While she feeds the poor, the city tows her truck

In a cash-strapped city where revenue often is found at the end of a tow truck, there are dollars and cents – and then there is common sense.
Marianite Sister Beth Mouch, who since Hurricane Katrina has supervised the feeding of breakfast and lunch to hundreds of hungry people every day at the St. Jude Community Center on North Rampart Street, got a sour taste of the letter of the law on St. Joseph’s Day.

As a pickup truck filled with donated food from the St. Joseph’s Altar at St. Mary’s Church in the French Quarter was being unloaded at a side entrance to the center on Conti Street, a city tow truck hooked up a chain up to its bumper and dragged it to the pound, despite pleas from Sister Beth to provide an explanation.

Just ‘following the rules’
It wasn’t the $193 towing fee that most upset Sister Beth. That charge was paid by Nel Vezina, the volunteer who owned the truck. Rather, Sister Beth said she could not believe the refusal of the tow truck operator even to listen to her.

“We parked where every delivery to the center is made, by the side door on Conti Street,” Sister Beth said. “The reason we do that is because we don’t have steps there, and we can just roll out our delivery carts and roll them back in until it’s done.

“We had such a huge delivery. When we finished unloading the truck, I was walking back out and I heard the tow truck. I ran out and I asked him, ‘Sir, please, please, let me tell you what we’re doing.’ He wouldn’t speak to me. He wouldn’t look at me. He wouldn’t do anything. He just said, ‘Rules are rules, and we have to follow all the rules.’ It wasn’t even hooked up at all. I asked him to please stop, but he rushed to hook it up.”

Sister Beth said the city issued a statement that made it appear the truck, which was parked with two wheels on the sidewalk, was blocking the sidewalk and the street.

“There was absolutely nothing blocked,” Sister Beth said. “The sidewalk is wide enough so people could walk, and the street was certainly not blocked. Cars were passing as we were unloading.”

Center’s life-giving work
In addition to feeding two meals a day, Monday through Friday, to about 200 people, the St. Jude Community Center also provides temporary housing for working women with children and other services for the needy. They also house volunteers from across the country who have come to New Orleans on rebuilding missions.

Sister Beth hopes the incident can provide an impetus for better training of tow truck drivers.

“I would love them to go through the same training that our police men and women go through,” she said. “At Mardi Gras, we are world-respected because we know how to handle crowds and handle people. If they could just do that and learn to talk to people instead of using it as their hour of power, we’d be much better and leave a totally different impression to our visitors.”

At least Sister Beth can say she’s not alone. A van used by student volunteers from Madison College – staying at the center while they helped rehab homes – was towed from the front of the center as it was being unloaded following a day’s work.

“Something is drastically wrong with the system,” Sister Beth said.

To donate food, clothing or money to the St. Jude Community Center, contact Sister Beth at 931-6993, or send to 400 North Rampart St., New Orleans, LA 70112.

Peter Finney Jr. can be reached at [email protected].