Staff safety concerns forced temporary closure of two Duluth library branches

DULUTH, Minn. — FOX 21 has learned safety concerns by Duluth public library staff forced the closure of the downtown and West Duluth branches Friday and Saturday.

On Monday, the city placed a Duluth police officer at the downtown branch out of an “abundance of caution,” according to a city spokesperson.

The concerns focused around a man who was outside the West Duluth branch Thursday morning.

A city spokesperson said the man “yelled threats” at city maintenance crews who were conducting snow removal.

The city said officers determined the man did not present a credible threat and “no threats were directed at library facilities or library staff.”

But emails from library management to library staff Thursday evening cite a Duluth police dispatch call that said “a man threatened to shoot employees.”

A senior staff member told FOX 21 the suspect even showed up at the downtown library hours after the incident in West Duluth. But that staff member said employees had no idea the first incident took place.

It was a community remember, according to emails, that alerted library employees to the incident.

The uncertainty around the incident lead staff members to leave the West Duluth branch Friday, which forced the closure of the library for four hours.

And then on Saturday, downtown branch employees arrived for work, but then left for the day because, according to staff, they did not feel safety concerns were addressed.  That meant the downtown branch was closed Saturday.

The West Duluth branch is not normally open on Saturdays.

The senior staff member said employees were approved to use their time-off hours both days.

FOX 21 reached out to Mayor Reinert’s office for details and comment. The mayor’s spokesperson said in part:

“It has been determined that there is no active threat to either library staff or patrons. Out of an abundance of caution, a DPD officer has been on site during business hours at the downtown library branch today.”

The statement went on to say:

“The City of Duluth takes the safety of its staff and library patrons very seriously and continues to assess and address ongoing safety concerns at the Duluth Public Library locations.”

We also asked Police Chief Mike Ceynowa’s public information officers for a comment on library safety, but we did not get a response.

We do know the suspect was not arrested. The library has trespassed the individual in the past and, according to emails, will be trespassed again if he tries to enter the libraries in the future.