Burglars Steal Atlanta Shriners' Little Parade Cars

In the world of burglary and thievery, stealing the Shriners' little cars just might be as heinous as someone stealing Bozo's big, red, rubber nose from his circus dressing room, or stealing Santa's sleigh just before his annual debut at the mall parking lot. Shriner, Atlanta, Theft

EAST POINT, Ga. -- In the world of burglary and thievery, stealing the Shriners' little cars just might be as heinous as someone stealing Bozo's big, red, rubber nose from his circus dressing room, or stealing Santa's sleigh just before his annual debut at the Mall parking lot.

"I just couldn't believe it," said a heart-broken Shriner, Primis James of Atlanta's Nabbar Temple, Monday night. "Who in the world would want to take these cars?"

But someone did steal the Shriners' little cars -- those go-carts you see Shriners driving around in circles, in parades. Someone stole seven of the ten cars that members of the Shriners' Nabbar Temple have been driving in parades all across the country.

"We've been doing this for 20 years. So this means a whole lot to me.... These cars are near and dear to me. These cars mean so much to me."

Primis James said his Motor Unit had always garaged the go-carts, which look like Indy high-performance racers, in a storage unit in East Point. And the cars have always been safe, until now.

Burglars broke into 30 storage units at Extra Space Storage on Lakewood Ave. in East Point last week, including the Shriners' unit, and stole seven of the cars. They returned Sunday night to steal the remaining three, but East Point police spotted the burglars, and they got away empty handed.

The three remaining cars are now in an undisclosed location. And the Shriners are in a state of disbelief and sadness, unsure of how they'll bounce back.

"In order to replace these cars, it's going to be between $1,700 and $2,000 each."

An expense the Shriners cannot afford.

"No way. We're a non-profit organization. We survive off of donations and the little fund-raisers that we make."

James said it's not the loss of the cars, themselves, that hurts him most. It's not being able to be in the parades that they'd been invited to join during the holidays and beyond, drawing attention to the Shriners' charities, being part of the Metro Atlanta communities.

"We just make people smile all the time... Kids are smiling all the time when they see the little cars go in circles."

James and his Motor Unit compete all over the country, performing their precise choreography-on-wheels in contests with some of the best of the best, and raising money for charities.

"These cars have been, I don't want to say around the world, but definitely around the country. We've been everywhere, from Canada to Texas. I mean, you name it, Nabbar Temple 128, the Temple itself along with the Motor Unit, is always there."

So if somebody tries to sell you any of the Shriners' little Indy go-carts, beware -- if you buy, you'll be guilty of receiving stolen property. Call East Point police, instead.

"What these burglars have done is really set the organization back in terms of our parades. Our next parade would have been the College Park Parade, in College Park" just before Christmas. "And without our cars, it's just real difficult. So me and the other members of the Temple, we're going to have to come up with a plan and see what we can do to try to put ourselves back in the parades.... The Temple has clowns. But if you didn't have the mini-cars, I mean, to me, it's not a parade."

For now, the Shriners want to come up with a reward to help East Point police; but they don't know, yet, how much their reward will be.

"We haven't really come up with a number, yet, because our money is just so low, right now. But we're going to do the best we can, once we get those numbers together."

For anyone who wants to donate to the cause, the Shriners' address is: Nabbar Temple Motor Unit, 330 Auburn Ave., Atlanta, GA 30312.

Anyone with tips or any other information that might help investigators find the cars and the thieves should contact the East Point Police Department.

Keywords: Shriner, Atlanta, Theft