• This is a political forum that is non-biased/non-partisan and treats every person's position on topics equally. This debate forum is not aligned to any political party. In today's politics, many ideas are split between and even within all the political parties. Often we find ourselves agreeing on one platform but some topics break our mold. We are here to discuss them in a civil political debate. If this is your first visit to our political forums, be sure to check out the RULES. Registering for debate politics is necessary before posting. Register today to participate - it's free!

Oak Park Woman Faces 93-Days in Jail For Planting Vegetable Garden

jamesrage

DP Veteran
Joined
Jul 31, 2005
Messages
36,705
Reaction score
17,867
Gender
Male
Political Leaning
Slightly Conservative
This is nuts.


Julie Bass of Oak Park Faces Misdemeanor Charge for Vegetable Garden

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?"
 
Interesting. If I were a city official, I would have used it as a symbol to sponsor an incentive package to get MORE people to get gardens in their front lawn. That's exactly the kind of thinking Americans need if we're to survive and flourish in the 21st century.
 
Last edited:
This is....ridiculous. Unless it's a full on farm with fertilizer and cow crap smelling up the place I really see no reason why anybody needs to fault this lady. I've seen far worse in the front of somebody's house.
 
City laws are the absolute worst when it comes to shot like this. Property rights? They don't exist...
 
sounds like this town is as bad as an HOA.
 
I love this decade!
 
Oh yeah .. .that clunker on blocks rusting away is much better to look at .. I've seen many a front yards that a garden would be considered a 100% improvement in .. -shakes head- only in America.
 
As a former City Official I would have done my best to get this and agenda to change City Code.

It just makes since, but I can tell you because it happened to me a lot I would been short end of a very close 6 to 1 vote.

Some people are uppity and bigots against things that make sense.

Veggies are way too costly these days and we can blame some of it on the cost of fuel, and the general bad economy and outlook into the future under a certain party.
 
Oh god it's like an HOA on steroids.
 
Oh god it's like an HOA on steroids.

Thats another question...

Why do we allow HOAs to tell us what we can and cannot do with our own property?
 
Thats another question...

Why do we allow HOAs to tell us what we can and cannot do with our own property?

Contract. You have to sign it to buy the house. The HOA's purpose is to maintain housing values. Can't have some shady neighbor leaving a crappy, unkempt yard and dropping the value of your suburban McMansion, right?
 
Contract. You have to sign it to buy the house. The HOA's purpose is to maintain housing values. Can't have some shady neighbor leaving a crappy, unkempt yard and dropping the value of your suburban McMansion, right?

Studies done recently have shown the HOAs haven't maintained housing values.
 
Studies done recently have shown the HOAs haven't maintained housing values.

The only way to fight this kind of stupidity is to unfortunately waste your time, money and effort and a very uncertain outcome. I'm sure there will be lots of public support - hell, 70 years ago this country was urging all of it's citizens to plant "victory gardens" - those were tough times and while there's no World War going on, these are tough times too. Here's to hoping this city sees the light.
 
This is nuts.


Julie Bass of Oak Park Faces Misdemeanor Charge for Vegetable Garden

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?"

Good... can't have people growing stuff... she could have tried to grow a marijuana plant in that garden, so better throw her in jail just to make sure.

And hey, if this woman grows a garden it might start a trend of people becoming more self-sufficient, and that would harm big chain grocers profits... and with some clever word play, I'm sure a lawyer could use NAFTA clauses to have these corporations for enacting laws (or failing to enact laws) that hurt corporate profits...

What's next if we allow this to continue??

EDIT : Just in case it wasn't clear enough, this was sarcasm.
 
Which is why my wife and I live in the country, when we finally do buy a home, it won't be in suburbia, it will be a 1-3 acre plot of land outside city limits and not subject to an HOA.
 
Thats another question...

Why do we allow HOAs to tell us what we can and cannot do with our own property?

when you buy the property subject to a HOA you acknowledge that there are provisions governed by the HOA and by your signature transferring the real property to your name you express your agreement to abide by them
it is voluntary on the part of the buyers/owners

no different than an established covenant
 
when you buy the property subject to a HOA you acknowledge that there are provisions governed by the HOA and by your signature transferring the real property to your name you express your agreement to abide by them
it is voluntary on the part of the buyers/owners

no different than an established covenant

HOA's are evil, I refuse to be subjected to their tyranny.
 
This would be one reason why I do not, and do not ever plan to, live inside the city limits of any town.
 
I would bet there is no law against painting her home purple with pink polka-dots. If she if forced to remove the garden she should paint the home and watch how fast people change their minds on how nice the garden looked as opposed to the pink and purple clown-like house.

These kind of incidents are awful and the town needs to made a fool of, from what I understand people have painted their homes ridiculous colors in protest over similar issues.

Purple house with pink polka dots at UVM Burlington Vermont | Flickr - Photo Sharing!

images


If she had the time and money I would say do it, how much would a few gallons of paint cost in comparison to the price of her freedom anyway. The house color could be changed back on a whims notice if/when the time is right.
 
This issue also reminds me that there are many towns/cities etc that require grass to be kept below a certain height, what I find strange is that a home that has been foreclosed on does not always have the proper height grass. I am guessing that the banks that own these homes are not getting tickets/citations for failure to maintain the landscapes, yet on the next block over there is probably a homeowner that is getting hit with fines because they cant seem to keep their grass cut. One has to wonder if these politician just fight the easy battles against the individual homeowners or are they also sending out citations to the banks that own the neglected foreclosed on properties also(seems like a revenue generator to me).

I am guessing that these politicians are merely picking the easy battles that won't cause them too much agony.

My question, if the OP does not mind is: Do banks get fined for not keeping the grass cut on their foreclosed properties ? As I see it they get a free ride due to their intimidating size/legal powers and they definitely are not good neighbors IMO.

I think the banks should be keeping the neighborhood clean like everyone else, wonder what would happen if this woman boarded up her home to make it look like a foreclosure property(would she be in trouble), I would assume the city does not like boarded up windows when a individual does it but looks the other way when the banks do it just like the front yard issue.
 
Thats another question...

Why do we allow HOAs to tell us what we can and cannot do with our own property?

good question.

i wouldn't have as much of a problem with HOAs if they weren't a condition of sale. that's not completely voluntary. HOAs should be something someone chooses to join (or not) after buying the house.
 
Studies done recently have shown the HOAs haven't maintained housing values.

The sort of person who would willingly subject themselves to an HOA is not the sort of person likely to be up to speed on housing statistics.

A fool and his money, as they say.
 
HOA's are evil, I refuse to be subjected to their tyranny.

and that is your choice
i live in a historic district
was here when it became a historic district
so, i was part of the vocal minority opposed to such designation
like you, i resent the thought of an outside entity telling me what i can and cannot do with my property
but i must say that my home has continued to appreciate even subsequent to the great recession ... now valued just under 5X what we paid for it in '90
don't believe that would have happened but for the historic designation, keeping the "ambience" of the community intact with some rather severe guidelines
appears i was wro
was wrrroon
wasn't very astute in my opposition

that said, any RE acquisition today with an HOA attached would have to be very discounted for me to even consider it worth my while
 
Back
Top Bottom