Colleen Vanderlinden
TreeHugger
Fri, 08 Jul 2011 20:34 CDT
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© Julie Bass
Vegetable boxes in the front yard of Michigan home.



It just doesn't get more ridiculous than this.

Julie Bass of Oak Park, Michigan -- a mother of 6, law-abiding citizen, and gardener -- is facing 93 days in jail after being charged with a misdemeanor.

Her crime? Planting a vegetable garden in the front yard.

Bass says that she planted the garden after her front yard was torn up for some sewer repairs. Rather than wasting the opportunity to start with a clean slate by planting a lawn, she decided to really put the area to use, and plant a vegetable garden.

Her garden consists of 5 raised beds, where she grows a mix of squashes, corn, tomatoes, flowers, and other veggies. Bass received a warning from the city telling her to remove the vegetable garden, because it doesn't adhere to city ordinances (more on that later.) When she refused, she was ticketed and charged with a misdemeanor. Her trial, before a jury, is set to begin on July 26th. If she is found guilty, she can be sentenced to up to 93 days in jail.

About the City Ordinance

Supposedly, Bass is in noncompliance with a city ordinance that states that only "suitable" plant material is allowed on the lawn area of residences. When local media asked city planner Kevin Rulkowski what that meant, he said suitable means "common:" lawn, nice shrubs, and flowers. However, the city ordinance does not specifically state that those are the only allowed plant materials.


more here http://www.sott.net/articles/show/231308-US-Michigan-Woman-Faces-93-Days-in-Jail-for-Planting-a-Vegetable-Garden

I call ********. "Suitable" is too vague a term, she should walk free...Not that she should even be able to go to jail for this. smh.

Try crosssing a neighborhood association. They can make your life a living hell.

they should nail her for that ugly screen door.

i agree... but she doesn't have a HOA where she lives... thats the city doing this...

she's going to get out of it. That's how things work with Municipal Governments. You can go through hell when you get crossway with private organizations.

i think so too.. esp. with all the bad publicity the city is getting over this...

and should be getting ! Talk about trivial lawsuits wasting time and (taxpayers'?)money. Somebody needs to re-focus their priorities here, IMO.

to many people sticking their noses where they don't belong...