Stolen books
 
Opinion
The Spectrum
 
The written word represents knowledge. These days, those words can be found in many places - newspapers, on the Internet and in the many volumes of books found in libraries.

Unfortunately, an assault on a planned library in the Colorado City, Ariz., area is making the opening of such a facility more difficult than it already was. About 10 days ago, authorities believe a group of people broke into a former school that had been set aside to serve as a library in the area along the Utah-Arizona border that is inhabited mostly by members of The Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, which teaches polygamy among its tenets. Thousands upon thousands of books were removed. The initial fear was that many of the books were burned.

While there was a fire and some materials were burned, it's now clear that many other books were saved. Large donations of books were made at Deseret Industries in Cedar City - enough to fill 10 pallets about four feet high - and at the Cedar City Library.

In both cases, young men were reported to have dropped off the books, but alert workers who had heard about the incident in Colorado City via news stories called authorities. As a result, the idea of creating a library in the Colorado City area is still alive and well. And that's a positive result given the amount of work that already has gone into the project.

Centennial Park, Ariz., resident Stefanie Colgrove helped get the movement started and received assistance in the effort from the HOPE Organization, a nonprofit group that helps people safely leave the polygamous lifestyle and integrate into mainstream society.

Along the way, the efforts to build an inventory for the library were helped with individual donations and $9,800 worth of books from Barnes Noble.

The real dispute here may have less to do with books and more to do with property. Conflicting court orders has left in limbo exactly who is responsible for ownership and possession of property associated with the United Effort Plan, a trust that was seized by the state of Utah in 2005 amid allegations of embezzlement and unlawful use of funds. The old school is among the properties in dispute.

Regardless, removing books, burning some and shipping out others is no way to resolve the conflict. Law enforcement should continue to investigate and prosecute the offenders who confiscated the books and damaged property.
 
TheSpectrum.com
Originally published April 26, 2011
 
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