Libraries and the Mentally Ill

You may or may not know it, but public libraries and the mentally ill go together like peanut butter and jelly. Mentally ill people (especially homeless ones) need somewhere comfortable to go during the long hours of the day and evening. Public libraries are, well, public! The public can come on it. It is cool or warm...there are comfortable chairs, reading materials, computers, restroom facilities. No food or drink? No problem, they don't have any of that anyway! What they do have though, sometimes, are other nasty little issues. Some of them like to talk to themselves. Worse, some of them like to try and engage others in "conversation". Most of them, understandably I suppose, have hygiene issues. This can range from low to moderate body odor issues to the problem that we have had here for the past couple of days.

How shall I put this?

Nothing to do but just tell you that for the past two days this man has been using one particular chair as his own comfy toilet.

It is a brand new chair, upholstered and highly scotch guarded. Still, how much can one chair take? And honestly, does our porter, Gio, really get paid enough to have to clean up this kind of mess? Poor dude, hauling that thing out to the loading dock, wearing a face mask and gloves, to scrub it down. After it happened for the first time (that we know of) yesterday, Admin. was alerted. Today, when this defecator returned, they were alerted to his presence. Bangs & Bun and Scrunchy Face approached him together to ask if he has health or hygiene issue...um, duh! And I guess they told him to call 211 - the county help line or something. In response, he waited until they left and pooped in the chair again! That there is a pretty strong statement.

Now what? No one seems entirely sure of the guidelines. Is he banned? Clearly there is something wrong with him, but does that mean that we literally have to take his shit? Honestly, no one seems to know.

Sorry if this totally grossed you out. It is gross. But, you know how I like to share my issues with you! So thanks for reading...and the restroom is thataway...

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