MI - Homeowner facing 93 days in jail for planting vegetables in the front yard.

[Anti Federalist]

The offending property:

http://assets.theagitator.com/wp-content/uploads/CM-Capture-21.png

Does Michelle Obama Know About This?

Thursday, July 7th, 2011

http://www.theagitator.com/2011/07/07/does-michelle-obama-know-about-this/

(links to stories at site)

Oak Park, Michigan:

Their front yard was torn up after replacing a sewer line, so instead of replacing the dirt with grass, one Oak Park woman put in a vegetable garden and now the city is seeing green.

The list goes on: fresh basil, cabbage, carrots, tomatoes, cumbers and more all filling five large planter boxes that fill the Bass family’s front yard.

Julie Bass says, “We thought we’re minding our own business, doing something not ostentatious and certainly not obnoxious or nothing that is a blight on the neighborhood, so we didn’t think people would care very much.”

But some cared very much and called the city. The city then sent out code enforcement.

“They warned us at first that we had to move the vegetables from the front, that no vegetables were allowed in the front yard. We didn’t move them because we didn’t think we were doing anything wrong, even according to city code we didn’t think we were doing anything wrong. So they ticketed us and charged me with a misdemeanor,” Bass said . . .

City code says that all unpaved portions of the site shall be planted with grass or ground cover or shrubbery or other suitable live plant material. Tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers are what Basses see as suitable.

However, Oak Park’s Planning and Technology Director Kevin Rulkowski says the city disagrees. He says, “If you look at the dictionary, suitable means common. You can look all throughout the city and you’ll never find another vegetable garden that consumes the entire front yard.”

So what is suitable? From another local news report:

. . . 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.

God forbid your yard doesn’t include beautiful trees, bushes and flowers. It’s your job, Oak Park citizens, to give Kevin Rulkowski pretty things to look at. According to Bass’s blog, she’s demanding her right to a jury trial. So the city plans to throw the book at her.

our attorney spoke to the prosecutor today. (for the record, my crush on him is totally finished after today.)

his position: they are going to take this all the way.

officially, this means i am facing 93 days in jail if they win.

no joke.

[MelissaWV]

The story just glosses over this, but didn't the city have something to do with tearing up that sewer line and leaving a bunch of big holes in the yard?

Why didn't THEY fix the yard back up with "common" vegetation?

[smartguy911]

That's why you should plant them in the back yard

[Anti Federalist]

The story just glosses over this, but didn't the city have something to do with tearing up that sewer line and leaving a bunch of big holes in the yard?

Why didn't THEY fix the yard back up with "common" vegetation?

Silence Mundane, you're not supposed to say such things.

[jrskblx125]

Id plant a tree in the middle lol

[MelissaWV]

Id plant a tree in the middle lol

This one?

http://9.media.collegehumor.cvcdn.com/47/47/collegehumor.d856b342dc13e9fcb5ce71293796b756.jpg

[Bruno]

That is the most beautiful front yard garden I've seen. Utter bullshit. It probably looks nicer than many other yards in the block that don't get cited.

[aGameOfThrones]

Silly people think they own their property.

To add a legal definition of "suitable"...

Suitable: Fit and appropriate for the end in view. U.S. v. American & Patterson, 9 Ct.Cust. App. 244, 245.

[Dr.3D]

Wow, my mom planted a victory garden in the front yard for years. Something is wrong with those people if they don't like the look of a beautiful vegetable garden.

[roho76]

Collectivism is a wonderful social model.

[ctb619]

I'm sure the Stasi informant who called the city to complain feels very proud of his/her actions. What a dirtbag.

[PaulConventionWV]

The offending property:

http://assets.theagitator.com/wp-content/uploads/CM-Capture-21.png

Does Michelle Obama Know About This?

Thursday, July 7th, 2011

http://www.theagitator.com/2011/07/07/does-michelle-obama-know-about-this/

(links to stories at site)

Oak Park, Michigan:

Their front yard was torn up after replacing a sewer line, so instead of replacing the dirt with grass, one Oak Park woman put in a vegetable garden and now the city is seeing green.

The list goes on: fresh basil, cabbage, carrots, tomatoes, cumbers and more all filling five large planter boxes that fill the Bass family’s front yard.

Julie Bass says, “We thought we’re minding our own business, doing something not ostentatious and certainly not obnoxious or nothing that is a blight on the neighborhood, so we didn’t think people would care very much.”

But some cared very much and called the city. The city then sent out code enforcement.

