A 25-year-old man was arrested Monday after he allegedly hurled a brick through the front windows of the Peace and Justice Center of Eastern Maine, a progressive advocacy organization with an office in downtown Bangor.
The man, Evan Kizer, allegedly threw the brick through the windows of the 96 Harlow Street office around 9:45 a.m., then fled on foot to nearby Abbott Square, which is just across from the Bangor Public Library.
No one was injured by the alleged vandalism, but the brick shattered through two windows: one on the outside of the building and another directly behind it, inside the building. It knocked over a small bookshelf in the office and left little shards of glass all over the space, according to David Patrick, associate director of the Peace and Justice Center, who was in a back room of the office when the damage happened.
Police arrested Kizer after Patrick left the office, followed him to Abbott Square and pointed him out to officers when they arrived.
Kizer — who doesn’t have a fixed address — was charged with aggravated criminal mischief, a Class C felony, due to the high dollar amount of the damage, according to Sgt. Wade Betters of the Bangor Police Department. He was also charged with violating conditions of release and taken to the Penobscot County Jail.
It was not clear why Kizer allegedly threw the brick through the windows. He did not tell police his reasoning, according to Betters. Patrick also said that he did not know the suspect’s motive.
The Peace and Justice Center advocates for a variety of progressive causes. On the inside entrance of its office, it has hung posters that promote a variety of causes, including gun control, climate change prevention, universal health care and indigenous rights. Its office is on the ground floor of a building owned by B&L Properties.
Patrick expressed appreciation to his coworkers at the Peace and Justice Center who helped clean up the damage on Monday. Later in the day, the brick was still sitting on a table in the center of the office.
“It was a large brick,” Patrick said. “I think we’ll probably save it as motivation for the people in our community. It’s a reminder of the hard work that we need to do.”