Date: 10/24/2023
EASTHAMPTON — The Easthampton City Council passed two resolutions supporting the freedom to read and the Easthampton Public Library at its Oct. 18 meeting.
The two resolutions were made in support of bills in the Massachusetts Legislature that take a stand against library censorship and support school librarians as the experts for choosing books for their libraries.
The Freedom to Read resolution specifically points out that school libraries should offer a wide range of topics in their books because “students have a right to explore a diverse range of stories,” said Councilor Koni Denham. “They have to be able to find themselves on shelves.”
“It’s sad that we do have to defend the First Amendment and the rights of our students,” said Councilor Daniel Rist. “We have to trust our librarians.”
Denham noted that the other resolution is “supporting the mission and vision of the public library.”
These resolutions come on the heels of the appearance of flyers with hate speech at residences across the city recently. Multiple councilors voiced their concerns over what some called “litter” and “trash” and encouraged anyone who might have information to speak up.
“This is not new,” said Mayor Nicole LaChapelle. “Somebody knows who this is. Please reach out to the detectives.”
“Those voices that want to speak hate are very loud,” said Rist. “We need to be louder.”
Council President Homar Gomez encouraged residents not to share the images of the flyers because it just brings those who created them more attention.
In other matters, the council approved a revision to the easement requirement at the Eastworks building. The new agreement is between the owners and the city and will allow zero lot lines, essentially allowing buildings with no setbacks to subdivide and redevelop. Councilor JP Kwiecinski noted that this will help refurbish areas of the mill that have remained idle for years.
The council also approved the warrant for the November election. All nine City Council seats are on the ballot as well as six School Committee seats. It also includes a nonbinding question asking about a potential shift to ranked-choice voting. The election is Tuesday, Nov. 7 from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.