The practice of booting cars has become a menace in Atlanta, Georgia and two girls have gone viral for trying to lessen the impact of the practice. Cars are fitted with a “boot” on at least one of the wheels to prevent them from moving. A ticket or citation accompanies the boot. The operator of the vehicle is required to call the number on the ticket to have the boot removed. This can place a person in danger because they may not have the money to get the boot removed and they also have to wait for a person to come remove it. If they leave the vehicle in some random parking lot in Downtown Atlanta, for example, the car will most likely be the target of a break-in or attempted theft, which presents an entirely different set of problems.
The “Boot Girls”, as they are often referred to, will come to any location in the Atlanta area and remove “boots” from cars for a flat fee of $50. This is lower than the $75 per day that local parking violation authorities are allowed to charge under Georgia law. The girls do not reveal their identities for fear of retaliation or even police interactions, although what they do is not necessarily illegal. Georgia law does not prohibit the use or sale of “boot keys”, the devices which remove boots from cars. The only thing that would be illegal is if a person steals the boot or damages it. The Boot Girls simply unlock the device and leave it on the curb.
