Hi Everyone! For this week’s blog post, I decided to write about an article I read on Outlier Media titled: Two years after a major Detroit Public Library theft, no arrests have been made and $400K is still missing. The title is what caught my attention, all I could think of was “Who would want to rob a library?” Like most, when I think of the word “robbery”, I associate it with banks or jewelry stores but certainly not libraries. As I began to think, it did make a bit of sense, robbing a library of over half a million dollars is something that no one really expects. After all, it’s a space that caters toward educating the community. The Detroit Public Library opened in 1865 but as the city began to grow, so did the library. With millions of residents and books, the library doubled in size by 1963! It’s now a space where people can even come to take technology classes to grow their computer skills.
The robbery was first reported on Jan. 29, 2021, by the city’s Chief Financial Officer who claimed that $600,000 was stolen from the library’s Comerica Bank account. It would not be until two years after the incident that the public would be made aware of the missing money. While the city was able to recover $277,000 there are still no leads on who stole the money to begin with. Library employees began to accuse one another of stealing money through wire fraud but later came to find out that one of them fell for a phishing scam by clicking an emailed link. The local police did investigate for around 6 months after the incident, but seemed to have stopped providing updates and have failed to make an arrest. The library requested that the city reimburse them for the robbery but City Council claims that they are not responsible for cyberattacks nor reimbursing them for their losses.
Reading this article has made me feel a bit disappointed in the city’s actions on this situation. As a city council, they are responsible for the needs of the people who live and work in Detroit. Public libraries are essential in communities, especially for marginalized groups who already lack resources in equal access to education and opportunities. Technology is not always accessible to everyone, but the Detroit Public Library has computers for hundreds of people to use daily. Although the Detroit Public Library is still functioning, this loss could have cost them from providing future services. It’s made me wonder how the city would react if smaller businesses were robbed and had to shut down as a result. I can only hope that if the time comes, the council will react accordingly.
Thank you for sharing this emily, I had no idea this happened. I agree that the city’s action is disappointing and did not make up for the significant loss the library faced.
Hi Emily! I hadn’t heard this story until now and I’m really disappointed it happened and they were never able to recover the money. I have enjoyed spending time at the Detroit Public Library this summer and I can’t imagine it being the target of any theft; it seems to be a neutral space that is open for all. I hope that going forward they have been much more guarded with their online activities and are well-funded because they are an important community space.