Found

Well today (Wednesday, August 22nd) a nice woman from the Detroit Police Department called to say my car was recovered. I had a momentary surge of excitement. I am pretty sure I said, "Oh my God..really...where...how is it?" Like I honestly thought it would be in good condition. My hope was fleeting. She started running down the list of what was missing...it goes like this:

Windshield Wipers
Headlights
Battery
Radio
Driver's Door
Hood
Engine Parts

I knew it was all over then...there was no hope. She was stripped and totaled. I quickly called the towing company where she had been taken to. They were open until 7pm so I headed over there right after work. My first indication that this wasn't going to be pretty was all the signs the towing company had tacked up on their bulletproof glass. The signs said, "It is not our fault your car is here." "You cannot take belongings without paying first." And variations of those...my favorite of course was it was not their fault my car was there...that was a good reminder for me.

They looked up my car and a nice fellow took me out to where it was parked on a golf cart. I recognized her immediately even in her stripped down state. They took basically everything in the engine, radio, panels, etc. Pictures below for those who are interested. I was able to recover a few of my maps I had in the glove box (which by the way the glove box was completely gone), a towel, my insurance/registration/license plate, and two very special items...a rock for a LV Retreat that Br. Bud gave us during a reflection and also a Lasallian key chain that said "Live Jesus in Our Hearts." Any Lasallians out there will appreciate how meaningful it was to me to have my car stripped and destroyed yet my rock from this retreat and this key chain were still intact.  I always kept them in the car as a reminder of my time with the LVs and Brothers. I had to dig on the floor to find them but there were there. Everything else was gone...my CDs, books, etc. Nothing of great worth but still gone.

I came back to the towing office and got ready to sign over my title. The car was worthless to me. I don't have comprehensive insurance coverage. It wasn't worth it. The car is 20 years old with almost 250,000 miles. It just wasn't worth the extra coverage every month. Because of that, the insurance company will do nothing...and I am completely out of a car. I signed over the title and found out I had to pay $75 for the towing/impound for a night. This was the first time I really got angry about this whole thing. I mean seriously angry. I had to take a step back and take a deep breath. My car was stolen, ripped apart, and now I have to pay you $75. I reminded myself, "It is not their fault my car is there." They don't deserve my anger. I paid the $75 and thanked them with a smile...and I meant it. They probably deal with angry people all the time who treat them like shit. The least I could do was say thank you and smile. I have full plans to go and visit with my State Representative about this. Your car is stolen and you are left with nothing and you still have to pay...there has to be a way to change that. Rashida will be hearing from me soon.

Again I was reminded of people who have no money and no options...what the hell do they do when their car is stolen and ripped apart? Since folks have heard about my car, I have had many people send emails with links to decent cars or recommend people they know who are selling and reliable. I can't thank people enough for their generosity and care. I am grateful I have so many people in my life who can help me in so many ways. Let this be a reminder to also help our neighbor when they are in need...maybe they don't have as great of a support network as I do.

For now, I am going to try and go without a car until I absolutely need one. I have been applying for a few jobs and some would definitely require me to have a car...others not...so I am going to play this one by ear. Unless of course you have a car you would like to give me. If it is decent, I will gladly take it off your hands. I have been fantasizing about driving a motorcycle...but in reality it would probably be a moped :) Detroit is terrible for public transportation, so this will be a challenge. But a few friends and family have already offered to lend me their car when I might need it.

And now a final ode to the Little Red Car...or Rose as she was known to some and Chiquitita as she was known to others. Chiquitita we had a lot of time together and drove many a miles. I know at times it was a love/hate relationship with maybe a little too much hate on my part. You see I got your for free from my dad but immediately had to spend almost $1000 to keep you running and pass inspection in DC. Then you refused to start. And I had to spend more money and time replacing the fuel pump, fuel filter, electronics in the starting and the alternator. Then you had an exhaust leak. I instafoamed the hell out of you and replaced the muffler. O'Reilly's Auto Parts and I were getting very close. Finally...you were running beautifully. No problems...just smooth sailing. We were starting to really like each other. You drove me back and forth to Michigan and up and down the east coast many times. In your last big hurrah, I packed you with all my belonging and we took a three week journey up the east coast. We spent a week in Philly and a week in NYC. You made it all the way to Connecticut and Massachusetts. You crossed New York with no problem and made it to MI. I unloaded you in Lansing and we took another great trip to the Upper Peninsula, Minnesota, Illinois and back. And now Detroit. You had a great run...may your parts go on living in other cars.

If you are curious where my car was recovered, you can check out this map. It was recovered at Henderson and Ogden which is about 3 miles from my house. Apparently Honda Civics are hot in southwest Detroit and disappear from the streets all the time.

https://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=henderson+and+ogden+detroit,+mi&aq=&sll=42.352711,-83.099205&sspn=0.277567,0.196381&vpsrc=6&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Ogden+St+%26+Henderson+Ave,+Detroit,+Wayne,+Michigan+48210&ll=42.335961,-83.124447&spn=0.034452,0.084543&t=m&z=14&iwloc=A

Here are the photos of my car. There are captions but you might have to click on the photos to read them. Enjoy: