Buncombe County issues statement regarding June 29 incident at West Asheville Branch Library

Press release from Buncombe County:

On June 29, an outside group reserved a meeting room at West Asheville Branch Library under the name Another Carolina Bookfair for the purpose of an unspecified workshop. This was not a County sponsored event.

During the event above, the staff Librarian, who was not in the meeting room was alerted to a disturbance and called 911. Law enforcement and emergency services responded. This event is now under an active Asheville Police Department investigation. One arrest has been made. We are aware the arrest report states the person’s employer is Asheville Public Library System. To clarify, this person is not and has never been a Buncombe County employee.

Buncombe County Public Libraries makes Library meeting rooms available to groups, organizations, and businesses as part of the Library’s mission to support the educational, cultural, and civic activities of the community.  Our meeting room policies are not intended to control the content of programs or events held in the meeting rooms, but to set basic terms and conditions for the use of the facilities. The facilities are available on an equitable basis, regardless of the beliefs, or affiliations of individuals or groups requesting their use. Persons attending programs and meetings are subject to all provisions of the Library’s Rules of Conduct, and use of the meeting rooms does not constitute an endorsement of the program or organization by the Library or Buncombe County.

Buncombe County Public Libraries do not condone violence or hate crimes in any way, and leadership is actively working with Asheville Police Department.