Julie Bass of Oak Park Faces Misdemeanor Charge for Vegetable Garden

[ktlight]

"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.youtube.com/watch?v=LhPAHhwApA4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LhPAHhwApA4&feature=player_embedded

[Realeyes]

Thanks for posting this – it’s another example of ridiculous crazy ‘laws’ and suppressing peoples freedom.

I live in the UK in a little village and my immediate neighbours are all elderly who lived through WW2 and the era of tough food rations where it was promoted by the government to grow one’s own vegetables, they called it ‘digging for the war’. Many have continued to this present day.

For the past few years I have gradually been digging up my large front lawn to make way for my own vegetable patches in order to eat organic food – my neighbours love seeing a younger generation enthusiastic in growing food rather than boring grass. Because of this I have got to know my neighbours better as we share growing tips and extra seedlings bringing back a lovely community spirit. All the school children that walk past peer over the front gate to see how things are growing where I hear them often mention ‘mummy, can I go and play in there, this garden is magical’.

Here in the news (UK), the topic of encouraging people to use their land to grow their own personal vegetables and fruit is often mention to be a solution on the World’s growing food shortages as well as cutting down the distances vegetables are transported. ‘Buy local produce’ is a common sentence here. I even heard recently that architects are now in the brainstorming process of designing buildings that will allow vegetables and fruit to grow vertically up buildings in cities. They have even been talking about using the wasteland that surrounds railway tracks as a potential for growing food for the local area! Also the waiting list for allotments is between 2 – 7 years depending where one lives, due to this, people are now doing garden land sharing where the elderly share their land with more mobile people to grow veg & fruit for a token of the produce they grow; a brilliant idea that has really caught on with thousands of people bringing the elderly and young together.

There is nothing more peaceful than picking what you need to make dinner – beats the hustle and bustle of a supermarket any day and one ‘knows’ what one is eating is absolutely healthy. The other great benefit of doing this is we as humans learn to appreciate our food by nurturing it, and gain a greater connection with Mother Nature! Rarely does one meet an angry gardener!

I do hope this woman wins her case and that it encourages others to do the same to make better use of their front garden – introducing back a community spirit and healthy living, something that tptb have been stamping out for years. If the American law stays stubborn that only grass and shrubs can be grown – I wonder what they would say if people started having ‘sheep’ or ‘goats’ instead of lawn mowers? Mmmmm... vegetables and fruit is a much quieter alternative. ;)

[Lord Sidious]

How much more evidence do some people need that they don't ''own'' their properties?

[Omni]

This outrages me... Trying to not be emotionally affected by it. Failing :(



"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...

Putrid reasoning. I'd say thanks for posting this(and did give a thanks), but I'd almost rather not hear it. It has pissed me off...

[ktlight]

This outrages me... Trying to not be emotionally affected by it. Failing :(



"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...

Putrid reasoning. I'd say thanks for posting this(and did give a thanks), but I'd almost rather not hear it. It has pissed me off...


I understand, Omniverse. It p-d me off too, and that is why I posted it here. It made you feel, so you know you are alive. And we all need reminders.

[9eagle9]

Oak Park Michigan which is just about 45 min from me or so , down the county where the city is, a working class neighborhood and folks living in what is called prebuilt homes. The Auto Companies funded those homes , and they are all built one just like another. Cheap, affordable, they all look precisely like the ones pictured in the photo. In this economy the average price of a home in OP is probably about 28k to 35k. You'd not be able to find a house save for its address...they all look the same. Pre builts. just lower and midlle class working joes, blue collar people. Just one of many bedroom communties around metro Detroit that all look the same. You can drive through Oak Park, Hazel Parks, and all the other 'parks' and 'oaks' down there and not even now you've gone into a another town. SAve for Royal Oak they all pride themselves on blah mediocrity.


Oak Park city council is composed of the same people as most of the rest of the small town governments around here....former Avon or Vaccumn salespersons.... someone who thought doing well peddling cosmetics made them leaders in Industry so thus ran for city council. Much of our local governments are small people on power trips and Oak Park is no different.

Its not Birmingham, or Grosse Pointe or Grosse Isle...all fancy places . Not sure who Oak Park city council thinks its serving here. Not the swells certainly. Certainly not people born with silver spoons in thier mouths who naturally gravitate to gated communties and homeowner association run places where your yard is mandated.

Even Urban Detroit has vigilante gardeners planting up urban gardens in the acres of deserted neighbor hoods. Not too fancy for Detroit, auld arm pit that its become.

Other behaviors in other communties. Small town of Davisburg Michigan up the other end of the county in rural Oakland Township.(we have an obsession with the word "oak' around here) One block long 'historical' town. No one lives in the actual town save for a handful of residents above the few businesses. Its city council is composed of small people on power trips. Understand: one block long town, a handful of businesses, a few residents in the actual village.

Council decided to cut down all the trees on the sidewalks that gave it that quaint small town feel. When people protested council said NO, we're going to because we CAN, we're little tin pot dictators of a town that has few than 2000 residents most of them out in the township. So there. We sold AVon, we KNOW better. So they did. Their justification was that the trees impeded foot traffic flow. Like it was NYC. The sidewalks themselves see perhaps a dozen people a day and roll up at 4 pm. Gotta make sure no one falls over a tree while rushing for the subway. The closest subway is in Washington DC I think. Maybe Chicago.

I used to rent office space in this town which is so much like many others.

