NYC Parking Vigilante

Sometimes I live in New York City and sometimes it's the worst.

I was on my way to puppysit my furry friend Astraea this morning.  Sometimes she looks like this.
I arrived at my legally parked car just in time to move it for alternate side street cleaning and was stunned to find this on my wheel.
And this glued to my window.
Turns out the city had at some point electronically ticketed me without actually notifying me, ratcheted up miscellaneous fees, and then authorized the Sheriff's Dept. to take my car hostage.Astraea had to pee ASAPee and I didn't want to block the street cleaner so I called the number and was given the option to pay this exhorbitant surprise ransom and get a code that would let me take the "immobilization device" off OR pay the ransom and wait 6 HOURS for them to send someone to remove it for me.

I chose to put the bill on my credit card.  Chose.  Ha.

After attending to my friend who sometimes looks like this
I called the company that runs this program again to have them come pick up their device only to have them add insult to injury because 

EVEN THOUGH I've already paid the mystery fees I just found out about TODAY they still require me to now spend more of my own time and money to RETURN THE BOOT TO THEM.

BEFORE I'd paid the ransom they could send me the unlock code OR send someone to pick up their device.

AFTER I've paid them, they refuse to send someone to pick up their device.

I think that is immoral and unjust. 

NOW FOR THE FUN PART.

I have 48 HOURS (I'm assuming from the time I paid them which was about 10:00am on Friday, 2/28) to return the device.  

If I don't, they will charge me a fee of $25/day
UP TO A MAXIMUM OF $500.

When I pointed out that I was pressured to pay so that I could avoid getting a parking ticket for not moving my car, the agent informed me that a car with one of these devices on it is exempt from alternate side parking tickets.

How crazy is that?  

I mused out loud that maybe I should just pay the $500 and keep the device so I would be able to park my car anywhere I want and not have to worry about parking tickets anymore and the agent agreed THAT WOULD WORK!

So.

I have until 10am on Sunday, March 1st to raise $500 for this cause.

If this post is successful I will effectively have an overpriced free parking device that I would be thrilled to loan to anyone in NYC FOR FREE in my own personal crusade to balance the scales of New York City parking JUSTICE.

It's not life or death, but whatever interest I generate with this might just help prove to myself that I'm not a crazy person for believing this city's parking policies are cruel and unusual and ought to be changed.