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This kind of thing actually scares me.

City reinstates abandoned vehicle unit

03:35 PM CDT on Wednesday, July 12, 2006

WWLTV.com

The City of New Orleans announced Wednesday that it has re-instated its Junked and Abandoned Vehicle Unit.

The unit'’s primary responsibility is to respond to complaints of abandoned vehicles around the city. After investigating each complaint, the unit can issue citations, have the vehicle removed and even put up for auction.

At first the unit will only respond to complaints on the West Bank. A state contractor has been clearing the vehicles on the East Bank.

To report abandoned vehicles on the West Bank, residents can call (504) 658-8200. For the East Bank, residents can call toll-free (877) 244-2540.

I park my 94 Tercel on the block but use the bicycle as my primary means of transit... which means the car will sit in the same place on the street for days..Sometimes weeks at a time. About two months ago, a random vandal smashed my rear driver's side window for no apparent reason (certainly not in order to break in as nothing was taken from the car and I keep a lot of crap in there). Because I am (a) perennially near-broke and (b) too lazy to bother spending time and money on what I deem largely cosmetic repairs, the hole has been plugged with Homeland Security standard issue plastic sheeting and duct tape. My concern now is that some of my Y-word neighbors...particularly the ones trying to sell their house across the street may be tempted to report my car as abandoned. Yes there is precedent for this. I'm thinking of spelling out the words "Please Don't Tow Me" in duct tape on the hood. Any better ideas?