," the director said when asked to describe the content; she added that Facebook took nearly a week to remove at least one offending post.
Trustees discussed the library's policy of not responding to provocative comments on official town or library posts, noting that engagement often fuels further negative attention. One trustee said continuing to maintain the posted content without responding is an appropriate approach: "Continuing to have what you have is enough response," a trustee said.
The board encouraged staff to maintain the library's stated policies about online interactions and to rely on the town's procedures for reporting and documenting hate speech. No further formal action was taken at the meeting.
