Two police departments respond to teen fight in library parking lot

Police came from Belleville and Van Buren Township to deal with a fight that started just after 3 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 8, in the parking lot at the Belleville Area District Library.
Library Director Mary Jo Suchy reported what happened to members of the district library board at their regular meeting on Dec. 12.
She said there were two girls who fought and more joined in and a lot came to watch.
Library board chairperson Sharon Peters said the teen room on the second floor of the library overlooks the parking lot and teens came down to watch the fight.
Chairperson Peters said the library has footage of surveillance tapes which she viewed. She said Belleville High School Principal Nicole Crockett came to the library from the school.
When asked if there is good communication with the high school, Suchy said, “We need to make it a little more seamless.”
Suchy said they want the students to enjoy the library and this altercation was a concern.
Peters said Suchy is interacting with the school to promote good results at the library and at school. She said there will be consequences both at the library and the school for those involved in the fight.
Suchy said there will be some students banned from the library for a period, which means if they come to the library, the librarians will advise them they cannot enter and if they do, the librarians will call police. She said this is the way banning has been done in the past.
Suchy said they also have instituted a temporary ban on fast food because she wants to make it slightly less of a food court and more of a library.
Peters said teens have been bringing big pizzas into the library. She asked members of the board to make an effort to come through the library after school when they can to give the staff another set of eyes.
Peters said the students generally are positive even if they are loud. Some of the adult patrons have objected to the noise, she said, and have decided not to come to the library right after school lets out. Staff members have said they’d rather have the teens at the library than walking around downtown after school.
“Teenagers are teenagers for a reason,” Suchy said. “You remember what it was like to be a teenager.”
“This is a library problem and should be solved by the library,” said board member John Juriga.
Suchy said when there are 60 kids in the building, the sound level goes up.
Board member Joy Cichewicz, who is a librarian in Ypsilanti, said the Novi library has hired what they call the “Teen Whisperer” to engage teens and put games out.
Juriga said Stockbridge had leased a building for kids to gather in after school to socialize and there are teachers who are there.
Peters said the Belleville library has posted a Library Monitor position for the same sort of Teen Whisperer. Suchy said that Teen Whisperer name has a nice ring to it.
At the end of the meeting, president Peters said in her most recent column for the library newsletter, she wrote about how the library has something for everyone. She said she is happy to see so many young people there.
She said some days they come after school, but they have half-days or game days, they are there earlier or longer. She said different kinds of community groups could help.
“We are providing a great service to the town and the town should help us,” Peters said. “We can’t do this alone.”
She said it requires the engagement of the parents, as well, and not just sending their kids to the library.
Peters said the fight in the parking lot was the biggest incident so far and there have been smaller things happen.
Belleville Police Chief Kris Faull later said that three juvenile females were fighting and some tried to break it up. Chief Faull said she believes they were freshmen and a sophomore, but all were under the age of 18.
She said the girls were turned over to their parents and a juvenile diversion program at the 34th District Court. She said the library filed trespassing orders against those involved.
Chief Faull said Belleville just had one car on the road at the time and so Van Buren Township was called in to help.
She said on Dec. 13, she, Belleville Officer Bart Devos, and school representatives sat down to talk to the parents.
In other business at the Dec. 12 regular meeting, the board:
• Heard Director Suchy report that the “farm market” that the youth services department set up for Harvest Fest has been transformed into the Belleville Bakery. She said this active play area is being well used and she has seen children run right past the computers to go play in this area. They are learning colors and numbers as well as how to cooperate with others, she said. Parents and grandparents interact with their kids and there even is a tutor who uses this area to teach addition and subtraction;
• Learned that Suchy has consulted with the adult services librarians concerning Don Sherman’s generous offer to donate his automotive collection to the library. Suchy said he has been informed that the library would not be able to accept his entire collection, but would be willing to evaluate it for specific titles that could be added to the library. Suchy said she gave him contact information for the Benson Ford Research Center and the Ypsilanti Automotive Heritage Museum. She said they further discussed having him do a library program since he possesses a wealth of automotive history and knowledge;
• Were told that the library’s analog phone lines are all finally working after being knocked out during the storm and tornado last summer. They serviced the elevator and an old-fashioned fax machine that is better for certain documents;
• Learned the branch in Sumpter had a chronic plumbing problem and there was a plumbing problem at the main library as well and Jerry the plumber at Richard’s Plumbing and Heating fixed them both in one day. His bill of $775 was paid as part of the checks approved at the meeting. Also approved was a check for $4,628 to the city of Belleville for sewer repair on Roys Street;
• Was advised to fill out the annual evaluation form for Suchy and return it to Deputy Director Hilary Savage so it can be acted upon at the next meeting. Personnel chairperson Linda Priest said they will have a committee meeting to prepare a recommendation;
• Welcomed visitor Dr. Maria Jackson-Smith of Van Buren Township, who has been an English professor for 22 years at Wayne County Community College. She said her son graduated from Belleville High School and is in his first semester at Eastern Michigan University. Her daughter is an eighth grader at McBride. She said she is interested in getting more active in the community. She said her friend, Dr. Julie Kissel, suggested she attend the library board meeting;
• Learned the draft audit arrived that day and it will be reviewed by the Finance Committee before being brought to the board;
• Heard Suchy say that since people are constantly taking pens from the library, she has ordered pens with the library’s name and phone number on them at a cost of $998.80 so they can serve as advertising;
• Heard Peters say that jazz musician Phil Hale was great when he recently entertained at the library and now he is coming back on Jan. 10 at 7 p.m.; and
• Heard Juriga say it pleases him to see that the library has had 59,000 visits this fiscal year. He said at the recent meeting of planning commissions for the tri-community, they all agreed Belleville is a good central downtown for the tri-community, with its library, high school, and now the museum finally open.