Prosecuted for Vegetable Gardening

**Daisygirl** · 07-10-2011, 02:17 PM

Oakland County | Couple, city face off over front yard garden | The Detroit News

This woman decided to place raised vegetable garden beds in her front yard. She was cited and told to remove it. She refused. Now she is being prosecuted and faces 93 days in jail.

I can't beleive that the city of Oak Park, and particularly city employee Kevin Rudlowski, has nothing better to do than persecute someone for producing food in their own front yard!

I'm horrified. I've written the city planner. Here is his email address.

mailto:krulkowski@ci.oak-park.mi.us

Here's an article with an excerpt from her blog. Does Michelle Obama Know About This? | The Agitator

**Debbie-cat** · 07-10-2011, 02:22 PM

Wow, unbelievable!!

**pollypurebred39** · 07-10-2011, 02:23 PM

I read that a week or so ago. Can you imagine?! Seems completely ludicrous to me. I just can not see this being an eyesore. And just who are those awful neighbors that can't mind their own business?

**Nishu** · 07-10-2011, 03:50 PM

Their front yard is actually rather cute. I don't know why people would complain about it. I'm glad she's sticking to her guns.

**annymoll** · 07-10-2011, 06:43 PM

I like it much better than the graffiti walls, trash and run down projects that Detroit is full of.

**NikoSan999** · 07-10-2011, 07:04 PM

A couple years ago and once later I posted about a lady planting flowers in her fathers yard. Zoning drove by, stopped and asked for her permit. She said what permit. Long story short he gave her a ticket for $150 and she STILL had to take them up.
Another man came into the office. His father ( another town, same county) old man had 2 tomato plants and 1 pepper plant ( or vice versa, forget which, but 3 plants only ) and code drove by. Out in the boonies. Fined him and made him take them up for not having a permit.
But flowers...get real.

**Daisygirl** · 07-10-2011, 07:49 PM

Niko, you know my opinion on crap like this - it's just the corporation also known as the government flexing it's muscle and taxing us without calling it taxes. Every time we have to get a permit for something, we are being taxed for things that should be rights. And how dare this woman produce her own food, not relying on the grocery stores to supply it for her? She is doing something outside the norm, she is doing it where everyone can see it and when THEY told her to stop, she said NO. It's that simple.

This is really way more serious than a little vegetable garden or a city code. This is a continuation of the assault on personal freedoms.

**MomToTwoBoys** · 07-10-2011, 10:18 PM

I heard about this from a couple friends of mine that live in Michigan. They said that their city and neighborhood regulations are pretty strict on things of this nature. I also agree that it is a little ludicrous. But, when you think about it, paying taxes on that land states that you must abide by city/neighborhood regulations or face prosection. They can't make exceptions on rules like this.

**Nishu** · 07-10-2011, 10:53 PM

Originally Posted by MomToTwoBoys

But, when you think about it, paying taxes on that land states that you must abide by city/neighborhood regulations or face prosection. They can't make exceptions on rules like this.

So if I volunteer not to pay taxes, I won't have to abide by the rules? Sign me up.

**Contrary Housewife** · 07-10-2011, 11:59 PM

We are fortunate here in KC. We had a similar case a couple years ago where some people had tomato plants growing in a flower bed on the side of their home and a neighbor complained because it wasn't "pretty". It was an upscale neighborhood where the older uptight folks wanted to preserve the illusion that they were all wealthy and not "farmers".

It went before the city council which had the sense to declare that people had the right to grow food on their own property if they wanted.

There was a similar stink about raising chickens in back yards in another township here. A lot of people were against it saying "we don't *need* to live like that any more".

There is a strong urban farming movement here and last year they got laws passed *specifically allowing* people to grow food on any part of their property they wanted to, even the front yard. I am so glad we have sensible city council (at least on this issue) support for urban agriculture.

**Booklover** · 07-11-2011, 08:31 AM

Makes me want to move to KC, Contrary Housewife! Very heartening in this world of government gone wild.

**Homekeepn** · 07-11-2011, 09:05 AM

I would go to jail for my garden. Bad policies will not change until people take a stand and do something radical and get public support to cause a change. More neighbors should come forward and support her.

**RaineyDaye** · 07-11-2011, 11:43 AM

Wow! I hope my city doesn't have that law.(I've got some plants growing in containers by my front step, and have a stray tomato or two in my front flower bed, because my back yard is too shady.)