Worcester's Confused Head Librarian

Before the meeting of 8-24-11 on the Library's policy regarding the Nazis. One of the Library staff talked with a Nazi standing outside of the Library doors.  I was holding an anti Nazi sign on the sidewalk. The staffer then came over to me and told me I had to move across the street. I told him that it was a public sidewalk and that there were no rules or ordinances where I stood with my sign. I asked to see any document he had. He left and started  again to talk with the Nazi.

When my wife and I walked into the Library to go to the OPEN meeting of the Library Board, this same staffer with another library worker blocked the door. He said we could not go into the meeting with the signs. We agreed to leave the signs outside. He then said that we could not go into the meeting at all.

Some one inside heard the argument and opened the doors for us to come in. As we were going into the meeting one of the staffers jumped in front of my wife and me trying to physically stop us from going into an open meeting.  We walked around him and told him to stop his illegal behavior.

After the meeting I told the Head Librarian that staffers tried to intimidate us and prevent us from entering an open meeting. The Head Librarian said that the staffers were following his orders. He said that no one can hold a sign within 175 feet of the Library and that no signs were allowed in the event rooms. I later spoke to a Library Board member who said that there were no such rules. The Head Librarian was confused.

This is the second time someone tried to deny me entrance to an open or public meeting at the Library. The first time was when the Nazis kept me out by throwing chairs and the second was when the Head Librarian ordered his staff to deny me entrance.