Note: Takoma Park, MD borders the District of Columbia and Silver Spring, MD.
The purchase of upgraded computers for Takoma Park Library has sparked a debate about the community’s nuclear-free policy.
About 130 communities nationwide have such an ordinance. But, Takoma Park is considered one of the most restrictive.
Ellen Arnold-Robbins, the Takoma Park Library director, said “It was HP (Hewlett-Packard) computers, and we didn’t know it until they arrived.”
Hewlett-Packard might be a popular line of computers for some consumers, but it’s a red flag for the Takoma Park community.
The library says the delivery came through its longtime vendor, Userful.
Nuclear-Free Takoma Park Committee Chair Jay Levy explained, “From a pencil to a police car, nothing can be purchased from a company that’s a nuclear weapons producer or contracted with the government.”
Since Hewlett-Packard had ties with U.S. nuclear weapons programs, the company went against the city’s nuclear-free ordinance.
The issue went to city officials who discussed and voted for a rare waiver after public input.
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