Mardi Gras turns girl's parade nightmare into a dream come true

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Forget what the calendar might have said. On Friday, at least in one part of New Orleans, it was Emily Gras.

Emily Mueller, an 11-year-old north shore girl with autism, was the object of one drunken young man?s abuse during the Krewe of Muses parade on Feb. 16. She was reduced to tears before she could see any of her favorite parade.

Her mother, Amy Mueller, wrote about the experience online on Thursday, detailing the man?s cruel words and thoughtless actions. She wrote that the man came close to setting Emily?s hair on fire with a cigarette and spilling beer on her before calling her a ?retard? to his friends and, later, to her face. Emily asked her mother to take her home, saying she never wanted to participate in Mardi Gras again.

On Friday morning, Amy said, she awoke to learn that she and her daughter had become the objects of an online love fest.

Her post on NOLAFemmes.com generated 30,000 page views and about 600 responses, and sympathetic comments flooded Twitter and Facebook. In no time at all, #EmilyGras became a popular Twitter hashtag. Some residents relayed prayers and warm wishes, while others volunteered to send Muses memorabilia they caught at the parade, and a Tulane University group announced it will hold an awareness day on March 7 to educate people about autism and the destructive power of the epithet ?retard.?

And that was just the beginning.

Staci Rosenberg, Muses? founder, offered to open up the den Friday morning so the organization could make it up to Emily. Emily was even invited to climb aboard the krewe?s signature fiber-optic, high-heeled shoe.

Muses members, clad in this year?s one-shouldered teal robes, attended in full force, despite the short notice.

Autistic girl who was mistreated at Muses parade gets a magical night Muses recreates magical night for autistic girl.

Louise Regan, a four-year krewe member, said she was excited to give Emily the celebration she deserved, even though she had learned about it only an hour before it began.

In addition to Muses, costumed members of the 610 Stompers, the Rolling Elvi and the Pussyfooters gathered at the den to strut, dance and bestow glittery shoes, leis, beads and stuffed animals upon Emily, who pronounced the experience ?overwhelming.?

?We?re an all-women marching group. We support women ? the mom and the little girl,? said Anne Titelbaum, a Pussyfooter marcher for six years. ?We were all little girls at one time, and no one is perfect.?

Mark Decker, a Rolling Elvi for three years, said several members of his group even skipped work to attend.

?It?s what we do,? he said. ?It?s not just about Mardi Gras; it?s about being charitable and giving back.?

Other visitors, many accompanied by their own children, also lined up to give Mardi Gras goodies to Emily, who wore a crown of ivy leaves, a Muses symbol. She greeted each gift with a shy smile and soft ?thank you,? as bags of loot piled around her.

?I think it?s really sweet,? she said, giggling behind an oversized pair of Elvis-inspired sunglasses.

In a demonstration of what Rosenberg called ?the power of viral media,? nearly 100 people descended upon the den.

Rudy and Michelle Brown and their daughter, Kelsey, owners of Nola Snow Snowballs, showed up unbidden and started turning out snowballs for anyone who wanted one. Their operation was next to a table where king cake was being dispensed.

?We saw the story on Facebook,? Rudy Brown said. ?We had a similar experience last Mardi Gras, and we wanted to make it up to Emily.?

Lauren Thom, creator of the Fleurty Girl T-shirt line, said the attitude displayed at the Emily Gras celebration is what defines New Orleans, adding, ?This wouldn?t happen anywhere else.?

?They rained on her parade,? Thom said, ?so we gave her her own.?

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