Some of you may know that last Monday, June 17th, I discovered that my car had been stolen. If this sounds familiar, it is. The same vehicle, a 2015 Kia Soul, was stolen in February 2023 out of the garage at my apartment building in Trinidad. After my car was recovered and finally repaired weeks later, I broke my lease and moved to a new DC building after management's repeated reassurances that their garage was "secure."

I pay $275/month for parking!

Shortly after discovering my car was stolen on Monday -- this time out of my new building's garage -- I posted a request for help on Twitter, which went viral along with subsequent updates. So far, there have been 200,000+ views, 1300+ comments, and four separate television news reports about my twice-stolen Kia Soul. I am including links below to answer all of your questions. The highlights: my Kia Soul was stolen on Saturday, June 15th; it had two Clubs on the steering wheel, Kia software upgrade stickers, GPS tracking stickers, and an Apple Airtag, which pinged from a residential address in Temple Hills, Maryland, allowing my car to be recovered Monday night. The car thieves destroyed my car; it's not driveable. They tore apart the steering column and fuse box, removed the door handle, dismantled and stole my entire trunk, and took almost everything in the car - including one of the two steering wheel locks and the boot I used to incapacitate my tire.

As you can imagine, my entire world was in chaos last week (and frankly isn't much better this week). Between DC and Maryland police, Geico, the apartment building's management company (who are the absolute worst), and reporters, I did not have the time or the emotional bandwidth to update Congress Heights on the Rise or the daily newsletter. As much as it killed me not to post from Tuesday through Friday, there was no other way. That said, I still feel bad about it.

I don't have the words right now. I have yet to decide what to do about my car besides fixing it - assuming that's an option. Besides being paid off, the vehicle has a lot of sentimental value. I had Teddy for almost 17 years, and before he passed away in May 2023, he loved riding in that car. Nearly all of our happiest memories involved him standing on the armrest, excitement barely contained as I sang and he barked (or squealed). The many conversations we had, songs we sang, and cuddles in that car. If anything makes me heartbroken, it's the idea of letting that time capsule of our happiness go. For that reason, I hope the car thieves rot in hell, and until that time, I hope they find themselves in a jail cell for an extended period. These aren't petty crimes for joy rides. These are criminal acts with severe consequences. In 2023, my car was used to commit countless armed robberies. Those victims are still suffering the consequences, as am I. I bought my Kia because it was safe and affordable, and I liked the hamster commercials. I did not opt for the PTSD and never-ending-theft package.

I wish I had some solutions or insights, but I don't. Like my car, my optimism and faith have been stolen. And, like my car, I'm still determining how or if it can be repaired.

An update on my twice stolen car