permaculture

[Jocelyn Campbell <jocecampbell@gmail.com>]

Thanks for the link, Anne - also sending to the big permaculture list.
Besides writing the mayor, this is also a petition at
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/oak-park-hates-veggies/ which says it will
go to Oak Park’s Planning and Technology Director Kevin Rulkowski. 8,900+
signatures so far with a goal of 10,000.

Jocelyn
(in WA, but I like to know what Portland, OR permies are up to!)


On Fri, Jul 8, 2011 at 10:44 PM, A. Trudeau <annet934@yahoo.com> wrote:

> I thought this story form Oak Park, just outside Detroit, Michigan was
> notable. The mayor of Oak Park should look at all the beautiful gardens in
> Detroit as something to aspire to. If you want to take action my friend
> suggests this:
> Please phone, write, or e-mail the Oak Park Mayor, Gerald Naftaly,
> gnaftaly@att.net, 248-691-7410, 13600 Oak Park Bvd., Oak Park, MI
> 48237-2090. Anne
>
>
> http://www.wxyz.com/dpp/news/region/oakland_county/oak-park-battles-city-over-vegetable-garden-in-their-front-yard
> \
>
> <http://ad.doubleclick.net/click%3Bh%3Dv8/3b3f/3/0/%2a/u%3B238131705%3B0-0%3B0%3B47702275%3B3454-728/90%3B41124548/41142335/1%3B%3B%7Esscs%3D%3fhttp://thelaw.tv/313/Alimony+Law>
> Oak Park battles city over vegetable garden in their front yard
>
>    - 
> Video<http://www.wxyz.com/dpp/news/region/oakland_county/oak-park-battles-city-over-vegetable-garden-in-their-front-yard#83778544-1>
>    - 
> Photo<http://www.wxyz.com/dpp/news/region/oakland_county/oak-park-battles-city-over-vegetable-garden-in-their-front-yard#83778544-2>
>
>      [image: Oak Park vegetable garden controversy]
>
>
> Photographer: WXYZ
> Copyright 2011 Scripps Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may
> not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
>   [image: Oak Park vegetable garden controversy]
>
>
> Photographer: WXYZ
> Copyright 2011 Scripps Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may
> not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
>   [image: Oak Park vegetable garden controversy]
>
>
> Photographer: WXYZ
> Copyright 2011 Scripps Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may
> not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
>   [image: Oak Park vegetable garden controversy]
>
>
> Photographer: WXYZ
> Copyright 2011 Scripps Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may
> not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
>   [image: Oak Park vegetable garden controversy]
>
>
> Photographer: WXYZ
> Copyright 2011 Scripps Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may
> not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
>  
> Previous<http://www.wxyz.com/dpp/news/region/oakland_county/oak-park-battles-city-over-vegetable-garden-in-their-front-yard#>
> Play<http://www.wxyz.com/dpp/news/region/oakland_county/oak-park-battles-city-over-vegetable-garden-in-their-front-yard#>
> Next<http://www.wxyz.com/dpp/news/region/oakland_county/oak-park-battles-city-over-vegetable-garden-in-their-front-yard#>
> Regular Photo 
> Size<http://www.wxyz.com/dpp/news/region/oakland_county/oak-park-battles-city-over-vegetable-garden-in-their-front-yard#>
> 1<http://www.wxyz.com/dpp/news/region/oakland_county/oak-park-battles-city-over-vegetable-garden-in-their-front-yard#>
> 2<http://www.wxyz.com/dpp/news/region/oakland_county/oak-park-battles-city-over-vegetable-garden-in-their-front-yard#>
> 3<http://www.wxyz.com/dpp/news/region/oakland_county/oak-park-battles-city-over-vegetable-garden-in-their-front-yard#>
> 4<http://www.wxyz.com/dpp/news/region/oakland_county/oak-park-battles-city-over-vegetable-garden-in-their-front-yard#>
> 5<http://www.wxyz.com/dpp/news/region/oakland_county/oak-park-battles-city-over-vegetable-garden-in-their-front-yard#>
>     
> <http://ad.doubleclick.net/click%3Bh%3Dv8/3b3f/3/0/%2a/c%3B236450706%3B0-0%3B0%3B47702275%3B2321-160/600%3B40703979/40721766/1%3B%3B%7Esscs%3D%3fhttp://www.mcdonalds.com>
>  advertisement
>   [image: alt] [image: alt] [image: alt] [image: alt]
> ShareThis
>
> Posted: 06/30/2011
>
>    - [image: By: Glenda Lewis] By: Glenda 
> Lewis<http://www.wxyz.com/dpp/about_us/staff/glenda-lewis>
>
> OAK PARK, Mich. (WXYZ) - Their front yard was torn up after replacing a
> sewer line, so instead of replacing the dirt with grass, one Oak Park woman
> put in a vegetable garden and now the city is seeing green.
>
> The list goes on: fresh basil, cabbage, carrots, tomatoes, cumbers and more
> all filling five large planter boxes that fill the Bass family’s front yard.
>
> Julie Bass says, “We thought we’re minding our own business, doing
> something not ostentatious and certainly not obnoxious or nothing that is a
> blight on the neighborhood, so we didn't think people would care very much.”
>
> But some cared very much and called the city. The city then sent out code
> enforcement.
>
> “They warned us at first that we had to move the vegetables from the front,
> that no vegetables were allowed in the front yard. We didn't move them
> because we didn't think we were doing anything wrong, even according to city
> code we didn’t think we were doing anything wrong. So they ticketed us and
> charged me with a misdemeanor,” Bass said.
>
> Julie even has an upcoming jury trial.
>
> City code says that all unpaved portions of the site shall be planted with
> grass or ground cover or shrubbery or other suitable live plant material.
> Tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers are what Basses see as suitable.
>
> However, Oak Park’s Planning and Technology Director Kevin Rulkowski says
> the city disagrees. He says, “If you look at the dictionary, suitable means
> common. You can look all throughout the city and you'll never find another
> vegetable garden that consumes the entire front yard.”
>
> Rulkowski spoke to Julie Bass in April when she first called to see if it
> would be okay and since then it has been a growing concern.
>
> He says, “I told her don't do it, and she went ahead and did it anyway.“
>
> Jason Bass says, “The city is so strapped for cash right now that they have
> gone from a five-day work week to a four-day work week. They’ve canceled the
> fireworks to save money. City resources are really strapped and now we want
> to go on a jury trial for our vegetables in our front yard.”
>
> Rulkowski says, “She is the one who has asked for a jury trial. So, I don't
> know what to say about that, but we'll let the legal system work its way
> through the process and hopefully we'll get a good result.”
>
> Julie has even created a web site called 
> oakparkhatesveggies.wordpress.comwhere she is blogging about all of all of 
> this.
> Her pretrial hearing is July 26.
>
> Portland Permaculture Guild
> Meets the 3rd Monday of every month.
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