Woman Could Be Jailed For Vegetable Garden

[Crni Vuk]

Woman Could Be Jailed For Vegetable Garden

Julie Bass, of Oak Park, Michigan, wanted to grow her own food. She was a fan of organic vegetables, so she decided to convert her front yard from the grass-and-tree landscaping typical in her neighborhood into an edible garden. Because she had just torn up the front lawn to install a new sewer system, she had a perfect opportunity to start fresh. She planted cabbage, carrots, tomatoes, cucumbers and herbs in raised wooden planters, and waited to reep her produce.

A neighbor didn't like her choice of landscaping.

The neighbor called the city and complained that Bass's yard disrupted the look of the neighborhood. The city agreed, and issued Bass a ticket.

Bass was offended. Organic produce is expensive. If she wants to grow her own, she reasoned, why shouldn't she be allowed to? She refused to change her yard. The city insisted; she lawyered up.

Now, with neither party being willing to back down, the case is likely to go to a jury trial. If Bass loses, she faces up to 93 days in jail. All for following the example of the White House! Has news of Michelle Obama not yet made it to Michigan?

You americans. You never stop to amaze me

Heh. No seriously now. I mean WTF?! She gets in trouble because she starts to grow her OWN food on her OWN ground ?

 

[Bal-Sagoth]

It really depends on the area she lives in and the particular laws subject to that community. The city/neighbor might very well have a legal case. Many areas like that have rules that stipulate what you can and cannot do to your property. Especially when it can drive down cost/image of neighboring areas.

We don't really have the garden problem around here. We did have some neighbors who tried to bring in some livestock on his property though. It was completely shielded from view, back in the woods and no one ever knew. You could however hear them from time to time in the morning. A fellow neighbor reported it and about a week later a few sheriffs deputies rolled up and presented the owner of the live stock what was essentially a cease and desist.

Would be worth seeing the garden and just exactly what she did to her yard. If the city is actually pushing a trial it sounds like they might actually have some legal grounds on her to be there.

 

[Zag]

Los Angeles, and the surrounding counties out here have an official group that drive around in police interceptors (without the lights and black paint of course) and can issue tickets and fines for yards, and homes that fail to meet protocol.

LA in particular is under heavy scrutiny. LA has a more organized problem. If you violate any rules you will get issued a heavy fine.

I asked an individual who works for them once "What do you do exactly?"

His response was "We make sure lots and houses follow set codes."

Code Enforcement. That's who they are.

 

[Korin]

It's not that weird, as someone already mentioned. A lot of neighbourhood and housing communities have codes and laws about what you can and can't do aesthetically to your property as it affects the 'look' of the neighbourhood. She may even have signed and agreed to something of that affect when she moved there.

 

[James Snowscoran]

'Organic herbs' probably means marijuana

 

[fedaykin]

Well, she could be growing KILLER TOMATOES.
That's just evil.

 

[Zag]

'Organic herbs' probably means marijuana

Hells yeah.

 

[Brother None]

You americans. You never stop to amaze me

Heh. No seriously now. I mean WTF?! She gets in trouble because she starts to grow her OWN food on her OWN ground ?

What? I'm not sure how it is in Germany but here in the Netherlands you can't just change the look of your house or garden. It can devalue the homes of other owners in the street, for instance of you turn your garden into a, well, farm.

Not that they can just order you to stop, but if they register a complaint and the city agrees, then hell yeah you better cease and desist.

 

[Wintermind]

Never mind that there could be issues with her actually growing food in front yard. Like, health issues.

never mind that you can't get inorganic produce (how I fucking hate hearing about organic food), she deserves it both for liking 'organic' food and believing in that horseshit.

I mean, it's wrong that they're getting all worked up, especially if this is some pedantic HOA violation/petty neighbor bullshit.

But if it's because her neighbor doesn't like the smell of compost and/or manure clouding up the neighborhood, i'm all for it.

 

[The Vault Dweller]

I HATE reading this.

As a summary I'd like to say that what Bal-Sagoth says is true, but I can't stand it since it's very wrong. (Not his opinion, but the idea he quotes as fact)

People should be practical. Food is expensive and possibly unhealthy when produced in-mass. People should be self-sufficient. Growing your own food is a lot more representative of labor than working for money then using it to buy food. People should get exercise. Tending a garden is good labor.

I can see that property values can be effected. However they would have to effect it by looking un-aesthetic. Ya know what? Aesthetics is a matter of opinion. Since when should opinion be dictated by anyone other than the individual?

I've lived in a place with houses that had trees and bushes with no grass, others with flat lawns, or even a landscape entirely composed of native plants which living in a semi-arid environment meant a crop of desert plants. No one cared at all.

I had a home with a psychotic neighbor that frequently threatened the people around him. Police didn't do anything when called by other neighbors (I never called).

Currently I am a novice gardener who's first year at planting had me tilling the soil with a pick and my bare hands. I've planted over 40 square feet with crops most of which have grown and a few of which are bearing fruit after anywhere from three to one month of growth.

I'm happy to save the money in return for my time invested and get joy from the exercise and feeling of this sort of labor.

Now I have to hope the neighbors don't find out...

Also since I live in an area with lots of professional farming going on I wonder if a complaint would stand at all since most of the cropland I see borders residential housing. Not small patches like mine either I mean huge open fields of corn.

,
The Vault Dweller

 

[Lexx]

I mean WTF?! She gets in trouble because she starts to grow her OWN food on her OWN ground ?

Growing yer own food means you don't go with capitalism and buy the food. You are a filthy communist.

