WashPo Opinions | William Lockridge’s name doesn’t belong on a D.C. library

Go HERE for the full letter written by John W. Hill, President of the D.C. Board of Library Trustees.

Not that anyone has asked me but I think "Bellevue Public Library" has a very nice ring to it.

Excerpt:

In fact, Lockridge had — at best — a questionable relationship with the library. In a March 17, 2010, incident at Washington Highlands Interim Library, Lockridge was asked by the branch manager to leave the children’s area because he was not accompanying a child, a violation of library rules. In response, according to the manager, Lockridge became belligerent, cursing her in front of children. He then reportedly told her that, because she was not black, she did not belong in a library east of the Anacostia. Only after she called the Metropolitan Police Department did Lockridge leave voluntarily. 

The library aside, Mr. Lockridge’s activism had mixed results for Ward 8. For instance, he exercised his leadership to stop a group of well-meaning business leaders (including me) from responding to a request from the principal of Ballou Senior High School to help improve the school. Lockridge told us our help wasn’t welcome east of the river, and he rallied the community by saying the “establishment” was trying to take over their schools. As a result, classrooms did not get painted, a lab was left unrepaired and unusable, and basic beautification improvements were not carried out.

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