FBI to investigate bomb threat against Durham Main Library just before LGBTQ story hour
This story was updated April 16, 2024.
The FBI will investigate an anonymous bomb threat that shut down the Durham County Main Library on Saturday just before a scheduled LGBTQ story hour..
Durham police responded to the reported bomb threat at around 10:30 a.m.
Durham Police Department officers and the Durham County Sheriff’s Office’s bomb dog searched the building but found nothing on the premises.
The library announced on X, formerly Twitter, that it would be closed for the rest of the weekend and reopen on Monday.
A “Rainbow Story Time” event hosted by a local LGBTQ advocacy organization, the Rainbow Collective for Change, was canceled due to the threat.
The library’s director, Tammy Baggett, told The News & Observer that the threat, which was sent to a Charlotte TV station, specifically mentioned the author whose book was to be read during Rainbow Story Time.
The station, WBTV, received an email threatening the Durham library just before 10 a.m.
Baggett said the library itself did not receive a direct threat via phone call or email, but was informed of the threat by Durham police.
Police have not noted a motive for the threat or provided details about its contents.
On Tuesday, police said they have referred the case to the FBI but declined to answer other questions, including whether the case was being investigated as a hate crime and whether the department tracks such incidents in Durham.
“Due to the increase in bomb threats at public institutions and buildings nationwide, the case has been referred to the FBI for a follow up investigation,” the department said in a statement. “We are unable to provide any further details about this investigation.”
Impact on LGBTQ story time
“People are trying to scare us,” Anne Sutkowi-Hemstreet, the Rainbow Collective’s director, told The N&O.
She said staff members and local high school students were already set to begin the story time when the evacuation began.
They were planning to read “Call Me Tree,” a book by Maya Christine Gonzalez that features gender-neutral characters. Afterward, they were going to plant seeds and paint pots with attendees.
The Rainbow Story Time events are held once a month and feature LGBTQ books read in English and Spanish with ASL interpretation.
Sutkowi-Hemstreet said the Rainbow Collective has never experienced a threat like this before during one of its events.
“There are lots of families who may not come to our events because they’re feeling scared,” she said. “...But we will keep doing what we need to do to make sure that our spaces are safe and affirming.”
Baggett said the threat will not change the library’s programming.
“We are not to be defeated by things of this nature,” she said. “We are here for all people and I plan on us continuing to offer programs of that nature and other programs that are needed in the community.”
This story was originally published April 13, 2024 at 1:58 PM.