What? I'm not sure how it is in Germany but here in the Netherlands you can't just change the look of your house or garden. It can devalue the homes of other owners in the street, for instance of you turn your garden into a, well, farm.

Not that they can just order you to stop, but if they register a complaint and the city agrees, then hell yeah you better cease and desist.

I've never heard of any case about such stuff. The only thing I can think about right now is neighbours that brawl about a tree which juts over a fence, but even there - with lawyers involved - I've never heard about anything drastic.

We had some shitty house right next to ours for many years too, but nobody even thought about calling the police about that. (By now the house is sold and under heavy construction, so it's "gone" soon anyway, though.)

 

[Crni Vuk]

You americans. You never stop to amaze me

Heh. No seriously now. I mean WTF?! She gets in trouble because she starts to grow her OWN food on her OWN ground ?

What? I'm not sure how it is in Germany but here in the Netherlands you can't just change the look of your house or garden. It can devalue the homes of other owners in the street, for instance of you turn your garden into a, well, farm.

Not that they can just order you to stop, but if they register a complaint and the city agrees, then hell yeah you better cease and desist.

It was more a joke. I am not used enough with the laws of landowners to know how the situation is here. It might be that we have very similar laws ? Who knows. I was just surprised that a town/city can tell you what is allowed and not allowed to do on your own "lawn" you know. I mean things which are "not" illegal like well getting your own farm and such. What I know for this particularly town though is that citizens have to follow very strict rules regarding the buildings particularly if they want to change the look because well parts of this town are well almost 2000 years old ... so there are many laws protecting it. But I am not sure if there are laws which don't allow you to have your own little "farm" in your garden for example. But as said who knows. I mean I know there are people here which seem to have many animals in their backyard for example like chickens and goats each time I pass that building it seems "unnatural" for this town. But well. Maybe I am surprised from restrictions because I am used with "Serbia" where pretty much almost EVERY house owner even inside of cities has his own "farm" to speak so. Growing food is much cheaper then to buy. And people do it like that for centuries.

Also you Netherandertalers are pretty crazy people

I can see that property values can be effected. However they would have to effect it by looking un-aesthetic. Ya know what? Aesthetics is a matter of opinion. Since when should opinion be dictated by anyone other than the individual?

That is an interesting thought. I mean what would happen if she decided to do like nothing with her front garden ? Letting it run wild not even care about grass or what ever. Could the town "force" her as well to change that ? What if she could not physically I mean. Being to sick and paying people to do your garden is expensive!

I mean I do agree that in a certain way aesthetics are important. But where do you want to set the limits ? Not to mention that this is very much opinion.

I mean WTF?! She gets in trouble because she starts to grow her OWN food on her OWN ground ?

Growing yer own food means you don't go with capitalism and buy the food. You are a filthy communist.

You want to grow your own food ?

NO! Says the man in Washington!

 

[Korin]

I can see that property values can be effected. However they would have to effect it by looking un-aesthetic. Ya know what? Aesthetics is a matter of opinion. Since when should opinion be dictated by anyone other than the individual?

Maybe it is a matter of opinion. It's the opinion city planners, code enforcement and the general neighbourhood. Which is also law.

I've lived in a place with houses that had trees and bushes with no grass, others with flat lawns, or even a landscape entirely composed of native plants which living in a semi-arid environment meant a crop of desert plants. No one cared at all.

You probably didn't live in the same kind of neighboorhood then. In many neighbourhoods you can't simply have "no grass". You will get fined.

Here is what her front lawn looks like:
[spoiler:2df7190441]

[/spoiler:2df7190441]

 

[Walpknut]

Wait, Wintermind. what is exactly wrong with organic food?
And well I tought this kidn of thign only happened in my apartament building (for bvoiosu reasons you can't be makign a garden inside of the building or changing the facade or structure of your apartament because it could potentialy affect the whole building and everyoenj living inside). But in a neighborhood? Suburbia, the creepiest comunities...

 

[Mr Krepe]

I don't get this at all, the person who is growing the vegetables is doing it on their own plot of land, which they bought, with their earned money, telling someone to stop farming is denying them the land they bought, and denying them their rights (not drastically). I'd be pretty pissed if I was told to stop the farming we've got going in our front and back, but this is Britain, the only complaints about owners of houses over here is about noise, or smelly-ness (in extreme cases), but that is what i've heard anyway.

 

[James Snowscoran]

Clearly it's happening because her neighbours are communists and the American government hates freedom.

 

[Cimmerian Nights]

It's called basic zoning laws kiddies.

And when you get old enough to sign a mortgage, there'll be stipulations from the bank that you don't do any modifications to lower the value of the property as well.

Wait, Wintermind. what is exactly wrong with organic food?

The leaching going on in suburban soil is pretty bad to begin with, there aren't proper nutrients for sustainable gardening. Most lawns have to be fed with weed killer, fertilizer and pesticides. That stuff doesn't wash away with rain water. Rain water - what kind of shit is sliding off her roof and house into that garden, and it's flanked by two SUVs.
So who's shitting who about this being organic?

I mean what would happen if she decided to do like nothing with her front garden ? Letting it run wild not even care about grass or what ever. Could the town "force" her as well to change that ?

There's blight laws too.

 

[Makenshi]

The land of freedom, huh?

 

[valcik]

Hm, and what about some kind of a greenhouse? It's prohibited by the US zoning laws too?

 

[Korin]

It really depends on the area. Most people, if they have a garden or anything like that, do it in the back yard, not the front. There are places in my city where I could live and do my own landscaping of the front lawn but if I lived deeper inside the city in like, a town house, I couldn't just put whatever junk I wanted out there.