Libraries should be safe spaces for everyone. But, coded language in institutional policies makes it so that as library workers we have to police and exclude certain individuals and communities. This practice is illustrated in this comic about bag policies.

Bag policies are in place to limit the size of bags or luggage in libraries, which can be a problem. Some of our spaces are small, bags sometimes get abandoned, but these policies are selective in who they target.

Some people don't have a safe space to leave their belongings and some libraries don't even allow backpacks (!!!). That gives libraries just another reason to target teens.

CFL REFUSES to let librarianship be an extension of policing. Rather than taking these individuals and their possessions as dangerous liabilities, libraries must move to accommodate different needs to create a safe and equitable environment for everyone.