“They warned us at first that we had to move the vegetables from the front, that no vegetables were allowed in the front yard. We didn’t move them because we didn’t think we were doing anything wrong, even according to city code we didn’t think we were doing anything wrong. So they ticketed us and charged me with a misdemeanor,” Bass said . . .

City code says that all unpaved portions of the site shall be planted with grass or ground cover or shrubbery or other suitable live plant material. Tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers are what Basses see as suitable.

However, Oak Park’s Planning and Technology Director Kevin Rulkowski says the city disagrees. He says, “If you look at the dictionary, suitable means common. You can look all throughout the city and you’ll never find another vegetable garden that consumes the entire front yard.”

So what is suitable? From another local news report:

. . . 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.

God forbid your yard doesn’t include beautiful trees, bushes and flowers. It’s your job, Oak Park citizens, to give Kevin Rulkowski pretty things to look at. According to Bass’s blog, she’s demanding her right to a jury trial. So the city plans to throw the book at her.

our attorney spoke to the prosecutor today. (for the record, my crush on him is totally finished after today.)

his position: they are going to take this all the way.

officially, this means i am facing 93 days in jail if they win.

no joke.

Damn, my family does that. I didn't know we could be arrested for it.

[Dustancostine]

I looked up suitable in the webster dictionary and "common" is not the definition.

[PaulConventionWV]

I looked up suitable in the webster dictionary and "common" is not the definition.

Common could also mean "not exotic." You know, like common to the American climate. Not like cactuses (cacti?) and palm trees.

[Anti Federalist]

Damn, my family does that. I didn't know we could be arrested for it.

You can be arrested for anything, or nothing at all.

So you had better toe the line, Mundane.

[flightlesskiwi]

You can be arrested for anything, or nothing at all.

So you had better toe the line, Mundane.

qft. depressing.

i saw the picture of the yard and thought "wow, that looks lovely! and so practical!!" to hell with local, state and federal government!

[mrsat_98]

This takes the cake. No fruits or vegetables in the front yard they keep those at the court house.

[JamesButabi]

I personally think that looks much better than just a plain yard. If that was my hard, id have hundreds of people on the citys ass.

[Dark_Horse_Rider]

well since she allegedly violated the code with fruits and vegetables they will probably have her trial in the food court.

[DamianTV]

I think the REAL reason the Govt is pissed off is not because of the violation of the law, it is because people dont just lay down and do what ever they are told.

[forsmant]

There was a homeowner in Omaha who made the front page of the living section for his wonderful front yard garden. No complaints here.

[amyre]

Why do people care so much what sort of vegetation people plant in their own yard??? Craziness. (And I personally think that vegetable gardens are beautiful.)

[jm1776]

I think the REAL reason the Govt is pissed off is not because of the violation of the law, it is because people dont just lay down and do what ever they are told.

Too true ^^

"I am the authority, how dare they defy me!"

[GunnyFreedom]

I think the REAL reason the Govt is pissed off is not because of the violation of the law, it is because people dont just lay down and do what ever they are told.


Too true ^^

"I am the authority, how dare they defy me!"

This. It's all about demonstrating what happens to mundanes who do not obey whatever whims of their elite elected overlords.

[limequat]

I drive through Oak Park everyday and can say that this is the least of their problems. I'd bet a cucumber that there are a half dozen foreclosed eyesores on the same street as the offender.

[mczerone]

Damn, my family does that. I didn't know we could be arrested for it.

You didn't know you could be arrested at anytime for anything? Get that through your head right now, serf. Oh, A-F beat me to it!


I think the REAL reason the Govt is pissed off is not because of the violation of the law, it is because people dont just lay down and do what ever they are told.

Even when it makes no sense. A cop passes you walking down the street and "asks" you to hop on one foot while reciting the Gettysburg Address? You better do it, or face 3 criminal charges.


I looked up suitable in the webster dictionary and "common" is not the definition.

Even if suitable is interpreted to mean "common" (which it doesn't), how does a type of vegetation become "common" without one person planting it first?

Are they going to charge people that have unique lilies? Imported trees? What if someone used Kentucky Bluegrass instead of the "common" grass species in the neighborhood?

AND WHO THE HELL CALLED THE CITY ABOUT THIS GARDEN?!?! That's "bad-guy" #1 in my book, and if the city wasn't desperate for revenue I'm sure that whoever answered the call would have told the to go mind their own business.

I have hope that the district court will laugh the City out of court, and will assess court costs against them for bringing something so frivolous in front of him. The best legal basis for a claim they have is the absurd notion that "suitable" means "common" and even then the legal argument falls apart. The Oak Park City prosecutor should be sent to summer school to learn some manners and vocabulary.

