Officials Pledge Library Safety Following Incident
Congressman Eric Swalwell speaks at the San Lorenzo Library on Thursday, June 16, where he pledged federal cooperation in keeping children safe at libraries and fighting anti-gay attacks. Behind him are three other speakers at the event, from left, Castro Valley Pride co-founder Willie Bradford, Chabot-Las Positas Community College District Trustee Harris Mojadedi and Lt. Ray Kelly of the Alameda County Sheriff’s Office.
Children will be kept safe at Bay Area libraries and elsewhere, Congressman Eric Swalwell vowed at the San Lorenzo Library on Thursday, June 16.
Swalwell, a Democrat who represents Castro Valley as well as San Lorenzo and several nearby communities, denounced the interruption of a June 11 Drag Queen Story Hour for children at the library by members of the far-right Proud Boys. They had shouted anti-gay slogans and called reader Panda Duke a “pedophile.”
The Proud Boys had been heavily involved in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, according to federal prosecutors and witnesses before the House committee investigating the attack.
“It’s scary to see the Proud Boys go from the Capitol to my library.”
“It’s scary to see the Proud Boys go from the Capitol to my library,” Swalwell said he’d been told by a local LGBTQ high school student.
LGBTQ stands for Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer or questioning. Sometimes a + is added for other gender identities people might have.
Swalwell urged standing against those who promote an atmosphere of hate and pledged he and local members of Congress would do all they can in Congress to bolster local anti-hate efforts. He met with local leaders, law enforcement, and library staff to discuss this before he spoke.
Lt. Ray Kelly of the Alameda County Sheriff’s Office said the investigation into the San Lorenzo incident continued, adding that investigations into alleged hate crimes are more complicated than the public generally realizes.
Kelly said the men involved had been identified and that while they are from the Bay Area, none of them live in Alameda County. They are considered persons under investigation, not officially suspects at this time.
Kelly said the sheriff’s office, and he personally, have received threats including death threats in the wake of the incident.
“I’m not scared of threats,” he said.
He vowed that the Sheriff’s Office would continue to work to keep ongoing Pride events safe. Pride is an annual month of celebrations by the LGBTQ community now underway.
Billy Bradford, the co-founder of Castro Valley Pride, said “Proud Boys looking for pedophiles aren’t going to find one of them at any drag event or Pride event.”
Harris Mojadedi, who represents San Lorenzo on the Chabot-Las Positas Community College District board, said we are all seeing too much hate, and that sadly the Bay Area is no exception.
County Librarian Cindy Chadwick said that children and reader Panda Duke were quickly moved out of harm’s way at the June 11 event. Threats against the libraries have continued, she said, and have been forwarded to the Sheriff’s Office.
Ironically, Chadwick said, the Proud Boys were themselves violating standard precautions libraries take against actual pedophiles: Adults must be accompanied by a child to attend a children’s event.