The Public

When a brutal blast of cold hits Cincinnati, the public library transforms from a safe haven for the homeless into a pot... (more)

When a brutal blast of cold hits Cincinnati, the public library transforms from a safe haven for the homeless into a potential war zone. Those who have no place of retreat to evade the cold stage a sit-in in the library where they are tended by members of the library's staff. What begins as an act of civil disobedience becomes a stand-off with police, and a rush-to-judgment media constantly speculating about what is really happening. This David vs. Goliath story tackles some of our nation's most challenging issues— homelessness and mental illness— and sets the drama inside one of the last bastions of democracy-in-action, your public library. (less)