Topline
Police in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, lifted evacuation orders Saturday after a “Drag Queen Story Hour” at the public library was targeted with bomb threats, followed by other threats to some city officials and a local publication.
Key Facts
Police evacuated Lancaster Public Library earlier on Saturday after a suspicious package was discovered, though “additional reported threats” were under investigation after a bomb squad determined the package to be “benign,” officials said.
An email sent to a reporter with LancasterOnline threatened to bomb the newspaper’s offices, the publication reported, in addition to bomb threats targeting the homes of one reporter, a public library official and the director of Lancaster Pride, a local LGBTQ+ organization.
The email, indicating “pipe bombs as well as fuel bombs” had been placed, appeared to suggest the threats were in response to the “Drag Queen Story Hour,” LancasterOnline reported.
The Lancaster City Police Department subsequently expanded its evacuation orders to cover multiple downtown blocks, requesting locals evacuate to the nearby Clipper Magazine Stadium, though the order was lifted an hour later after police said there was “no danger to the public.”
Crucial Quote
Lancaster County Commissioner Alice Yoder said in a statement she was “deeply disappointed” by the “Drag Queen Story Hour” cancellation, adding: “I am even more disappointed in the threat of violence that caused the cancellation and the rhetoric that fed those threats.”
Key Background
City residents criticized two Lancaster County commissioners earlier this week for public comments they made in opposition to the public library hosting a drag story hour event. Commissioner Josh Parsons wrote he believed libraries should not be “politicized social laboratories for woke ideology,” while Commissioner Ray D’Agostino claimed the event threatened the “safety of our children.” Parsons issued a statement Saturday calling for those responsible to be “quickly caught and prosecuted to the full extent of the law,” adding, “threats of violence have no place in our debates.” D’Agostino additionally said the threats were “deeply distressing and have no place in our community.”
Further Reading
Police Evacuating Areas Of Lancaster City Following Bomb Threats (LancasterOnline)