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TULSA, Oklahoma - A Tulsa woman is suing the city's code enforcement officers after she said they cut down her garden with no cause. Denise Morrison said she has more than 100 plant varieties in her front and back yards and all of them are edible and have a purpose.
Last August, Morrison's front and back yards were filled with flowers in bloom, lemon, stevia, garlic chives, grapes, strawberries, apple mint, spearmint, peppermint, an apple tree, walnut tree, pecan trees and much more.
She got a letter from the city saying there had been a complaint about her yard.
When she heard they wanted to cut it all down, she called police. The officer issued her a citation so it could be worked out in court. She said she went to court on August 15, and the judge told them to come back in October. But the very next day, men were cutting down most of her plants. They even cut down some of her trees -– ones that bore fruit and nuts -– and went up next to her house and basically removed everything in her front flower bed.
Originally posted by Unity_99
It was illegal and she is suing. And I hope she hires mature trees and her garden with the money.
Originally posted by Legion2024
Dam, Glad i live in South Australia, Both my front and back yard plants are able to be eaten. The good thing is there is enough to go around for the neighbor's as well and it does look great all year round.
Originally posted by jude11
This is just another case of saying "You are not allowed to grow your own food". You will eat what we allow you to eat and you will pay OUR prices...or starve.
Originally posted by Domo1
You have got to bee expletiving kidding me. No plants over a foot? On your own property? Getting cited for having an inoperable vehicle IN THE DRIVEWAY? I would have lost my expletive. I should be able to erect (heh) a 15 foot tall concrete penis ON MY OWN PROPERTY.
Originally posted by phantom150
This is wrong on so many levels but clearly reflects the current plans of the government.
The government's don't want people who are self sustainable or who are not funding the major supermarkets or GE manufactures.
I would imagine the court would rule in the women's favor, removing the plants without her permission or at least without paperwork is crazy...I would imagine you need warrants, pictures, environmental impact statements and everything. Whats crazy is their is no sane reasoning to the removal of the plants, if it was a jungle in the front yard then ok their is a valid point however the backyard should be offlimits.
I know in Australia your allowed to grow all you want just short of marijuana in your yard given it doesn't affect your neighbours property..(ie high nitrogen levels, overhanging trees, shading issues). Their are some stuck up councils in the cities that will fine you if your house doesn't meet "heritage" levels however they would never attempt to break into someones yard at destroy property without a court order.
Originally posted by MichiganSwampBuck
This was a city code enforcer gone on a rampage. The ironic part is, most "noxious" weeds in vacant lots are edible. The lady should put Roundup all over ever inch of her yard then grow Monsanto GM crops, the city would probably giver her an award. I'm not kidding.
Originally posted by phantom150
reply to post by jude11
I understand the point raised however I don't see the regulations standing upto legal scrutiny, being Australian I don't fully know your legal system however the bill of rights and trespass laws should protect her.
I don't see how the 12 inches unless edible rule holds power, what makes it edible and how is it affecting the community...there needs to be a genuine reason to enter someones home illegally and destroy their property.
At the moment its baseless and an overreaction.
In regards to your point raised about it looking worse now I agree, I was creating a generalization that if a property was overgrown and posed an immediate safety risk then yes it would be understandable to trim it back to eliminate the risk.
Without trying to cause offence from an outsider view of the US I am surprised you have allowed your governments so much power to get away with this nonsense.
You have homes getting foreclosed, a country in debit which is virtually unpayable, lack of jobs, poor education and all your government cares for is the size of your plants...its crazy
Just trying to be honest here, you've let this monster grow to big...
Originally posted by jude11
Originally posted by MichiganSwampBuck
This was a city code enforcer gone on a rampage. The ironic part is, most "noxious" weeds in vacant lots are edible. The lady should put Roundup all over ever inch of her yard then grow Monsanto GM crops, the city would probably giver her an award. I'm not kidding.
Yup, home gardeners and self reliant people are the true enemy of Monsanto. Gotta destroy an old lady's yard in order to make sure she spends her dollars on Monsanto poison food.
Peace