NEW ORLEANS — Efforts to spruce up the patio of St. Roch Market took a frustrating turn over the weekend.
Somebody stole all the new potted plants that lined the front of the market located in the 2300 block of St. Claude Avenue.
Market Operator Kevin Pedeaux said he noticed the missing plants as he arrived to open Saturday morning.
“I went and pulled the camera footage and I’m man, look at this woman, taking the plants that we just put in to try and make it look nicer and it got all torn up.”
Pedeaux was amazed and frustrated by the brazenness of the theft.
“She just kind of rolls up (on a bike),” Pedeaux said. “It’s about 4 o’clock in the morning, dark, nobody around and as you can see, she really takes her time, just kind of meandering around deciding what she wanted to take and by the end of the video, it’s every one of our new plants.”
Pedeaux posted the video on social media.
He said almost immediately, people started sending him words of support, some even volunteered to help replace the stolen plants.
Pedeaux’s mother Jean donated plants out of her own garden.
“It kind of got to my heart when I saw that video,” she said. “He told me we’re putting some more in, and I said I got the canna, and it spreads, why don’t we go ahead and put some of those in and help fill it up.”
St. Roch Marketing Director Elle Hinkle spent Sunday planting new greenery around the patio.
“We had like 200,000 people reach out from our post about how disappointed they were and how they wanted to come together,” Hinkle said. “We had people donate. It was awesome.”
It wasn’t too long ago St. Roch Market was struggling. In fact, in September, it almost closed. Pedeaux says the fact that so many people stepped up after the plant theft is an indication that the market is now headed in the right direction.
“I have always felt that St. Roch resonates with people and people want to point to St. Roch as a source of pride and just seeing the response from a little plant theft really does give me a lot more strength to keep going, to make this place what the city wants it to be,” Pedeaux said.
By Sunday, Pedeaux was able to replace all the plants with the help of his family and employees.
He is now applying for a grant to make the St. Roch patio even nicer.
In the meantime, the New Orleans Police Department is asking anyone with information about the crime or the suspect to call Fifth District detectives at 504-658-6050 or to anonymously call Crimestoppers at 504-822-1111.
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