'This lil' boy is out here fixin' the street': Footage of 12-year-old filling in potholes goes viral

A Michigan boy drew the attention of passers-by last week, when he was seen using a trash can full of dirt to fill in potholes on a street in Muskegon Heights. One observer took a video of 12-year-old Monte Scott at work, posting it to Facebook before his mother was made aware of how he was spending his time off school.

What are the details?

The proactive preteen decided to do something about the road conditions near his home after his school was released for a half-day, and he noticed the street disrepair was having a real effect.

"I didn't want people, like, messing up their cars like my mom did," Monte told WZZM-TV. "If somebody were to drive down the street and hit a pothole, mess up their car, spend like $600-$700 on their car to get it fixed, they would be mad."

So, Monte used his spare time to dig up dirt from his backyard into a large trash bin, haul it to the street, and fill in potholes using a shovel. One neighbor who noticed his efforts decided to document the encounter, declaring, "This lil' boy is out here fixin' the street. That's f***ed up."

The footage was posted to Facebook and quickly spread, leading to Monte's mother finding out what her son was up to. She reposted the clip herself, saying, "He has a heart of gold."

The video has received more than 84,000 views at the time of this writing.

Anything else?

Muskegon Heights Mayor Kimberley Sims responded to Monte's efforts through the Detroit Free Press, acknowledging, "We have a constant issue of potholes. I commend the young man's efforts. He's 12, he should be getting ready for school the next day, or playing video games."

Sims said it was bittersweet to see Monte's actions because "the problem is so bad that he feels he has to do that."

Michigan's Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer was elected in 2018 after promising to "fix the damn roads," according to Fox News. She has proposed a hike in gasoline taxes, which is currently being considered by the state legislature. If approved, Michigan will have the highest per-gallon gas tax in the country.