A drag queen story hour event at a public library in Pennsylvania was canceled Saturday after a suspicious package was found amid bomb threats, an incident that followed weeks of local criticism of the event.
Lancaster police said that K-9 unit dogs alerted law enforcement to a potential threat during a planned sweep of the Lancaster Public Library on Saturday morning. The area around the library was closed off as a state police bomb squad responded to the scene.
After the package was found, police said they received “additional bomb threats via email” warning of “explosive devices” in two more locations, as well as outside of Lancaster city’s jurisdiction.
“We can confirm that no explosive devices were found,” the police statement said. “The areas are now reopened, and there is no danger to the public at this time.”
Lancaster Pride, the volunteer organization that sponsored the story hour, expressed gratitude for community support in a post on Facebook following the threat. The organization encouraged people to support their local library, check in with each other, and “keep spreading the message that love must win.”
“While we support the freedom of speech: we stand firm and cannot and we will not let hate, fear, and intimidation stop our collective movement for love and support for all,” Lancaster Pride said.
Authorities are looking to identify the person responsible and prosecute them for the hoax, Lancaster Police Chief Richard Mendez said in a statement.
“Not only do bomb threats disrupt the peace and safety of our community, they waste valuable public resources,” Mendez said. “These threats trigger costly responses and stretch our resources thin, leaving our community vulnerable to genuine emergencies.”
Lancaster County Commissioners’ Office Chairman Josh Parsons said on Facebook that emails are “normally very…
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