Will Stone

Review of New Orleans Public Library

There s a security officer here that said his name...

There s a security officer here that said his name is Captain Curry Johnson that abuses his power. First he tried to tell me that my laptop bag was too big, when I was a little puzzled as it is the exact size of my laptop which is normal. Others had bigger bags and backpacks. He dropped that, it made no sense. Then he tried to make me leave before they closed. It was 4:52PM on Friday when they closed at 5PM. I was finishing an email and he was harassing others Let s go folks. And started harassing me telling me I need to unplug my computer. So I unplugged it and began wrapping up my email. At 4:54PM he said to me with an attitude, Its time to leave, are you hard of hearing? When I said it was 4:54PM, I still have 6 minutes and will be out the door before 5PM he started demanding that you close the laptop right now and leave. You heard what I told you. I said you re trying to make me leave before the library is closed, it s still open, do I need to speak to a manager? He said there was no manager there that day and I better listen to what he says and get out.

Another security officer came up and I said what time does this place close, I thought it closes at 5PM. He told me falsely actually it closes at 4:58PM I looked at my phone clock and said oh, then I still have 2 minutes and 4:58? Where is that posted? You have official posted hours? He said yes they have official hours on the door and still Curry Johnson demanded I leave and made some stereotype comment about me looking like Jesus because I was dressed in white. I said this was ridiculous. Why are they trying to force me to leave before it s closed and why is this guy trying to create such a problem over 3 or 4 minutes?

Curry Johnson then started saying, not allowed back. And then started telling a third security guard remember his face, not allowed back. I said what is he talking about? I m not allowed back? For what? The second security guard said don t pay attention to him and don t let it bother you, he just gets like this sometime. Curry Johnson in the background just kept repeating not allowed back. And some kind of threat of he s just asking for it. The second security guard told me to speak to a manager in a white coat if I wanted to or it he gave me any problems in the future. And repeated just don t pay any attention to him. I shouldn t have to deal with this power abusing security guard try to kick people out of a public library before closing time, or stereotyping me calling me Jesus . It seems he was trying to give me problems for no reason when I first went in. I ve never had a problem here before but this was ridiculous. I guess I ll have to speak with a manager because this guy says I m not allowed back for saying I wanted to speak to a manager for trying to make me leave for no reason when they were still open.