Vegatable garden = 93 days in the clink?

This is ridiculous. Apparently the city has nothing better to do.

Oak Park Woman Faces 93-Days in Jail For Planting Vegetable Garden By ALEXIS WILEY WJBK | myFOXDetroit.com

OAK PARK, Mich. (WJBK) - "The price of organic food is kind of through the roof," said Julie Bass.

So, why not grow your own? However, Bass' garden is a little unique because it's in her front yard.

"We thought it'd be really cool to do it so the neighbors could see. The kids love it. The kids from the neighborhood all come and help," she said.

Bass' cool garden has landed her in hot water with the City of Oak Park. Code enforcement gave her a warning, then a ticket and now she's been charged with a misdemeanor.

"I think it's sad that the City of Oak Park that's already strapped for cash is paying a lot of money to have a prosecutor bothering us," Bass told FOX 2's Alexis Wiley.

"That's not what we want to see in a front yard," said Oak Park City Planner Kevin Rulkowski.

Why? The city is pointing to a code that says a front yard has to have suitable, live, plant material. The big question is what's "suitable?"

We asked Bass whether she thinks she has suitable, live, plant material in her front yard.

"It's definitely live. It's definitely plant. It's definitely material. We think it's suitable," she said.

So, we asked Rulkowski why it's not suitable.

"If you look at the definition of what suitable is in Webster's dictionary, it will say common. So, if you look around and you look in any other community, what's common to a front yard is a nice, grass yard with beautiful trees and bushes and flowers," he said.

But when you look at front yards that are unsightly and overgrown, is Bass' vegetable garden really worth the city's time and money?

We asked Rulkowski what he would say to those who feel this is ridiculous.

"I would argue that you won't find that opinion from most people in Oak Park," he responded.

"I have a bunch of little children and we take walks to come by and see everything growing. I think it's a very wonderful thing for our neighborhood," said neighbor Devorah Gold.

"They don't have (anything) else to do (if) they're going to take her to court for a garden," said neighbor Ora Goodwin.

We did find one neighbor who wasn't a fan and thinks it needs to go.

"I know there's a backyard. Do it in the backyard," he said.

"They say, 'Why should you grow things in the front?' Well, why shouldn't I? They're fine. They're pretty. They're well maintained," said Bass.

It looks like this critical debate is headed for a jury trial and neither side is backing down.

"I could sell out and save my own self and just not have them bother me anymore, but then there's no telling what they're going to harass the next person about," Bass told us.

There's another pretrial scheduled for July 26. The next step could be a jury trial.

http://www.myfoxdetroit.com/dpp/news/local/julie-bass-of-oak-park-faces-misdemeanor-charge-for-vegetable-garden-20110630-wpms

I'm not surprised.....

So if that is their "definition", what about the old man down the street or around the corner that has flower garden that everyone envy's? Clearly it is outside the norm already established...

berkeleying liberal morons.

Ranger50 wrote: berkeleying liberal morons.

WTF? Seemed like the floundering/trolling around here had decreased significantly lately...guess not.

You know how those damn hippy liberals just hate organic gardening

Cone_Junky wrote:

Ranger50 wrote: berkeleying liberal morons.

WTF? Seemed like the floundering/trolling around here had decreased significantly lately...guess not. You know how those damn hippy liberals just hate organic gardening

I do agree that his wording could have been nicer, but typically it is the more liberal statist groups that tend towards the regulation of, well, everything. Even organic vegetables.

You can get less than 90 days in the hole for a pot farm of that size.

In reply to tuna55:

If I was going to stereotype, I'd figure that liberals like vegetable gardens and conservatives like nicely manicured yards in perfect accordance with HOA regulations. That is how it seems in my little part of the world. But I am not going to stereotype, so disregard.

Personally, I think anyone that tries to politically polarize this one is a berkeleying moron, but if I had to point a finger, it seems like more often than not it's the neo-cons that don't like shaking up the status quo.

16vCorey wrote: Personally, I think anyone that tries to politically polarize this one is a berkeleying moron, but if I had to point a finger, it seems like more often than not it's the neo-cons that don't like shaking up the status quo.

I think it is probably a racial thing. We should talk about that.

Otto Maddox wrote:

16vCorey wrote: Personally, I think anyone that tries to politically polarize this one is a berkeleying moron, but if I had to point a finger, it seems like more often than not it's the neo-cons that don't like shaking up the status quo.

I think it is probably a racial thing. We should talk about that.

I like where this is going...

Maybe we can tie in what sort of weapon is best for offing a particular person or group by race or political ideology. Like a super-trifecta of GRM flounder-bait.

In reply to Cone_Junky:

Maybe I should have said "literal"? Either way, both are interchangeable. If you aren't inside your "box", you must be made to conform!!!

