Michael Schur

The police officer looks everything over, doesn't see any damage, they exchange numbers and they go on their way.

A couple of days later, we get a notice that the guy wants $836 because, according to him, the entire fender needs to be replaced.

This is happening during Hurricane Katrina.

JJ and I had just been to New Orleans on a trip.

We had really fallen in love with this beautiful city, which was now literally underwater.

I was very riled up.

This was hitting me really hard.

So I went and I looked at the guy's car, and if I got very close and I strained my eyes, I could just barely see this little line on the crease.

It looked like the mark you make with a pencil on the wall when you're trying to hang a picture.

And I told the guy, essentially, that he shouldn't care about this.

I told him that things like this were why car insurance rates in LA were so expensive.

I told him that cars get little dings and dents all the time, and he was stupid to care about that.

I told him that there were more important things in life than this, like Hurricane Katrina.

And then I made him an offer.

I said that I would donate $836 to the Red Cross Katrina Relief Fund in his name if he agreed not to file this claim and fix his car.

He said he would think it over.

So I went back to work, and as very confident people are wont to do, I started telling all my friends about how awesome I was being.

And then they jumped in and started pledging more and more money if this guy would agree not to fix his car.

So suddenly it was $2,000, then it was $5,000.

In like a day and a half, I had pledges from hundreds of people all across the country of more than $25,000 if this guy would agree not to file an insurance claim and fix his car.