Neither Tri-Town Against Racism nor the Town of Mattapoisett is taking the weekend vandalism of the Free Little Diverse Library at Ned’s Point as a little thing.
In a Tuesday email to The Wanderer, Mattapoisett Town Administrator Mike Lorenco wrote that he has visited the site, spoken with Police Chief Jason King and said the town will be investigating the matter to see if the responsible parties can be identified.
“If this was a targeted attack against the Tri-Town Against Racism group, the Town will ensure it is dealt with appropriately,” Lorenco wrote.
Reached by phone, Tri-Town Against Racism vice president Alison Noyce said that on Sunday morning a community member called TTAR president Tangi Thomas to report evidence of apparent vandalism. The door was torn off and all the books thrown out, many torn up and all of them destroyed by the rain that fell throughout the day.
“It’s been working out great so it was shocking and devastating that someone (would do this). It also looked like they were trying to take the entire thing out,” said Noyce, who described the hole around the post to be very loose.
TTAR has a Free Little Diverse Library in two locations so far, Ned’s Point in Mattapoisett and Old Landing off Front Street in Marion, and there are plans for a third in Rochester pending weather’s effects on the ability to dig.
The libraries, invented for the purpose of book exchange stations between citizens looking to broaden their horizons by reading books that reflect a racially diverse community, have been busy to the point of requiring volunteer management multiple times per week.
“That little library’s going really well,” said Noyce, alluding to one prior issue with signs that someone tried to bend the door handle. “It didn’t happen on its own. … One of the hinges was broken off, that was the only thing.”
Noyce says she has had many conversations with citizens who dislike the raised fists in TTAR’s logo, but she continues to stress that the group’s fight is a peaceful one and must remain so.
“All of the books are donated by community members who believe in our mission of creating an anti-racist community,” she wrote in an email. “We hold tight to our motto ‘Start Where You Live’ and will continue this much needed work in the Tri-Town.”
The Marion location has seen minor incidences of apparent efforts to remove signage or to leave literature meant to contradict the organization’s message of racial equality. The recent addition of a motion-detecting camera like those used by hunters acts as a deterrent to vandalism, but Noyce said the Marion Police keeps an eye on the library at Old Landing.
“We’re trying not to be too discouraged, we’re going to get it fixed and restock it,” said Noyce of the Ned’s Point library, noting that similar organizations have reached out in support, including Tabor Academy and representatives of similar grassroots organizations in Wrentham and Plainville. (They told us) “we have books for you and will bring them when you’re ready.” That was reassuring to us.
“The fact people would want to destroy our Diverse Little Library just shows there’s still a lot of work to be done.”
According to Lorenco, Craig Collyer, who built the Ned’s Point Little Free Diverse Library mostly from Mattapoisett’s spare building supplies, will be working to make the necessary repairs to the library to bring it back to its original condition.
“Obviously, it is very disappointing. The library was built by the Town in support of the Tri-Town Against Racism group, and we certainly are upset to hear that it was vandalized,” wrote Lorenco. “If members of the public have any information regarding this act of vandalism, they should contact the Mattapoisett Police Department or the Town Hall.”
By Mick Colageo