Pontiac city official partners with local businesses to help motorists in need of minor repairs
Pontiac, Michigan, Councilmember Mikal Goodman is helping his community by providing minor car repairs for free.
The Pull Over Prevention clinic aims to help people avoid unnecessary interactions with law enforcement, organizers say.
"I don't think that those minor mistakes, minor repairs are things that should get someone locked up or, you know, a $100+ ticket," Goodman said.
Jeremiah Williams and his wife Rochelle get their car looked at by mechanics. Their left signal light is out, and it's an easy fix that will help this young couple from getting pulled over by police.
"A lot of us cannot afford to get the minor fixes, and a lot of us don't have the time," Williams said. "It's good to just pull over here, get something done, and we don't have to worry about the minor infractions."
Residents can take advantage of more than just the car repairs.
Inside the Baldwin Center, people can find resources, including lifesaving Narcan, vaccines and pet food.
"It's not just younger people, it's older people as well, and it's cross-cultural, cross-ethnic, cross-everything, economic status," Judge Cynthia Walker with the 50th District Court in Pontiac said. "People often just don't take care of business, and it ends up following them and creating a problem for them, and this is an opportunity for them to come and get some help."
A long line of residents waited to get a delicious plate of food from Uncle Jerry's Barbeque during Sunday's event.
A group of volunteers, including the Juma brothers, who run Chavez Auto Care in Pontiac, provided services for free.
"I love this community. I love the area," Tony Juma, owner of Chavez Auto Care, said. "I've been in this area for going on 18-19 years. I feel like I got a lot of family here, and I love to give back to them."
In just a few short hours, more than 500 people came through the clinic and around 100 cars received repairs.
"I think it's something that's really simple that we can do for the community, to just do what the government should be doing in many cases, which is providing resources and support," Goodman said.
The next Pull Over Prevention Clinic will be in the Fall. More information can be found on the city's .
Clinics are open to everyone.
