A bomb threat – that was determined to be unfounded – interrupted the Bayard Rustin Center for Social Justice’s “drag queen story hour” at its headquarters at 12 Stockton St., according to the Princeton Police Department and the Bayard Rustin Center for Social Justice.
The Princeton Police Department received an email at 10:49 a.m. Aug. 26 from an unknown person that contained derogatory comments aimed at the LGBTQIA community and those affiliated with the Bayard Rustin Center for Social Justice, police said.
The email stated that numerous explosive devices had been placed in and around the center, police said.
Police officers were sent to the Stockton Street building and evacuated its occupants. A canine sweep of the building and surrounding area was conducted, but no explosive devices were found, police said. The occupants were allowed back into the building at 12:40 p.m.
While police were investigating the bomb threat, the attendees moved offsite to a nearby stoop and continued the drag queen story hour with drag queen Carrie Dragshaw, said Robt Martin Seda-Schreiber, the center’s founder and chief activist.
Seda-Schreiber, who praised the police department, said the center was founded on the principle of building family through community. The “despicable actions” and “abhorrent hate” will not deter the center and the LGBTQIA community from gathering together, Seda-Schreiber said.
“This principle was put into direct and robust action. The bomb threat might have kept us from our headquarters, but it did not stop us from gathering together in beloved community and in family, chosen or otherwise,” Seda-Schreiber said.
“We simply took a fabulous field trip down the block to a nearby stoop and shared our stories, created community and embraced each other, literally and figuratively, with great respect and even more love.”
Drag queen Carrie Dragshaw, who is also known as Dan Clay, said the voices of negativity can be loud, but the voices of positivity are greater. He said he was a firm believer in not allowing the negativity to overtake the narrative.
Sara Wasserman, the center’s community organizer, said drag queen story hours are being attacked, banned and harassed across the country. Those attacks finally made their way to Princeton, she said.
“The real story that matters is that we have a community of people who banded together to show solidarity, supported by the rest of Princeton. They came out to celebrate community, regardless of what the hate-mongers want,” she said.