BY NAOMI R. PATTON

DETROIT FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER


Genevieve Bellamy pointed her finger at members of the Detroit Public Library Commission, asking them, in her booming but delicate voice, to raise their hands if they had grown up without a library.

When none of the commissioners raised their hands at the community forum -- hosted by the commission to get feedback from Detroiters about pending branch closures because of the library's $10-million-plus deficit -- Bellamy, 76, chastised them and suggested a 1% tax increase to fund the libraries.

"You don't ever want to take reading away from anyone," she said. "We cannot afford to close any libraries. ... To even think of it was the most asinine thing there could be."

She was among about 50 people, including current and former library staff, who attended the forum at the Wayne County Community College District's Eastern Campus on Friday night.

All who spoke during public comments spoke against closures of their particular neighborhood branches.

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