The father of a woman suspected to have cut down or vandalized Oak Park’s Little Libraries is promising at least one victim he’ll make amends.
Several around Oak Park had been cut down or vandalized. Authorities said the cases appear to be related and police identified a female suspect, according to NBC.
Oak Park police received four reports of Little Free Libraries being cut down between Feb. 12 and Feb. 13, officials said. No charges have been filed.
One man, whose Little Free Library was cut down, said he spoke to the father of the woman who may have done it. Wednesday Journal is not naming the man to protect the identity of that woman, who may be suffering from a mental health condition.
The man said he’s seen at least five of these Little Free Libraries, including his own, cut down. He reported it to the police, who had already received similar reports, he said.
After posting about the incident in a Facebook group chat, the man said his wife’s friend reached out with information about the woman who may have been cutting these boxes down. The man then relayed that information to the police, who assured him the woman was getting help, he said.
“They [the police] already reached out to the father, who was interested in making amends,” he said.
The father repaired his Little Free Library personally, the man said, and assured him it would not happen again.
“It’s not a situation where somebody is vandalizing [little free libraries] because they hate liberals, or they hate progressive books,” he said. “It’s unrelated.”
The man said he does not want anyone to feel afraid or unsafe because of this situation. He said the bigger concern than damaging Little Free Libraries is making sure there’s a network of mental health support for those who need it.
Another Little Free Library owner, who asked to remain anonymous to protect her box from vandalism, said replacing or repairing the Little Free Libraries is no easy task. They are not cheap to make, she said, and heavy to install. Hers cost about $500.
“Most of the people who are owners of Little Free Libraries will probably want to put them back up,” she said.
If her Little Free Library were to be vandalized, she said she would report it. But if the person who did it was suffering from a mental health crisis, she said she knows not much can be done other than supporting people in need of mental health services.
“If that was the case, this is something that between mental health services and that family and the police, they can mitigate [it] happening again,” she said.
The other possibility is the Little Free Libraries being cut down by someone against free access to books or who doesn’t like the aesthetic of the boxes in the community, she said. In that case, the community would ban together and come up with a solution, she said.
Little Free Libraries are magical, she said, and inspire her to discover new books.
“So many things in this world aren’t free,” she said. “It also teaches the [reciprocity] of giving and taking in a community.”