Story at a glance
- A Nevada public library issued a statement in support of the Black Lives Matter movement this week.
- In response, the sheriff of the local police department told the library to no longer look to them for law enforcement and public safety.
- After a meeting between the sheriff and library director, the department is now calling it a “misunderstanding.”
A day after a Nevada sheriff told a local public library not to call 911 for help due to their support of Black Lives Matter, the department is backtracking on what the library director is calling “an unfortunate circumstance of misunderstanding.”
Public libraries have long been seen as an equalizer, a place where anyone is welcome and able to access a wealth of knowledge and resources. So when the Douglas County Public Library published a draft statement that declared support for the Black Lives Matter movement, it was merely an extension of their mission statement.
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“Public libraries change lives and create opportunities for all those who inquire,” said the statement discussed at a special meeting of the Board of Trustees on July 28. “The Douglas County Public Library denounces all acts of violence, racism and disregard for human rights.”
The library was one of more than 170 public libraries across North America to sign the Urban Libraries Council’s Statement on Race and Equity, condemning violence and racism towards Black, Indigenous and other people of color.
In response, Sheriff Daniel J. Coverley wrote a letter virulently defending the police department, despite the presence of “bad actors,” and condemned the Black Lives Matter movement.
“To support this movement is to support violence and to openly ask for it to happen in Douglas County,” Coverley said in the letter. “Due to your support of Black Lives Matter and the obvious lack of support or trust with the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office, please do not feel the need to call 911 for help. I wish you good luck with disturbances and lewd behavior, since those are just some of the recent calls my office has assisted you with in the past.”
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In a followup statement, Coverley said his response was driven from the belief that his office was under attack.
“I am passionate about and proud of the work the Sheriff’s Office does for all members of this community,” Coverley said in a written statement obtained by the Reno Gazette Journal. “This has been a difficult time to be a law enforcement professional and can be disheartening when we perceive that our office may be under attack.”
Coverley met with library director Amy Dodson, who issued a statement in response.
“Sheriff Coverley and I had a very candid conversation about the statement and we both expressed our opinions regarding the intent of our exchanged correspondence. We agreed that we both support the people of Douglas County and this may have been an unfortunate circumstance of misunderstanding. The library respects and supports the work of the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office and appreciates everything they do to keep our community safe,” Dodson’s statement said.
EDITOR’S NOTE: An earlier version of this story incorrectly identified Douglas County as being in Colorado. The story has been updated to correctly identify Douglas County, Nevada.
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