I live in the city of
Detroit, and I love it. Give me a break. His bark is probably
worse than his bite. I'm on my way
to pay the money, but they going to tow it anyway. She's been on the
boot list over a year. You just told
me about this, OK? Am I getting a
ticket for this? Yes, sir. I got the authority. That's all you're proving. Keep on talking. You're a child in disguise. [music continuing] Welcome to
Detroit, Motor City. It's the place to be. This is my weapon right here. There you go. Can I have your autograph? Ms. Hubbard's saying you are a
big, old star and everything, you know. There you go. There you are, my lady. Oh, thank you, sir.
Thank you. Thank you, sir. You are just great. You're my number
one fan, Laverne? The city of Detroit belongs to
Ponytail, especially downtown. My nickname, they
call me Ponytail. What's up, man? You all right? I never wanted to cut my
hair because my hair looked like a peanut M&M to me. But I tell them, you don't
want to mess with Ponytail. Watch out, downtown. Is this your car right here? You got a ticket, my man. A lot of people in Detroit, they
don't like the dreaded Parking Enforcement Department. I think they suck real bad. Yeah, they all think
that I'm a ticket pirate or some vigilante. You got to pay to park. Detroit crazy. They like little kids, man. They don't want to be
told, I can't do this. I wouldn't have nothing to do
if you didn't park illegally. I'm enforcing the law. I'm Ponytail. Watch me roar. There's a no parking zone. That's my buddy, DeAndre,
the parking enforcement guy in the city, man. See how fast I
wrote the ticket? It's finished already. Look at that. Who wears a ponytail, man? Got to be cool. No mercy. Give him all tickets. One of my adoring fans. All you good people in
Detroit, I love you all, but your parking
is just obnoxious. Pickup truck there. This is a regular. He always parks illegally. He's right here, or over
there across the street. He thinks I'm a celebrity. He wants my autograph. It's another one for Ponytail. He's just starting it all over. A chain reaction. Another autograph. This is one of my
out of state fans. He's going to take this with
him and have it on his map. That's just a $20 autograph. In about 10 years, it's going
to be worth about $30,000. I'm going to be famous, man. I'm not out to get anybody. I just be where I'm supposed
to be when I'm not supposed to be there. Here we go. This car's back is
lot line and curb. I'm going to have to
be quick on this one. Cut me some slack. I just moved it over here. Well, I just wrote
the ticket, my man. This is private property. No, that's not
private property. This is city property. That's considered the
lot line and curb. It's illegal to be between
that lot line and curb. No you don't, man. I never got a ticket before. Yeah, that's because
I wasn't around here. They really don't have a chance. I'm real quick on this thing. I've been doing was a long time. PT Express coming your way. Y'all, watch out. You've got to be
tough on this job. They always told me that
when I first started. They said don't be a pushover. Everybody going to
try to be your friend. And I always kept that
in the back of my mind. I haven't been around in a
while so I should find somebody. See once you disappear for a
minute, they think it's OK. They start messing up again. People park left to the curb. We might see a couple
of those out here. You might catch some people
in front of their house, blocking the sidewalk. That's illegal, too. See, that's the reason
they don't supposed to be blocking the sidewalk. That little boy
don't need to run out just as I'm coming back. Maybe he darts out in the
street and I don't see them and I hit him. We got one right here,
lot line and curb. People don't like
getting a parking ticket in front of their house. They found that to be
really distressing. They're sicking their dog on me. Is this illegal? Yes, sir. You're not parked in
the driveway, ma'am. That's between the
lot line and curb. See, that's illegal
to park there. All this sidewalk, from
here to the street, is the city property. This is a safety violation. Am I getting a
ticket for this? I see cars like
that all the time. I never knew it was illegal. I'll start rectifying
them, too, then. How about that? If I'm allowed to. I mean, I can't stop you from
getting in your own car, sir. But you're writing the
ticket anyway, though. Well, I was already
almost finished with it. Ma'am, you don't know how
fast I can do this, though. I don't care how
fast you can do it. OK, ma'am.