I just think that it is a shame that someone can not grow some tasty food on their land because some blowhard bureaucrat does not like the way that it looks. Heck, I might till my yard this weekend and plant poison ivy to keep people out. I wonder how much time I will get?

A city manager ought to have better things to do.

I say take this to a jury trial. Make the city spend every penny they have to to fight this. According to the description of the law, she's done nothing wrong.

Gardening is like one of the most prevalent hobbies in the whole country. She will get off scot free. I have fruit trees in my front yard I would love the city to try and tell me that its not acceptable but 40 foot RV's in everybody's side yards and busted boats are.

There were some similar incidents with auto repairs in Sacramento California a few years ago. I don't remember the entire story, but a few people were fined $1500+ for doing major car repairs on their property. I don't know how irrititing they may have been being to get in trouble, but the way the law was written doing a bake job in your garage with the door closed, or owning any automotive tools "not normally found in a residence" was illegal.

pilotbraden wrote: "If you look at the definition of what suitable is in Webster's dictionary, it will say common. So, if you look around and you look in any other community, what's common to a front yard is a nice, grass yard with beautiful trees and bushes and flowers," he said.

All the neighbors just need to plant small vegetable gardens. Then it's common. Simple.

Rulkowski said: "If you look at the definition of what suitable is in Webster's dictionary, it will say common. So, if you look around and you look in any other community, what's common to a front yard is a nice, grass yard with beautiful trees and bushes and flowers," he said.

Hmmm..........

I have a hard-bound, 1959 copyright date Webster's right above my head. The word "common" doesn't appear in the definition. My soft-cover, 1984 copyright version doesn't mention that word, either. Nor does the current online version.

Rulkowski is trying to cover his tracks, but those tracks look more like butt-prints than footprints.

"common"- adj. more often met with or usual because shared by many people or things. Or, in agreement with the normal standards and order of things.

source; Scott, Foresman Advanced dictionary. there are many definitions and uses for the word.

That is why I go to city council meetings!

Had an ordinance that almost passed until I stood up and started a debate over the word "unused" as applied to cars and car parts.

Trust that there are people who actively seek to bend the local government to address their every whim. Often the language is left vague "to allow for different situations" without thinking that the words used allow the law to be used any way some devious jerk can dream up!

Bruce

Here's the city planner's email: krulkowski@ci.oak-park.mi.us I think he needs to hear from as many people as possible that he's a worthless power hungry busybody.

iceracer wrote: "common"- adj. more often met with or usual because shared by many people or things. Or, in agreement with the normal standards and order of things. source; Scott, Foresman Advanced dictionary. there are many definitions and uses for the word.

Except that it's supposed to be "Suitable", not "Common".

I mean, as long as you don't have something obscene, dangerous, or unhealthy in the front yard, how do you decide what is "Suitable"?

Truth be told her garden is ugly as sin. I would sneak over at night with my jug of 2,4,d and take care of it if I was her neighbor.

My mom had an expansive garden at my parents house in town and was never questioned about the legality of it, only got compliments. Of course, it was properly landscaped, with vegetable plants and flowers intermixed, and was maintained so well you could set your watch to it.

A bunch of scraggly plants and raised beds with wood chips is an eyesore.

I don't think that either side of our political spectrum has a lock on dumb, intrusive, overbearing governmental control and regulations. Both parties are essentially statist at their hearts. Both parties serve to attempt to maintain the status quo. I do doubt that the city planner in question is suitable because it is not common for city planners to be such dumbasses.

I sent an e-mail:
"I hope you are seeing the media storm surrounding your asinine plan (look it up in Websters, you won't find the word "common" in there) idea to prosecute Julie Bass. Her garden looks better than many front yards I see regularly and she is "being green" by growing her own food as well as educating the youth in the neighborhood. The city of Oak Park must be swimming in money if you can afford to prosecute a resident for not having a front yard that conforms to YOUR standard of suitable. I've looked up suitable in three different editions of Merriam-Webster dictionaries and the word "common" was not there. This story is getting national exposure now and making Oak Park the butt of jokes."

Giant Purple Snorklewacker wrote: I like where this is going... Maybe we can tie in what sort of weapon is best for offing a particular person or group by race or political ideology. Like a super-trifecta of GRM flounder-bait.

I think it's the queers, they're in it with the aliens, building landing strips for gay martians. I swear to god. You know what, Stuart? I like you. You're not like the other people, here, in the trailer park.

—Dead Milkmen

There's nothing eles going on in the Detroit area that they can et worked up over besides a veggie garden? Are they afraid it will encourage the young'uns to rob old people of their ranch dressing?