“This is a catastrophe,” said Gerswalde’s mayor Eva-Maria Meister (CDU), after she saw what burglars had “done” in the Gerswalde library: drinks that were there for the upcoming “Stoppelmarkt” had been tipped out. The empty bottles have disappeared. “Two windows were smashed, as was the large glass door.”
Cigarette butts and empty cigarette packets
The perpetrators had also tampered with the desk of library employee Marlies Bechly. The contents had been scattered around the room. In between there were shards of glass from the broken window panes. The floor was sticky from the drinks that had been spilled. In the upper part of the building, where the children’s library is located, there were countless cigarette butts and empty cigarette packets next to the children’s seating area. “A fire could have easily broken out there,” said Marlies Bechly. The perpetrators had thrown out bags of books that had been donated to the library.
The burglars also damaged the things that the local Volkssolidarität group uses for its meeting place in the building. “Everything was in a wild mess,” said the Gerswalder. “It will be a lot of work to clean and tidy everything up again.”
Insurance does not cover all damages
She and the mayor have no understanding for such vandalism. “Even if the building is insured, the insurance does not cover all the damage caused,” said Eva-Maria Meister. This was not the first break-in at the library.
The incident was discovered on August 5th. The Gerswalde office had reported the incident to the police on behalf of the municipality that morning. The officers caught a 17-year-old on the scene who was trying to escape through a window, according to information from the East Police Directorate.
She also stated that this youth had previously been reported missing.
