Growing Vegetables May Land Michigan Woman in Jail
This boarders on the absurd, but appears to be real. A Michigan woman has been charged with a misdemeanor for growing a garden in her front yard, and threatened with jail time. Apparently in Oak Park Michigan, they take their lawns very seriously.
As health and environmental concerns rise, so does the popularity of urban homesteading. While growing your own vegetables may seem like a harmless enough practice, Oak Park resident Julie Bass now faces misdemeanor charges for setting up a vegetable garden in her front yard. Bass set up her garden in the hope that she and her family could eat organic without having to buy from expensive grocery stores. The garden has become a community favorite as neighborhood children are encouraged to help her maintain the garden and eat from it.
However, the City of Oak Park is now charging her with a misdemeanor for not having a “suitable” lawn in accordance with city code. The city prosecutor is pursuing a full trial against Mrs. Bass bringing charges against her that could carry a 93 day jail sentence.
Sign the petition and send a message to the city prosecutor here: https://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/oak-park-hates-veggies/
And see the local news report here: https://www.myfoxdetroit.com/dpp/news/local/julie-bass-of-oak-park-faces-misdemeanor-charge-for-vegetable-garden-20110630-wpms
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A slap in the face of freedom. Jail time for growing vegetables, I don’t think the Nazi’s even thought of that one. The Oak Park city government represents much of what is wrong with our present society.
Thanks for the comment.
In a lot of the country I think it should be illegal to grow (or at least water and apply pesticides to) lawngrass. Growing food in your yard is something that should be encouraged in my opinion.