A Gainesville man was arrested on Friday for allegedly vandalizing the Old Library Building and City Hall and making threats to Mayor Harvey Ward that occurred in March.
According to an arrest report, James Alexander Dewar, 42, was arrested and charged with making a threat against a public servant and vandalism.
The charges stem from multiple incidents that occurred in March starting with the front glass doors of the Old Library Building being smashed by a piece of slate tile found inside the building on March 4. According to the report, a folded note was found in the lobby area that said, “Keep giving all our jobs to the blacks and hispanics. Retribution is coming. Trump 2024. DEI.” A circular “stop” symbol was drawn around “DEI.”
Another incident occurred between March 13 and March 18 when cleaning staff found a broken window on March 18 on the south side of the second floor at City Hall. A chunk of brick appeared to have been thrown through the window.
The third incident happened on March 27 when city staff found Ward’s office window had been broken by multiple large rocks overnight. A note was found that said, “Mr Ward, You insult our intelligence, and we have had enough. You continue to talk up DEI, all the while we’ve had 2 white young people killed by blacks in the last month. We want the DEI program fully shut down. You won’t listen to our words, so we now speak in the language of our January 6th brothers and sisters. RIP [first victim’s name]. RIP [second victim’s name]. DEI (encircled by don’t sign). And no I am not racist, I’m simply tired of us whites having to take it on the chin. Those days are over and anyways, people like me do not care about being called racist! (you called me that a meeting.) Don’t make me turn this place into the Alfred P Murrah building.” The victims’ names are redacted to protect their families.
Dewar’s note included a reference to the Alfred P Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma which was the target of a bombing on April 19, 1995, by Terry Nichols and Timothy McVeigh that killed 168 people and injured hundreds more.
Surveillance video from both the Old Library Building and the vandalism done to Ward’s office helped law enforcement get a description of Dewar and his vehicle and an arrest warrant was issued from the Eighth Judicial Circuit for the suspect on May 1.
Dewar was booked into the Alachua County Jail on Friday.
As a conservative we sometimes refer to those obsessed with President Trump as having Trump Derangement Syndrome. (but) in all fairness and to be objective, this man has some serious anger issues that hopefully a stint at State Prison will make him reflect. I disageree with Mr. Harvery on many issues but attacking his office as was done is indefensible. We need to talk, to show up but leave the violence out of the picture.
The indidual who did these acts has serious mental issues, is a bully and has no sense of history.
This is exactly what we don’t need on either side of political issues. Using violence and threats doesn’t work. Threatening to bomb public buildings will just make you someone no one will listen to. I think DEI has become the hot button because people don’t understand it, or are willfully ignorant of what it is and what it isn’t. It’s a philosophy and culture that aims to acknowledge, support, and accept people from all backgrounds, not make anyone change their life, just acknowledge and respect that others lives may be different and that’s OK.