NOLA Thieves Steal Honda Element from Wonder Woman During Mardi Gras 2017

Melinda Palacio

All Wonder Women Walking Krewe
Melinda Palacio, right, holds up banner

Carnival season started off with a bang or two. I marched with the All Wonder Woman Walking Krewe in the Intergalactic Krewe of Chewbachhus parade. It was my first time in a Mardi Gras parade. We were 120 Wonder Woman strong. The entire experience from making my own throws to throwing together a costume with a lighted lasso to match was enough fun to last until next year. I should back up for those not in the know of New Orleans Mardi Gras or Carnival season lingo.

The Wonder Women Stop for a Dance Break along Parade Route.

            Mardi Gras ends on Fat Tuesday or mardi gras day. The carnival season begins with the arrival of the Three Kings. This year, the festivities started Friday January 6, 12th Night with the Joan of Arc and the Phunny Phorty Phellows parades, followed by a short lull and then the Krewe de Vieux parade, February 11th in the French Quarter, which kicks off the carnival crescendo to Mardi Gras with parades and more parades.

King Cake or Pan de Rosca New Orleans Style colored in Mardi Gras colors, Purple, Green, and Gold.

            For the past two weeks the city of New Orleans has been parading, partying, and generally getting carried away with the carnival spirit. Unfortunately, New Orleans and Mardi Gras festivities have not been immune to the embolden outrages caused by certain deplorable individuals.

            Yesterday morning, February 23, The Jewish Community Center on St. Charles Avenue was evacuated following a bomb threat. New Orleans Mayor, Mitch Landrieu, tweeted, "Be clear, anti-semitism will not be tolerated in NOLA." Although the threat was deemed non-credible, the cowardly act was disturbing, to say the least.

             On a more personal note, the day after I marched with the Wonder Woman Krewe, my car was stolen from my driveway. This is a car that my husband bought in 2007, that we drive back and forth across the country, that we've burned through 320, 000 miles on the trusty car. The speed with which the thieves stole the car was mind blowing. We even have an eye-witness to the crime. A neighbor and her pointer dog saw the whole thing go down. She was walking her dog, when the dog stopped and pointed to a stranger standing in the middle of the street. There was a black SUV parked with a man inside who seemed to be checking for a clear coast. The man standing in the middle of the street ran to our car and sped away. Our neighbor didn't think to call the police because the man bolted away with the car so quickly, she thought he had a key and had assumed he was a friend of ours and that there was some kind of emergency.

My green Honda Element, with CA plates NOLA, stolen on Sunday. 

            Gone in less than 60 seconds, our green Honda Element with CA license plate NOLA was stolen by professionals. And while auto theft is a serious crime, I don't expect NOPD to recover our car in the next few days before Mardi Gras. In fact, I have little hope the vehicle will be returned to us at all. Honda stopped making the Element and our insurance agent prepared us for the worse, that our car will be chopped and sold for parts. However, yesterday afternoon, through the magic of Facebook, a friend of a facebook friend spotted our car on the highway, getting off the Crowder exit in New Orleans East. In a wild goose chase and an attempt at recovering the car, Steve and hopped into our rental and set out to find our stolen car. Unfortunately, we did not find it, but at least we know the car is still running, operable, and in one piece. There is hope, yet, that we may still have a vehicle to drive to California in. Let's all pray to St. Anthony, whether you are religious or not, gracias. In the meantime, yesterday was a good day for a parade and I caught two beautiful shoes at the Muses parade. I still love New Orleans and will not let anyone rain on my parades. Laissez les bons temps roulez.

Thank you to Muses Dorothy and Joi for the beautiful shoes.