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At my local library a homeless man is always sitting in the area next to the magazines and newspapers. If he is not there this seating area is the most popular place in the library but once he sits down, nearly everyone leaves and are forced to sit far from the magazines and walk far to get their next magazine.
Why do they leave? HE SMELLS, just terrible. He does not take a bath and has incredible body odor. You can smell him from 20 feet away.
Other than his terrible smell he does not make any waves or say a thing, he just sits there.
Should the library be able to ban him from coming in until he takes a bath and stops smelling so bad?
Businesses ban homeless people for loitering all the time and I am willing to bet smell is one of the reasons why this is so. I would think a library is within its rights to do the same although it makes me sad when I think of the homeless person being told to leave.
Last edited by Sweet*Tea; 05-17-2013 at 05:53 AM..
Public libraries are just that- open to the public and required to provide equal access.
However, since some are being used essentially as homeless shelters (your one guy is nothing compared to what big city public libraries experience!) some have begun to pass legislation against offensive body odor, washing up in the bathrooms, sleeping on the floors, etc.
Salt Lake City built a beautiful new library, downtown, waste of money. I was afraid to even go in there, let alone take my kids, it was like a homeless shelter. Major scary, creepy people hung out there.
Too bad. I know these people have to go somewhere, but it seemed like rather than build a huge, new library, maybe fund the homeless shelter for cold weather hang out. Or something.
It seems to me, many homeless I have met have some component of mental illness. We really should take better care of those people, have some safe place for them to be. They obviously need care, education, medication, and security. A library can't provide those things.
All part of the great de institutionalization society.... We did not serve many of these folks too well.
Salt Lake City built a beautiful new library, downtown, waste of money. I was afraid to even go in there, let alone take my kids, it was like a homeless shelter. Major scary, creepy people hung out there.
Too bad. I know these people have to go somewhere, but it seemed like rather than build a huge, new library, maybe fund the homeless shelter for cold weather hang out. Or something.
It seems to me, many homeless I have met have some component of mental illness. We really should take better care of those people, have some safe place for them to be. They obviously need care, education, medication, and security. A library can't provide those things.
All part of the great de institutionalization society.... We did not serve many of these folks too well.
Wow...its really something how different people can have totally different impressions of something. I, too, have been to that library. I encourage others to see it who never have before. Its quite a feat of architecture and its a very beautiful building. Its been featured in "Sunset Magazine" and the American Automobile Association Magazine "Via" as well. Local people are very proud of their new library and the private shops that have leased space in the complex.
Yes, you are right there are homeless people in this library. What you are wrong about is that these people are causing any serious problems. The library staff keeps them under surveillance and if they cause any trouble, they will be asked to leave. If they fail to leave, the police are right there and they will be escorted outside the building. I haven't been next to any that smell particularly badly. If this were a serious issue, I suspect with any one person, I suspect library staff would take action.
Salt Lake has cold winters and the library has some gas fireplaces. Typically, the homeless will be found near these fireplaces trying to warm up. In my experience, they leave the ordinary patrons of the library alone. I am unaware of any situation in years, where a homeless person made trouble for a child or any other vulnerable person.
I don't dispute your point about de-institutionalizing the mentally ill. I, too, think that was a mistake. However, you do the people of Salt Lake an injustice by implying that the homeless population has ruined use of the library for everyone else. I use it regularly without problems and will continue to do so.
Okay, you are a man, not a tall, blonde woman, with a teen daughter.
You have a completely different perspective, and those men don't leer at you. It was frightening to me. I felt like I was in an area, I would never go. I felt terrorized. Major fear factor. These guys looked just like the creep who took Elizabeth Smart. And my daughter was scared too. She was 12, and was almost in tears, because of the way those men were looking at her.
Okay, you are a man, not a tall, blonde woman, with a teen daughter.
You have a completely different perspective, and those men don't leer at you. It was frightening to me. I felt like I was in an area, I would never go. I felt terrorized. Major fear factor. These guys looked just like the creep who took Elizabeth Smart. And my daughter was scared too. She was 12, and was almost in tears, because of the way those men were looking at her.
We could not leave fast enough.
I'm a woman and I agree with Markg. I absolutely love the new Salt Lake City library, and I've never been leered at. Maybe I'm just not not worth leering at. But back to the actual issue at hand, I'd say that if a person actually smells so bad that you can smell him from 20 feet away, he should be asked to leave -- homeless or not. My husband and I sat on a train in Europe a number of years ago and the man in the same compartment absolutely reeked. The ride lasted several hours and we thought we'd die before we were able to get off the train. Body odor can really make you sick to your stomach.
The public library my mom worked at had a security guard (unarmed) whose main job was to make the place as unwelcoming as legally possible to the homeless. Everybody had a right to be in the library to use the library as a library, but if you were in the library for some other reason, they'd boot you. To remain inside, the homeless people had to stay holding a book or something (this was before libraries had computers for anything but card catalog) and not sleeping.
I feel bad for the homeless, but I like going to the library for the purpose it was intended and I definitely would not be happy about smelling BO while I look for books. A library is a place for sharing books. It's not a homeless shelter and it shouldn't be used that way.
As a public library they cannot kick anyone out unless they are creating a disturbance. They cannot force anyone to take a bath or tell them they are not allowed to be in a public space.
I have not been to the SLC library, but I have been places that have many homeless people around. I am a petite female and have never felt afraid of homeless men, much less experienced homeless men leering at me. I am sorry you felt so afraid, but I would be willing to bet that the vast majority of homeless people are not out to get you and your daughter, and its sad to me that you are teaching your daughter to be fearful of these people.
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But back to the actual issue at hand, I'd say that if a person actually smells so bad that you can smell him from 20 feet away, he should be asked to leave -- homeless or not. My husband and I sat on a train in Europe a number of years ago and the man in the same compartment absolutely reeked. The ride lasted several hours and we thought we'd die before we were able to get off the train. Body odor can really make you sick to your stomach.
