(CU Independent/Adam Milner)
Manuel Rodriguez-Calanche, a 45-year-old male, was arrested Monday on
municipal charges, according to a Boulder Police Department news release, after a bias-motivated encounter at the Boulder Public Library.
The suspect is accused of yelling obscenities, using racial slurs and
making threatening comments to a library employee who had informed him
it was closing time and he needed to leave, according to the news release. The victim is of African descent.
The victim reported the incident to the Boulder Police Department the
next day when they returned to the library to work and saw
Rodriguez-Calanche standing outside.
Rodriguez-Calanche was booked into the Boulder County Jail. Bond was
set at $2,500, according to the release.
Library officials have condemned the incident.
“We are saddened that this crime occurred at all, much less in our
library, where we strive to create a safe, welcoming and diverse
environment,” said Acting Library Director Donna Gartenmann, in the
news release. “I commend our employee and the police department for
the way they handled this situation. Harassment based on the color of
someone’s skin or ethnicity is not a City of Boulder value, and it is
reassuring to see law enforcement take a strong position against this
type of bias.”
Anyone with information about this crime is asked to contact Detective
Jeremy Frenzen at 303-441-1890. Those who have information but wish to
remain anonymous may contact the Northern Colorado Crime Stoppers at
1-800-222-TIPS (8477) or 1-800-444-3776. Tips can also be submitted
via the (http://www.crimehurts.com) Crime Stoppers website.
Contact CU Independent Breaking News Editor Ellie Bean at Beanee@colorado.edu.