The man who had the business next door sat the Council. He's proud to be a former marine and makes it a point that he's to serve and protect the many and has Semper Fi plastered all over his storefront windows. One day I observed him backing his Cadillac up to the store back and then ripping down the Yoga Center Sign.(he hates yoga and other woo woo liberal ****) Because it was an inch over his easement. Hanging OVER his easement not on it. He's been known destroy property along the avenue there, breaking windows, and things like that when something a bit unconventional comes along but the cops won't do anything. No mandate or repeat offender laws for destruction of private property.

So I called the police after bemusedly watching him frolic through town with a 5x5 sign dragging off the tail end of his Caddy. The cops then came and took a complaint but sheepishly admitted that he knew all about the councilman but couldn't do anything. But..."The officer would 'speak' to him.

He was very official until I charged him: Come on officer you know very well if that was an 19 year old getting up to to dickens you'd have his ass in the wagon .


He didn't know what to say. So I said "what will happen to ME if I start strolling along the avenue and tearing down the storefront signs of the businesses of the local council and chucking rocks through the windows? You are practically enabling me to do so now. "

Cop left, came back and strangely I must have guilt tripped him, and said, Okay dammit, lady. If you wanta push this you and I can get creative with some hate law jurisdiction. IF you can get the owner of the building to agree.


I couldn't. She was one of those lightworker types that can't look at anything negative. She moved out to be away from a rabble rouser LIKE ME. No mention of the council member who destroyed her sign...lol.

Have also observed city council plastering Republican Stickers over Dem stickers in local businesses. One man caught a city councilman doing this and removed the stickers the councilman had littered his window with. The Council man then called the police and complained that the business owner had ripped down the bumper stickers that HE had defaced the windows with. The police were sent to investigate.

In the meantime we had an open septic tank plopped right in the middle of the parking area off the main drag. It sat there for years, not marked off at all, one could have fallen into it or driven over it. The gazing pool we jokingly called it. It was sister to the open cess pool in the bottom of the deli --open cess pool in a building that prepares and sells food...lol. It took me two years of writing complaints to the Health Department to get someone to come out and then they only put barricade tape around it. The cess pool backs up into the local municipal swimming area. Which is closed most summer weeks due to , shockingly, e coli infestation.

Council was furious and went on a man hunt to find out who the resident was who had the temerity to go over their heads.... but I was far and away in another town just writing letters to be ..you know...a bitch .

A woman wanted to have dog kennel on her five acres. County government is okay with this but our local council members were having a fit about a three door dog house. Lol. NO NO NO they screamed at the woman. We're tin pot dictators. We sell Avon! You will not defy us!!!

I told the woman go pull her blue prints for the home, and the orginal survey. Call it divine inspiration. She didn't want to; the house was built in the 50's and she had no idea what good it would do in the now. But she did and lo and behold the orginal survey included plans not only for a small dog kennel. But a big ONE. HUGE. She was grandfathered in and city council was left to chew on their liver colored lipstick over that monsterous kennnel and plotted to send their drunken bumbling tyrant out to kick over the offending grandfathered in sandwich sides on the very busy treeless avenue....

The face of small town government here in Michigan. Nothing much happens in my little village. They victoriously took Trick or Treating from the all night party it was down to one hour and the local methodist church dons cow costumes and sings Christmas carols on Halloween night --a gentle reminder about how evil we are ...lol. Small town life.

Whassit like in your neck of the woods?

[crosby]

9eagle9 that was flipping fantastic..... you crack me up. you definitely need to write a bestseller about 'your little town.' i'm gonna be chuckling over this one for quite a while. you are correct though, avon reps; the most brilliant county seat holders ever!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! we have a few of them in my little town too. oooh, how bout the ones that were football coaches or little league coaches, now they are hard to deal with too. i said your "out." our borough council is bad enough to deal with, but our school council team is just ridiculous.....

we have 4 small elementary schools here, one junior high school, and one senior high school. here is what they've done: we are going to close 3 of the four elementary schools because the upkeep and maintenance is too high. but, we're adding a second gymnasium to the senior high and we're going to put in a $1,000,000 astro-turf field for the football players........ because we all know that all of these high school boys-players are gonna make it the professionals someday..... yuk,yuk,yuk...... now think about it, how much will taxes increase to maintain this football field? let alone their salaries that just keep going up.

in the end, it is all just plain shenanigans.
regards, corson

[Flash]

let me tell you, I feel good. I feel very good. I actually live in a large city, but I am from a small town. The small town was managed like your descriptions (still is) and the large city too!! Just a bit more bribing going on.

I feel good. This is in another country (Canada) and it is similar. I tought for years that we were retards. I feel good, We are not alone. LOL

[9eagle9]

The good news

Just got back from a grad party, the graduate has a older brother. He's 24ish. Not sure how old he was when he ran for township supervisor next village .I used to live in that village and it was cess pool of petty small people corruption. This kid runs for township supervisor and WINS. He's cleaned the ****ing place out and these arsehole council members all of them at least 30=40 years older are toeing the line with this young man, this practical baby.

I shouldn't say that he's no baby and he's taken on something I'd not dream of NOW at my age. But he came he saw and kicked their ass and their corruption to their curb.

I can't believe what this kid has achieved. I noted this to his mother tonight and she shrugged and said, "We pushed them ".

Lol.

http://www.thehollyexpress.com/community/local-news-holly-michigan-48442/1357-supervisors-memo-sparks-outrage-

met with outrage indeed.