Apr 12, 2015 2 min read

PITTSBURGH (AP) — The mother of a man whose passing was supposed to be marked by a memorial march in Pittsburgh said her son was done no honor by the masked group who rampaged through an upscale neighborhood breaking windows.

About 30 people wearing black clothing and carrying candles were in the business district of the trendy Shadyside area Friday night to mark the death of Michael Vesch earlier this month, police said. After the group posted fliers saying “Rest in Peace Mike V. Anarchy forever,” officials said at least some members donned masks, pulled out hammers and began smashing the windows of businesses and vehicles.

Miranda Leanos, a waitress at Thai Place, where the window was broken, called the events “terrifying.”

“I was carrying food out, and then I heard like a loud bang noise and the other waitress in front of me dropped down behind a table and I thought there was like a shooting or something, so I dropped down … and we realized that the window had been knocked out,” she told WPXI-TV.

Vesch’s mother, Aileen Bunce, told reporters that their actions were “disgraceful.”

“How dare you use my son to destroy people’s business. How dare you use that as an excuse,” she said. “As far as this craziness in Shadyside was not Michael. He was a peace-loving person. What they did was on their own and not Michael.”

Sonya Toler of the city’s Public Safety department said they did thousands of dollars of damage. No arrests were immediately announced, but police said they were reviewing surveillance video and were confident that they would be able to identify and arrest those responsible.

Sue Kerr, founder and editor of the Pittsburgh Lesbian Correspondents blog, said she had worked with Vesch on anti-poverty and other social justice projects.

“He was a really nice guy, very concerned about people who are oppressed. He identified himself as an anarchist,” she said. “I didn’t know him well enough to know what he would think about it. I don’t know if this was done in Mike’s name.”