The Public (2018)

Jeffrey Wright: Anderson

Photos 

Quotes 

• Josh Davis : It is my job to uphold the law and to protect democracy in this city.

  Anderson : You know, I devoted my entire life to preserving the freedom of information that flows in and out of this institution! The public library is the last bastion of democracy in this country, and I'll be damned if I'm gonna sit here and let you thugs turn it into a battlefield!

• Anderson : [Stuart has just quoted John Steinbeck's "The Grapes of Wrath" to explain himself to the media]  Good words.

  Stuart Goodson : I wish they'd been mine...

  Anderson : They *are* yours, Stuart. And mine. Theirs. They belong to all of us.

• Stuart Goodson : Sorry about tonight, Mr. Anderson.

  Anderson : I'm not.

• Anderson : I'm not in a position to declare our library an emergency shelter.

  Stuart Goodson : People are freezing to death in our own city! How can you be okay with that?

  Anderson : Woah, hey! I'm not! I'm not okay with it.

  Stuart Goodson : Okay, you could call the mayor's office, call the mayor's office right now!

  Anderson : Mr. Goodson... Stuart. Listen. The board trustees want you gone. That's what's going on. I'm trying, but I'm having a difficult time making a case for you to stay here. So no, the library will not be an emergency shelter tonight, tomorrow, not ever.

  Stuart Goodson : ...They wanna fire me?

  Anderson : They'd prefer if you tendered your resignation.

  Stuart Goodson : I was following library protocol... they wanna fire me for doing my job?

  Anderson : I'm sorry. It's out of my control.

  [Walks away from Stuart] 

  Stuart Goodson : Out of your control? You have no idea how much shit is about to get out of your control, sir!

• Josh Davis : Stuart Goodson... What is it with this guy? He seems hell bent on ruining my week!

  Anderson : He thinks he's saving people's lives by keeping them out of the cold.

  Josh Davis : Well, we have shelters in place for that!

  Ernesto Ramirez : Well, apparently not enough of them!

  Josh Davis : So that's what this is all about? It's some sort of exercise in civil disobedience?