Steven JP Dionne: Laconia Public Library should be a safe place for all

To The Daily Sun,

Having fully retired and no longer being an extreme commuter allows me the opportunity to pay attention to things I've missed for years in my hometown. Saturday afternoon, I had occasion to accompany my wife to the Laconia Public Library. Honestly, I love looking at the architecture and history more than anything else. Having visited the library three times in the last month, it is obvious there’s a serious problem. It seems our public library has become the winter daytime shelter for members of the city’s transient population. Previous visits have typically revealed upwards a half dozen folks who appear to carry their entire life in their backpacks.

Saturday’s visit was the coup de grace, a significant altercation broke out between two highly intoxicated transients, causing the female librarians to contact the Laconia Police. True to their commitment the officers showed up in short order. I related what I had seen to the officers and we left. However, the entire event kept me wondering about several points. How is it the city’s homeless population is allowed to use our public library as a part-time shelter, oft times sleeping, seldom reading? How is it a highly intoxicated individual, hardly able to walk, is even allowed access to the library? Is the library staff safe in their workplace? Do they receive training to assist in the recognition this type of situation? Should 71-year-old women feel they can no longer go unaccompanied to our public library?

Having worked in metro-Boston for decades, I have had to deal with homeless people on numerous occasions. While certainly no expert on the topic, I do know firsthand, the myth about the homeless being harmless is, well, BS. Mental health issues, substance and alcohol abuse, along with economic despair are leading contributors to a life on the street. Desperate people with these issues are at times dangerous. Another myth regarding the homeless, which is BS, most don’t live under the bridge because they choose to. I realize society has ignored the problem for decades. All of this aside, when their issues spill over to a point of endangering the public, and posing a potential threat to city employees, it’s time to take corrective action...period.

Steven JP Dionne

Laconia