[Dr.3D]

I drive through Oak Park everyday and can say that this is the least of their problems. I'd bet a cucumber that there are a half dozen foreclosed eyesores on the same street as the offender.
And how many cars parked on the grass in the front yards?

[limequat]

Lol, not many there. The front yards aren't big enough to fit the Cadillac Escalades.

[AGRP]

Id build a privacy fence to see what they do.

[Anti Federalist]

I think the REAL reason the Govt is pissed off is not because of the violation of the law, it is because people dont just lay down and do what ever they are told.


Too true ^^

"I am the authority, how dare they defy me!"


This. It's all about demonstrating what happens to mundanes who do not obey whatever whims of their elite elected overlords.

That is exactly what this all about.

It has little, if nothing to do with what is in this person's front yard, it has everything to do with teaching a lesson to a Mundane who dared to step out of line.

From the story:


According to Bass’s blog, she’s demanding her right to a jury trial. So the city plans to throw the book at her.

That is what all this shit is about, from TSA sexual assaults at the airport to cops blowing people away with impunity to the city threatening to throw a homeowner in jail for growing a vegetable garden.

The whole system does this all the time, do you honestly think they do it because they have your well being at the forefront?

No, they laugh at us, dancing from one foot to another trying to comply with the system's increasingly contradictory and labyrinth rules, policies, statutes, regulations, codes, edicts, mandates, crackdowns and ordinances.

It's funny to them, a game, we are like lab rats or ant farms to our masters and controllers.

Soon their mocking laughter will turn to contempt and disgust.

Then they will have no problem with the mass roundups.

It's called a "police state".

[Dr.3D]

Id build a privacy fence to see what they do.

But in most places, you will need a permit to build that fence.

[Brian4Liberty]

Complete lunacy!

[jrskblx125]

that... is hilarious! +rep

[cjm]

...But some cared very much and called the city...


She should have put up a sign that said "We support the troops." Her neighbors would have praised her patriotism.

[Dr.3D]

She should have put up a sign that said "We support the troops." Her neighbors would have praised her patriotism.
Or at least put up a flag pole and the U.S. flag. People always feel differently when they see that kind of "patriotism".

[DamianTV]

That is exactly what this all about.

It has little, if nothing to do with what is in this person's front yard, it has everything to do with teaching a lesson to a Mundane who dared to step out of line.

From the story:



That is what all this shit is about, from TSA sexual assaults at the airport to cops blowing people away with impunity to the city threatening to throw a homeowner in jail for growing a vegetable garden.

The whole system does this all the time, do you honestly think they do it because they have your well being at the forefront?

No, they laugh at us, dancing from one foot to another trying to comply with the system's increasingly contradictory and labyrinth rules, policies, statutes, regulations, codes, edicts, mandates, crackdowns and ordinances.

It's funny to them, a game, we are like lab rats or ant farms to our masters and controllers.

Soon their mocking laughter will turn to contempt and disgust.

Then they will have no problem with the mass roundups.

It's called a "police state".

True that. It also goes to show that Psychological Warfare works on BOTH sides. It positions the cops, law enforcement, and pretty much ANY govt official that we are "Mundane" and "Deserve to be treated as such", and they respond in kind.

Police and low level Govt Employees are NOT Slave Owners, in fact, they are more like a Sheep Dog. And that dog serves a much higher master...

[thehungarian]

Why does a city of 29,000 people need a Planning and Technology Director? What duties does he perform other than being a professional busybody?

Another pint must be consumed!

[flightlesskiwi]

That is exactly what this all about.

It has little, if nothing to do with what is in this person's front yard, it has everything to do with teaching a lesson to a Mundane who dared to step out of line.

From the story:



That is what all this shit is about, from TSA sexual assaults at the airport to cops blowing people away with impunity to the city threatening to throw a homeowner in jail for growing a vegetable garden.

The whole system does this all the time, do you honestly think they do it because they have your well being at the forefront?

No, they laugh at us, dancing from one foot to another trying to comply with the system's increasingly contradictory and labyrinth rules, policies, statutes, regulations, codes, edicts, mandates, crackdowns and ordinances.

It's funny to them, a game, we are like lab rats or ant farms to our masters and controllers.

Soon their mocking laughter will turn to contempt and disgust.

Then they will have no problem with the mass roundups.

It's called a "police state".

AF, from my own personal experience with local government, they aren't laughing now. the "soon" that you speak of has come. when a person (or group of people) dares to defy the dear leaders' plans we are not met with laughter, but anger, hatred, defamation and loathing.

[Krugerrand]

It's too bad all the neighbors didn't go out and put their own garden in their front yards to make it 'common.'

