Bed bugs prompt Mitchell Park Library closure

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Be chill like the pope. Some people aren't as lucky as you are.

When they say the community center will not be affected, does that include the after school drop in teen center?

@Domad - Ya, the kids who get bed bugs by going to an infested library aren't so lucky.

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@Curmudgeon - Right, like the homeless guy with his shoes off, feet up on the table, and eating out of a pizza box in the library. Where were the professionals taking care of the situation? The professionals in Palo Alto ignore problems until the problems are in their face. That's why we have a stabbing, a guy pulling s gun on california ave, a mom robbed and assaulted in just the last couple of days. Just like the professionals are managing development downtown. That should be the Palo Alto motto - ignore reality and leave it to the professionals.

I love how Slow Down doesn't even cop to the possibility that the bugs were brought in by books or local houses residents. Stanford has had a huge problem in the dorms and it took years for that news to come out.

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This is revolting.
A very interesting conundrum to solve while trying to be respectful
or people's human rights. but when it comes to something as
oernicious as bedbugs, I believe homeless peoples' access to
public space must take a back seat though, or anyone other person
or group that cannot maintain necessary hygiene. But also, but the
way, it may not be homeless persons at all.

“Bed begs are not an uncommon occurrence at libraries”—I hope you meant “bugs.”

If bed bugs are not an uncommon occurrence at libraries, what about all the school libraries?

When my husband has his face buried in a book or his tablet, he always jokes that it is because he gets bit by the "reading bug." I suppose that this is the real thing!

;-)

We need to clear up the misperceptions about who may have bed bugs and be spreading them. Yes, some homeless people may have bed bugs; however, ANYBODY in your neighborhood may have them too. It may take awhile for them to realize they have them and by that time they've spread them around. See all those tented houses around Palo Alto? Think that's all for termites? Think again. Normal business travelers bring bed bugs home to their families all the time from hotels-- and not exotic places, mind you. You can get them from an American hotel or a foreign 5 star. And Palo Alto has a lot of business travelers. As soon as one library book is left near the bed (or couch, or chair or in a backpack) of a house with bed bugs, the library has them. I'm not surprised at all. We need to conceptualize this like we do head lice at school- anybody can get it, regardless of socio-economic status or how clean their house is. Bed bugs are terrible, and we all need to focus on taking the necessary precautions to avoid getting them in our own homes and stop the spread of these creatures. If this means changing our normal habits, so be it.

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Since this is a bug story line I have to report a bee story. On my patio one bee attacked another bee and proceeded to wrap itself around it, pull off it's legs, tear off it's abdomen, and fly off with the abdomen.
I watched this whole event which took about 1 minute. Never did it occur to me that bees did that. I am stunned by what I saw. There is enough water and plants for everyone in the yard which is very bee friendly.

So for all of those other stories on TS yes it is a brutal world out there even in the environment of plenty and bug world.

Don't forget about Lice kids pick up Lice in school and libraries in movie theaters it's not just the homeless some of the finest families in town have lice Try not to be so judgmental and just be grateful you don't have bedbugs

I don't believe that our public libraries should be homes for the homeless when our non-taxed churches refuse to shoulder this burden. Church parking lots through out Seattle and Redmond, WA allow the homeless to use their facilities and camp in their parking lots.

That's what charitable institutions are supposed to do, to earn their tax free status. Too much attention is paid by churches and temples and mosques to the non-American needs overseas and not enough to our needs right here at home.

I want to suggest that city officials apply to Donald Trump for funds to build a double, electrified wall around Palo Alto to keep the bedbugs out.

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1. Bedbugs are found in the finest hotels

2. Palo Alto churches have, in fact, been trying to help the homeless by offering their facilities. Some (a few) people in communities like College Terrace, have been opposed to this because, if nothing else, it brings homeless people onto "their" pretty streets.

@Concerned R: local churches actually do quite a bit. Ever hear of Hotel de Zink? Ever walk by All Saints' downtown, which remodeled its main building to dedicate space to distributing food to the needy? Ever notice the yellow van parked in the back lot of St. Thomas Aquinas—owned by the homeless person who was given a parking space when the City chased her out of the Cubberley lot?

Re "homeless not being lucky" above:

It's true, many homeless people become homeless because of life circumstances they cannot control.
But many homeless choose to live that way - they like the freedom, not having any responsibilities, mortgage, bills, taxes ... I know of at least two instances when they were offered jobs or shelter, but they would not hold on to it and they went back on streets. They prefer the hobo lifestyle.
And why not - living for free in Palo Alto is awesome.

Much higher chance the bedbugs came from a parent who had been traveling for business and accidently passed them onto the children's possessions than from a homeless person. Or from a student home from college where budbugs are rampant in the dorms.

Re "bee story" above:

Of course i don't know whether historically bees have been so violent, but if not, it's possible that nowadays ingesting the chemicals and pesticides on plants cause them going crazy.

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