OK. That's OK. If you want to talk
to me like that. They just want to make some
money off the innocent people, and [bleep] like that
don't give a [bleep].. I'm only doing a job. You're a [bleep]. OK. You're going to be getting
plenty of more if you have that car out there like that. I don't give a rat's ass. Keep on talking. I can talk all
the [bleep] I want. You sure can. Yeah. [bleep] like you don't
understand anything, piece of [bleep]. Get pissed off, got an attitude. The city's even deeper
[bleep] money-wise, and they're going to
make money off like this. Because your car
was parked illegally. You and me were
talking man to man. You stopped talking to me. When she came out,
she's started talking. You said nothing to me. I was talking to you. You could have ignored her. No. I got the authority,
that's all you're proving. You know I'm right. - No.
- Yes. Can you take this thing back? No, I'm not going
to take it back. You calling me all
kind of A-hole. Because you are. She started talking stuff. And I was trying
to move the car. You can't ignore that. [interposing voices] I said, OK, well that-- Sticks and stones, [bleep]. Sticks and stones, [bleep]. I can't tell what not
to think of me, man. You're a child in disguise. [bleep] like that don't
belong on the street. They used to be able
to talk to people. I was going to move the car. Because he gets pissed
at my wife, I gotta pay. He's a [bleep]. People are crazy. They be trippin. [mock crying] [bleep] idiot. [music playing] That last one was
a doozy, though. That guy was upset. He's mad at me because I'm
letting him know that you cannot do that. You got laws to abide by. The Lord said, abide by
the laws of the land. It's in the Bible. So hey, curse the
Ponytail if you want to. I'm here for a reason. This will be a hit. It's hot. It's hot. Another one bites the dust. It's not a rough job. The only things that
get dirty is your hands. Now, nails, I
wouldn't get nails. But other than
that, it's all good. My hair is having
a bad day, Michele. [laughter] We've been booting on and
off together for three years. She's a great partner. We can boot 10, 20 cars a day. Super boot crew, number 1. [music playing] (SINGING) Who do
you think you are? Rather want to be a superstar. What are we doing now? We're scanning plates,
looking for hot plates. If it goes off,
we're going to stop and we're going to
boot the vehicle. A hot plate is
an eligible vehicle when they have six or more
unpaid parking tickets. Yeah, I got me a hot one. Sonja's U-turns are
like a ride from hell. [laughter] She can be on this
side of the street. In two seconds, she can be on
the other side of the street. When I need to
do it, I got to go. This your vehicle ma'am? Yes. Do you have outstanding
parking tickets owed to the city of Detroit? No. What kind of parking tickets? Any kind of parking tickets. On this vehicle? It's any cars that you've
owned in the last seven years. If follows your name. If you've got a car that your
son and daughter is driving or your grandchild is driving,
if they're getting tickets, it's coming back to you. I haven't even
had this car a year. No, I'm saying it goes
back seven years to any car that you've had in your name. Lady, I've been driving
for damn near 40 years-- I believe you. --of my life. I don't know how
many cars I had. This vehicle is locked down. She needs to go
down to our office and take care of the tickets. SPEAKER: Huh? I don't ever recall ever
having parking ticket, unless they're talking
about my dead husband, who would get tickets on my car. I'd like to see these tickets
because I don't think-- You can got down
to our office. She's going to give you a print
out on every ticket that's been made on this plate. Yes. I would like to see that. I'd like to see that. I do not appreciate being
booted in front of my business. Me and two girlfriends just
opened it up, so we're trying. If the women make
the family, women makes the people, women's
side of the world. It is empowering that
we have women booters, I just would like
to get my car back. Once she pays the
fines and penalties, we can come back
and take it off. All right. She's only got maybe an
hour to take care of this. Hopefully she can go down