[affa]

she's only 'facing' this court case now, odds are community support will swell and the case will be dropped, and the code reformed. the city is going to get ridiculed over this, and it's already begun.

living in portland, there's even a 'food not lawns' movement here. plenty of people plant veggie gardens.

i'd much rather see a veggie garden then one of those too green, 'perfect' lawns resulting from gallons of pesticides.

[Krugerrand]

she's only 'facing' this court case now, odds are community support will swell and the case will be dropped, and the code reformed. the city is going to get ridiculed over this, and it's already begun.

living in portland, there's even a 'food not lawns' movement here. plenty of people plant veggie gardens.

i'd much rather see a veggie garden then one of those too green, 'perfect' lawns resulting from gallons of pesticides.

Even so, those bringing the charges should face their own harassment charges.

[Anti Federalist]

Alex Jones covering this story right now.

[DamianTV]

Even so, those bringing the charges should face their own harassment charges.

You cant sue the Government without permission from the Government.

[DamianTV]

Why do people care so much what sort of vegetation people plant in their own yard??? Craziness. (And I personally think that vegetable gardens are beautiful.)

This is the mental path that one follows when people are brainwashed into Socialism. They cant help but to stick their noses into other peoples business. They think that they know how to take care of your own kids better than you do, manage your finances, control your health, your entertainment, and eventually your very soul. (Im not religious, btw...) People fall for a lot of tricks. And none of us are 100% immune to the effects of their deception. I am still for Drunk Driving laws, but what they have done with the legal system terrifies me. People that end up in court for any reason do not stand a chance. Guilty until the Accused can prove their Innocence, usually that proof is provided to the Media, not the courts, and that Proof had better bring in some Ratings, or the Media wont be interested in The Truth. Most people in this country think this is a Democracy. The United States of America is NOT a Democracy. It is a Republic with Democratic traces. The Founding Fathers NEVER intended for us to have a Democracy. "... and to the Republic, for which it stands ..."

True Freedom comes when your neighbors stand up for your right to do what ever you want to do in your own home, especially when it is the opposite of what they would do in their own homes, instead of being the ones telling you what to do because they know how to live your life better than you do.

Famous Quotes on Democracy
http://www.truth-it.net/quotes_on_democracy.html


'...democracies have ever been spectacles of turbulence and contention; have ever been found incompatible with personal security, or the rights of property; and have in general been as short in their lives as they have been violent in their deaths.'

And look at where we are now, and how far we have strayed from the Path of the Free Man.

[123tim]

That's why you should plant them in the back yard

That's why you should plant them in the front yard.

[Chester Copperpot]

anybody got a number for the city asshole.. (even though hes supposedly gotten a ton of emails and phone calls already..)

[amyre]

That's why you should plant them where you please....wherever they will grow the best so that you can provide your family with food and nourishment free from whatever chemicals you don't want on your food.

Our neighbor has a manatee etched on their front door. Nothing against manatees but it's ugly as all get out. I drive past it, think "that's an ugly door," and go about my day. Not only do I know that it's their right to have whatever they want to have on their own property, I can't even imagine having the brain space or energy to care enough to do anything about something that in no way affects or causes harm to anyone else.....it's VEGETABLES.

[acptulsa]

Bad enough you're demonstrating your independence of Almighty Monsanto without rubbing their noses in it.

[123tim]

That's why you should plant them where you please....wherever they will grow the best so that you can provide your family with food and nourishment free from whatever chemicals you don't want on your food.

Our neighbor has a manatee etched on their front door. Nothing against manatees but it's ugly as all get out. I drive past it, think "that's an ugly door," and go about my day. Not only do I know that it's their right to have whatever they want to have on their own property, I can't even imagine having the brain space or energy to care enough to do anything about something that in no way affects or causes harm to anyone else.....it's VEGETABLES.

Absolutely.

[MoneyWhereMyMouthIs2]

Police and low level Govt Employees are NOT Slave Owners, in fact, they are more like a Sheep Dog.

I don't really need anyone sheep dogging me, either. "Sheep dogs" seem to fancy themselves dogs and everyone else sheep. No thanks. They are public servants, and serve little to no protection service, regardless of their claims.

[UtahApocalypse]

suit·a·ble/
Adjective: Right or appropriate for a particular person, purpose, or situation


Its appropriate to her and she is a particular person. I hope in trail she demands to know who called the city (she has a right to confront her accuser) and then files defamation, loss of wages, expenses and punitive lawsuit against that person.

[CaliforniaMom]

Strange.. I planted tomatos in the front yard of my old house every year, and raspberries in front of my previous house. No one cared.

