Authorities announce that bomb threat included a form of hate speech
By CHRIS PONCE — city@theaggie.org
On Aug. 21, around 3 p.m., Davis authorities warned people to avoid the area of the Yolo County Library on E 14th between F Street and Oak Avenue. Lieutenant Dan Beckwith with Davis Police Department announced on the Davis PD Facebook account that police were investigating a bomb threat.
“At approximately 2 p.m. today, the Davis Police Department received information regarding a bomb threat at the Yolo County Library on 14th Street in the city of Davis,” Beckwith shared. “There was limited information other than a bomb was placed in the library. Officers responded and immediately evacuated the library and the surrounding area.”
Beckwith stated that Yolo County authorities have taken over the situation. At around 5:30 p.m., Davis Police announced in a statement that the situation had been cleared.
“The library and surrounding area have been checked by the Yolo County Sheriff’s Office and deemed clear,” Davis Police said in a statement. “The area is now open to traffic. All Davis Joint Unified Schools will be open tomorrow for the first day of school.”
Hours after the announcement made by Davis PD, the Yolo County Sheriff’s Office shared an update on Facebook regarding the investigation. The Facebook post shared that a local news station notified authorities of the threat and that the initial threat contained hate speech.
“Today at approximately 2:12 PM, the Yolo County Sheriff’s Office was notified by a local news station regarding an email from an unknown source that made a threat to the Mary L. Stephens Yolo County Library in Davis,” the post reads. “The email made a threat to detonate a bomb and include some form of hate speech.”
It is unclear if the threats are related to a controversial forum event held by Yolo County Moms for Liberty called “Forum on FAIR AND SAFE Sport for GIRLS” at the Mary L. Stephens Davis branch library the day prior. According to a video posted by the CA Family Council on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, Sophia Lorey, former athlete and speaker with Yolo County Moms for Liberty, was asked to leave the event by librarian Scott Love due to Lorey misgendering people’s pronouns which Love claimed went against the library’s policy.
Yesterday night, The Davis Phoenix Coalition, a local organization that has previously spoken out in opposition to Yolo County Moms for Liberty, made a statement about the bomb threat on Facebook.
“Davis is a small town, and so we are very familiar with our local librarians and teachers, and we know they work hard to serve our families and make everyone feel welcome,” the post reads. “While a single person can try to sow fear with a bomb threat, the community ties that bind us together will hold stronger.”
According to authorities, there is still minimal information and the Yolo County Sheriff’s Office will continue their investigation.
This story is developing, check back for updates. Last updated: Aug. 23, (1:31 a.m.)
Written By: Chris Ponce — city@theaggie.org
