The culture of lawlessness that has been created in San Francisco now has librarians begging for more security and public transport asking civilians to intervene in dangerous situations.

More than half of San Francisco’s public libraries do not have on-site security, which librarians are now trying to change in negotiations with the city. Over the last five years, the library system has been forced to hire 11 security guards. The librarians are even in dispute with their own agency, which asserts that many branches haven’t had security problems, while the librarians claim they are underreported, the natural outcome of knowing prosecutors have little interest in or capability to hold criminals to account.