[kpitcher]

The story just glosses over this, but didn't the city have something to do with tearing up that sewer line and leaving a bunch of big holes in the yard?

Most area around here the city is only responsible from the sidewalk on. Sidewalk to the house is homeowner's responsibility.

I'd consider replanting it entirely full of dandelions. That's all too common in Michigan.

[pcosmar]

I have had "run in's" with Code Enforcement Goons in the past. You have to be a really sick individual to even have that job.

Not a problem here (yet). I am zoned to do whatever I want with very little interference.

[Warrior_of_Freedom]

I have had "run in's" with Code Enforcement Goons in the past. You have to be a really sick individual to even have that job.

Not a problem here (yet). I am zoned to do whatever I want with very little interference.

I wouldn't be able to say "You can't be planting no strawberries on this here property" with a straight face

[KingRobbStark]

This is ridiculous.

[TruckinMike]

The Oak Park Outlaw

The scofflaw, Julie Bass,
Rejected trees and grass,
And took to life of crime
With parsley, sage and thyme.

Her crime is avant garde:
The beds in her front yard
Contain illegal greens,
Like peppers, peas and beans.

Thank God the planner saw
Within the public law,
A means to prosecute
Before she planted fruit.

The plaintiff, Kevin R.,
The Oak Park planning czar,
Will see the line is towed
By pointing to the code.

But folks can misconstrue
What’s ‘suitable’ to do,
So Kevin has deferred
To ‘common’ as his word.

And what is more unique
Than cucumber or leek,
When planted in a bed
Where grass should grow instead.

Uncommon as they are
Outside a mason jar,
She’ll need to clear her yard
Of broccoli and chard.

Then justice will prevail,
And Oak Park can exhale,
Devoid of squash and kale,
With Julie safe in jail.

LoL -- :)
I found that over at http://oakparkhatesveggies.wordpress.com/ -- The Julie Bass blog.

TMike

[Carehn]

Funny how when the banks let the grass die on a foreclosed home they never get sited. Just something i have notesed around Idaho. Also i know some people the city made paint their house. It needed it but still not right for them to come in and make them do it. Now a lot of homes that have been foreclosed on need painting. If i was the city goon i would go after them. Make the bank do more then just sit on it and pay taxes. Make them paint and keep up the yard and other such things and you would see them drop the prices real quick and in a hurry.

Not saying the use of force against banks is the way to go but im feeling a little sassy today and think it would be fun to stick it to WellsFargo for once. After all they did rob us of 4 trillion or so. Very easy to fall into the trap of power grabbing when you've been robed of so much i guess.

[pcosmar]

Funny how when the banks let the grass die on a foreclosed home they never get sited. Just something i have notesed around Idaho. Also i know some people the city made paint their house. It needed it but still not right for them to come in and make them do it. Now a lot of homes that have been foreclosed on need painting. If i was the city goon i would go after them. Make the bank do more then just sit on it and pay taxes. Make them paint and keep up the yard and other such things and you would see them drop the prices real quick and in a hurry.

Not saying the use of force against banks is the way to go but im feeling a little sassy today and think it would be fun to stick it to WellsFargo for once. After all they did rob us of 4 trillion or so. Very easy to fall into the trap of power grabbing when you've been robed of so much i guess.

That would fall into the category of,
"Turn about is fair play"

[Anti Federalist]

Interview with the homeowner, with Mike Adams, filling in for Alex Jones.


Part 1

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_JseL9oD3Ko


Part 2

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uA94WqVYWU4

[oyarde]

Does this woman have a legal defense fund or representation ??

[pcosmar]

Does this woman have a legal defense fund or representation ??

From her blog,
http://oakparkhatesveggies.wordpress.com/
Charges about the garden have apparently been dropped. But they are being hassled about their dogs.

Authoritarians hate to lose.

[Nastynate]

If i lived in that city I would plant a garden in my front yard to support this lady. If a few people do it I'm sure they wouldn't have much of a case.

[Dr.3D]

From her blog,
http://oakparkhatesveggies.wordpress.com/
Charges about the garden have apparently been dropped. But they are being hassled about their dogs.

Authoritarians hate to lose.
From that, I would guess it wasn't about the vegetable garden in the first place, and somebody just doesn't like those people and is looking for something to complain about.

[oyarde]

From her blog,
http://oakparkhatesveggies.wordpress.com/
Charges about the garden have apparently been dropped. But they are being hassled about their dogs.

Authoritarians hate to lose.

Glad they dropped the veggie charges , because I would have to chip in on that .