Went to the Kitsilano Library for the first time ever to pick up a book only located within this location.
When I sat down, a man across from me kept muttering racist things (I'm Chinese) and threats against me, clearly wanting me to hear. I reported this to a female employee, who apologized and said she didn't want me to feel "unsafe" and that I was welcome there. The male manager/boss went to talk to the man in question, who refused to leave.
I fully understand that they can't haul a patron out themselves, but apparently, this location has no security anywhere close to the building, and I was told they would wait for security to show up. I then got conflicting information when I was further told that the police would come, but not really because it will also take them a while. Did they call the police or security? I don't know. There were more than a few children inside the library at the time, who the female employee was kindly looking out for since she asked me to sit somewhere away from them should the man seek me out.
I was told it was better for me to leave. I pointed out that once I'm outside, that man could easily just come out after me and make good on his threats to harm me. It's a small, one floor library: he can see if I am still there or not. We were standing in front of the entrance to a back room, but before I could suggest I wait there until security/police showed up and I could leave safely, the male boss/manager dismissed me by telling me I better catch my bus and get out of there.
So, the moral of this story is: if someone literally threatens to kill you in the Kitsilano library, you can very well expect to meet them right outside because the staff won't do anything about it.
I am not even mad at the man who said all those horrible things to me: he clearly has mental issues and probably has no place to go, so I can't do anything or have the police do anything to him that life isn't already doing to him. The library staff, though? They're clearly not prepared for any type of trouble should it arise, they lack any critical thinking skills regarding the safety of their own patrons, and they can't even keep their story straight about what they are going to do to (maybe) resolve a potentially dangerous situation.
The staff at the Kitsilano Library did just as much as that man to make me unsafe, and I don't think it's possible to feel welcome in a place that keeps telling you to leave. read more