Conversation about Wednesday's fire.

A patron finishes reading the newspaper article.

"You know, the city burned it down."
"Why would they do that?" I said.
"To drive out the Mexicans."
"But the city bought out the Mexican owner months ago," I point out.
"Right, and that's why they burned it down." He hands the paper back to me and leaves.

Update: I walked past the remains on my way to lunch, and another patron tells me, "You know they burned it down on purpose because they wanted the space." It's a conspiracy.

A building across the street is on fire!

Update: Two hours later, it's still on fire. Three water cannons and a news helicopter. The building was abandoned, so no one was hurt. The smoke has infiltrated the library and I'm getting a sore throat. My eyes sting. And I'm just getting over a cold ...

A homeless guy claims he's been jailed for library fines and wants a friend to bail him out. The friend is, not surprisingly, suspicious, and calls us.