EDITOR’S NOTE: This story contains profane language.
On Feb. 24, around 3:15 p.m., a couple walked into the Bob Harkins Branch of the Prince George Public Library with no masks on, carrying food and a tray of drinks.
When a staff member told them they would need to wear masks and they couldn’t eat in the library, they became verbally and physically aggressive, according to a series of incident reports filed by library staff members which the Citizen obtained through a freedom of information request.
“I told them that due to their behaviour they would have to leave, the male ran up the steps toward me and told me he was going to punch me the fuck out, I side stepped and as he passed me he hit me with his shoulder and carried on up the stairs to the main floor. The female began to yell and swear to leave them the fuck alone and they could stay as long as they wanted,” one of the three reports about the incident said. “I could hear yelling from the main floor and I had already had the phone out and I called (911) I told the female I was calling the RCMP and she needed to leave immediately. She ran past me and up to the main floor I looked up and could see [REDACTED] within inches of the male and the male was uttering threats loudly that he was going to punch [REDACTED] the fuck out. The female told the male that I had called the police and (they) both came down the stairs as they passed me the male said I should just fucking beat you, they gathered up their belongings and left via the parking lot exit swearing and threatening to knock us the fuck out and kick the shit out of us as they left.”
A Citizen freedom for information request for the library’s incident reports filed at the Bob Harkins branch between Feb. 1 and March 31, 2022 resulted in 106 reports documenting approximately 93 separate incidents – nearly two a day on average. Incidents categorized as cleanup required/janitorial, computer/IT, COVID compliance, elevator malfunction, facilities, injury/illness (minor), lost/missing personal property, medical emergency and parking infraction were not included in the Citizen’s request.
Incidents included patrons being rude and verbally abusive to staff and other patrons, fires in Canada Games Plaza, young children left alone at the library, death threats, drug and alcohol use in the library, patron and library property being stolen, discarded needles and drug paraphernalia found in the bathrooms, parking area and other places, a stolen phone that wouldn’t stop beeping, and even an unconfirmed report of someone smuggling a bird into the library.
RCMP were called to the library 11 times over the two-month period, according to the reports.
In a Feb. 5 incident, a man being escorted out the library shouted slurs at staff and said "I'm gonna burn this whole place down.”
He continued shouting and kicking the elevator doors on the way out of the building.
In a report from Feb. 8, a staff member found a man who had been asked on numerous occasions to leave the library because of drug use passed out on a computer keyboard in the Skylab.
“I asked him to pack up and leave as he had no mask on and I could see drug paraphernalia on the computer desk,” the report said. “He refused saying he was going to fuck me up. I took out my phone and called the RCMP within ear shot of him, once he heard me calling he gathered up his belongings and began to move out. As he was leaving he took a charge toward me with his fists raised and stomped his feet loudly saying he was going to do me in.”
In a March 30 incident, a man with a knife on him blocking the parking lot entrance with a number of large bags threatened to wait for staff members in the parking lot and assault them.
On Feb. 24 around 4:45 p.m. – less than two hours after the incident where a man threatened to punch a staff member – a man and woman who had been asked to leave the library for using drugs came up the elevator. A staff member told them to leave and sent them out the plaza entrance, when another man got involved.
“From up on the stair case I heard a males voice yelling at me not to be such a fucking goof and to leave them alone. I turned around and saw [REDACTED] coming down the stairs calling me a fucking goof and that I should just die,” the incident report said. “I told him to leave and he began to tell me he wishes I would die and die alone because I'm just a fucking goof. He walked out the plaza entrance yelling fuck you you goof, I just want to see you dead, fuck off goof.”