there and pay all her tickets. We got another hit. That's affirmative. He got a huge fine. Immediate tow is
a vehicle that we catch that's over a
certain amount of money. Then we have to come right
out, pick this vehicle up, because we don't want to take
any chances on a citizen trying to tamper with the boot or
drive off with the vehicle. That's affirmative. Tow truck going to
take about 10 minutes. When the citizens see
the tow truck pulling up, they know their vehicle
is about to get towed. That's the most dangerous
part about this job. I'm on a payment plan. Call the number. If they call us back,
we'll remove the boot. But other than that, they
gave us a confirmation and we're waiting
on a tow truck. I was on a plan. I didn't think it
was to be booted. I make my monthly payments. OK. Well, hurry up and
call the number, sir. OK. He's very frantic. If [inaudible] that ticket
of mine, I would be, too. You're going to have to try
to keep calling that number. Still, if the tow truck gets
here before they tell us not to tow it, we're going
to take this vehicle. Sir, can I use your
phone to try that? I think maybe he's just nervous. No, I keep hitting 0. 1, 3, 1, 3. it's not 3, 1, 3. I'm trying to help
the citizen out. He's not having
any kind of luck. They're transferring
your call right now. Now they're doing it. They didn't do it before. I think he's just a
little upset right now. There's a person on the
phone right now, sir. Right. If they don't call
me back, we're going to proceed
on with the towing. When was it canceled? I hope things
work out for him, but unfortunately, we have
no control over what happens. The tow truck is arriving. Now he has to pay all his
fines and penalties in order to get the car back. I feel bad for the citizen,
but there's nothing I can do. You have to take care
and handle your business. That's affirmative. I'm going back to the other
vehicle that we booted earlier. The tow truck is there. We're going to release
that to the tow truck so it can go to the
impoundment yard. Here we go, my famous U. I'm on my way
to pay the money, but they going to tow it anyway. Why? It's the end of the day and
they like for all the cars to be off the street. We can't leave the car out
on the street 24 hours. It's not going to be 24 hours
if I'm on my way to pay it. There's nobody going to be
here to release the vehicle. Municipal parking
will be closed. You know, that's not fair. She didn't even have a chance. They notified us, telling
us that they dispatched the tow unit. We have nothing to do with that. You just told
me about this, OK? Now you're telling
me that I can't even get down there to pay it. And you're all
going to make me pay another 100 and some dollars? Can I get my stuff
out of the car? You sure can. Any car that's being booted,
you receive a certified letter. So she knew this vehicle
was on the boot list. She's saying we're not
giving her enough time to go down there right
now to pay the ticket. In all reality, she
had a whole lot of time to go out there and
pay those tickets. I really would love for
her to have her car back, but if money don't happen,
they ain't going to allow it. There's nothing we can do. It's going to be impounded. Yeah, I'm ready
for my weekend. It's time to go
home to my family. Super boot crew, number 1. Green Cavalier here. Meter time has expired. Veggie pizza. [chuckles] I thought
that was a note for us. [music playing] (SINGING) Hey pretty
baby, I like your style. Sometimes people will leave
a message on the car stating that they put money in the meter
but no time was given to them. Hey. How are you, sir? Right around this corner. I don't know every sign
that's in the neighborhood. How long have you
been working here? Five months. They going to get rid of you. You only here five months? [laughs] Let's see. If I get a ticket,
I'm driving your car. As long as you have money
in the meter, you're fine. Uh-oh. Now I need one more quarter. This is your vehicle, right? Yeah. So you can't be on
this side, can you? I'm looking at this vehicle. It has an expired meter. I want to give out
some parking tickets. It's not an easy job. Yeah, it's easy. Look how cute you look. Trying to keep a
smile on my face. - You better.
