ELMWOOD, La. (WGNO) — Law enforcement have been cracking down on illegal stunt driving with groups from out of town.
“We are strongly against those, we’ll call them, takeovers,” Mitchell Mark, a car enthusiast.
The latest was at the intersection of St. Claude and St. Roch, right in front of the St. Roch Market.
“Some of those other groups tend to be about what they can do with the car and seeing how far they can push the envelope,” car enthusiast Christian Castro said. “It really shines poorly on everyone else.”
That’s why Mark organized a safe event Saturday in a parking lot in Elmwood with nearly 100 people in attendance.
“Groups like these get permission from lots and work with the hosts and venues to have a nice meet where we can just hang out and get to know each other,” Castro said.
According to Castro, events like theirs were meant more to appreciate cars than test their limits.
That disregard for public safety was what frustrated him.
“I get having fun but there’s a time and a place,” Castro said. “Especially with everything the city has going on, why add to it?”
Mark said they have received backlash from people in the illegal stunt driving groups for what they do. However, it doesn’t bother him because he knows they’re doing what’s right.
“We’ve been very vocal about trying to make sure the NOLA community and others know, the car community is not an issue,” Mark said. “We’re not menaces. We’re just normal people that are into cars.”