- I already know. Detroit has a lot of
soul and a lot of spirit, so I usually try to give it
back because I receive it on the streets. I am a rookie/new
kid on the block. I feel like I've settled in. I can't say I know everything. I mean, I haven't had a
lot of the experiences that the veterans have had. I've always wanted a job
working for the city of Detroit. I've lived in Detroit
all my life and love it. There's a lot of good
people in Detroit. These are my neighbors. These are people that
I attend church with, so I try to treat everybody
as I want to be treated. It's an expired meter. I do apologize, you
do have a ticket. I just went to make a
takeout order anyways. Oh my gosh. You didn't put any
money in there? I try to be friendly
with citizens. Yeah, I did. I'm sorry. I'll explain it to them and let
them know what the violation is for.
- This could have been avoided. I could be at home right now. Well, I do apologize. A person may be
wrong and I can still apologize, because I've
gotten tickets before myself, so I know the feeling. In a no standing zone. SPEAKER: Uh-oh. This right here
is a rush hour. Everyone is supposed to
be vacated from the area. Sorry, I actually didn't
see you in there, sir. Yeah, this is a no standing. I just pulled in here and I
was just about to go in to do [inaudible]. I do apologize. I've got a quarter in my
hand to put in the thing. It won't even take any money. Well, I do apologize. Yeah, the sign is right
above you over there. Sorry. It's ridiculous. I do apologize. Come on now. I'm only doing
what the sign says. I'm here to do business here. I understand. You know that
that's not right? What's not right? Someone to get out of
their car to pay for parking and then you hand them a ticket. This is a no standing zone. How am I supposed
to know that? The sign is right up there. I can't see the sign. I do apologize. I cannot take the ticket back. I do apologize. All right. All right. Have a good day, sir. I can't take a ticket back for
something that is a violation. Some people think we're
just evil that we're just out to target them. And that's not true. It's not personal. We have a job to do. Let's see. I see another one up here. My car. Is this your vehicle? Yes, it is. That's not a ticket, is it? This is a ticket. This is [bleep]. You have got to be kidding me. I can see why the city of
Detroit's in the mess it's in. Have a good day, sir. I'm going to have
a great day, thanks. All righty. The citizen said
Detroit's so messed up. What does that have to do
with me doing my job and you parking according to the laws? When you make a statement
like that, you know, I mean, it kind of hurts. I live in the city of
Detroit and I love it. When we ride by in the vehicles,
we look on the pay stations to see what numbers
are lit up in red. That'll let you know that
the meter has expired. Time has expired on their meter. Hey, ma'am? Here we go. Yes, sir? I knew that my $0.50
would cover me till 5 o'clock, and that
thing just expired. It had to be on to the 2nd. Let's go look at it. Meter number 3? Yes, ma'am. It does they expired. You can't look at that to
tell me when I put the $0.50 in? No. It doesn't tell me what
time you put your $0.50 in. Give me a break. You know, I'm just
tired of this. Maybe in the age of computers,
she could check into the meter. I get tired of being a victim. Yeah, I understand. I got a fine for garbage in
my alley that I never caused. I understand. I'm tired of being raped. I do apologize. And I'm sorry to dump on you. Yeah. I'm just upset. I bought a repossessed house. I paid less than $10,000 for it. They charged me $9,000 in taxes. Really? But you know what? You got the crackhead rapist and
you got the government rapist, and I'm fed up. I understand, sir. Yikes. I'm empathetic to the situation. The gentleman really felt
that I was listening to him. Unfortunately, it was
concerns about other things that are going on in his life. He seems like the type of
person that his bark is probably worse than his bite. [barking] I try to be polite to
everyone because you never know where you may
receive a blessing from. Give me a ticket. My car right there. This your car? No, I'm just joking. You're about to get one. Yes, she looks real nice. Real nice. That's how we do
it in the D. You know, ladies working
just as hard as we do. I'll see you later. For sure. Yeah, he definitely
have good taste. I love the people
here in Detroit. There's nowhere like home.
