Woman Goes to Jail for Not Mowing Lawn

[NoStateofMind]

Because we voted for most of these ordinances and decided the state is better equipped to enforce them.

A vote doesn't magically make extortion go away. Not even if voted on by millions. What is wrong stays wrong regardless of what "law" is instituted. What kind of mental gymnastics do you have to perform to dismiss it? It's no longer ignorance as you are well aware of the consequences.

Don't like them, go live out in the sticks or in an apartment. Or better yet, start your own community where you can let the crass grow so high you could lose you car.

I'd rather that you and the State know their place.

 

[Matt1970]

So are unwashed cars. Wanna start fining people and taking their cars because they don't wash them often enough?

That's a stretch to say the least.

 

[iGas]

Yep, I like our system. I don't want anyone to go to jail but I also don't want eyesores in my neighborhood.

What happened to neighborly?
Perhaps America should redefine the term "my neighborhood" to "my gangsta crib".

 

[mizzou]

wtf. lazy shitheads.

lol @ "yard needs some attention" it's a fucking disgrace lol, did you see the gutters, the thickness of the weed roots, and the amount of weeds that were attached to the house? It's a "problem property" and although it is not a burglary or theft, you can still be punished for not abiding by completely benign ordinances like "Not letting your property turn into a fuck-storm"

Don't have time to mow your lawn or trim weeds? What the hell is she doing in her spare time that she can't afford 30 minutes or so a week?

I've had neighbors like that, and occasionally we all chip in and do it ourselves with their permission, but typically people like that are completely ignorant and it's hard to help them out, because they either don't want it or don't want to accept the fact they are wrong.

 

[mizzou]

I've been in houses like this, and it's AMAZING the conditions people live in and let their children live in. Cockroaches, nasty ass food, bugs, cat shit, toilets that don't work, bathtubs filled with piss and shit, animals everywhere, everything dirty.

Literally walked on floors covered inch by inch with some type of trash, crap, dirt, you name it. And then hear an excuse from the homeowner, "Oh...sorry for the mess, the dishwasher started acting up."

 

[yllus]

Actual jail time is a bit much, but I certainly support the city's ability to levy a fine of some sort on her property for not keeping to a minimum level of care.

Look, if people are going to live tightly spaced with each other, there are certain minimum standards that everyone has to agree to and meet in order for the entire community to get along. Just like there are building construction controls (you can't turn your suburban house into a iron smelting plant) and sound ordinances, there are visual standards as well. If you want to live in a community and net the benefits that go along with that, you give a little bit of autonomy up in return. That's just reality.

 

[Matt1970]

A vote doesn't magically make extortion go away. Not even if voted on by millions. What is wrong stays wrong regardless of what "law" is instituted. What kind of mental gymnastics do you have to perform to dismiss it? It's no longer ignorance as you are well aware of the consequences.



I'd rather that you and the State know their place.

It's not extortion. Nobody is forcing anyone to do anything because you are not forced to live in a community that have these codes and ordinances. It's just the way it is.

 

[HeXen]

I've been in houses like this, and it's AMAZING the conditions people live in and let their children live in. Cockroaches, nasty ass food, bugs, cat shit, toilets that don't work, bathtubs filled with piss and shit, animals everywhere, everything dirty.

Literally walked on floors covered inch by inch with some type of trash, crap, dirt, you name it. And then hear an excuse from the homeowner, "Oh...sorry for the mess, the dishwasher started acting up."

:eek:[/QUOTE]

Usually they don't care enough to apologize.

 

[NetWareHead]

My gf is a realtor and listed a property recently in a neighborhood where one particular homeowner was lazy about his yard. Not just talking about uncut lawn but also trash and general untidyness. My gf took these potential buyers to see her listing but she took a road that did not have travel past this one guy's house. People who say this doesn't lower property values and lessen the appeal of the neighborhood are 100% wrong.

Face it, do you want to look outside your window and see waist high weeds and lawn? Do my neighbors want to see my shitty yard when they look outside their windows? Its just common consideration to take care of your lawn and yard so it is not an eyesore. Nothing anal or over the top, just some common tidyness of your visible property. If everyone had some common decency and sense of pride in where they lived, the block would look good. Cities have codes to ensure this and make sure that property values dont plummet.

For the record, I have approached neighbors and asked if they needed a hand. I volunteered my lawn mower and time to help them cut their yard. One guy who lived across from me told me to fuck off and he would mow his lawn when he felt like it. Ok buddy if that was the game he wanted to play, my next phone call was to city code enforcement. He got served with warnings and mowed his lawn. Then I guess he got pissy about it and stopped altogether. More phone calls to enforcement and the city came out to his house with a crew, did it for him and he got a lien on his property.

I know a guy who lived next door to a slob. This guy I knew was trying to sell his house and was just frustrated by the fact the slob next door dragged down the appeal of his house. He begged the guy more than once and offered his own help but the slob wasn't hearing it. So this man had an open house one day and a few hours before it was to take place, he fired up his lawn mower and cut the slob's grass himself. Ran over kid's toys and other buried crap in the tall grass.

If you want to keep a unkempt yard, that is your prerogative but then you should go live in the sticks or somewhere it wont matter. But when you live in a neighborhood, you owe it to your neighbors and have a sense of duty to them to not show your dirty ass in public.

The woman in this OP article found out the hard way what happens when you violate code and dont want to pay by the rules. Cant say I feel any sympathy for her...

 

[Matt1970]

I've been in houses like this, and it's AMAZING the conditions people live in and let their children live in. Cockroaches, nasty ass food, bugs, cat shit, toilets that don't work, bathtubs filled with piss and shit, animals everywhere, everything dirty.

Literally walked on floors covered inch by inch with some type of trash, crap, dirt, you name it. And then hear an excuse from the homeowner, "Oh...sorry for the mess, the dishwasher started acting up."

And people think you should have the right to keep your yard like that. That is the perfect breeding ground for rodents and disease. This is why we have laws. This is why you can't just build a house any way you want to and have it fall over or burn the whole neighborhood down.

 

[NetWareHead]

What an utter load of shite.

If the value of a property is so dependent on something as fleeting as the condition of a neighbour's lawn, it means the entire market is based on a house of cards.

That's not to speak of why you think you're entitled to demand things of others just so your house might be worth a bit more.

My home's value is not entirely dependent on the condition of my neighbor's lawn but it is certainly a factor that perspective buyers will consider if I am selling it. And certainly a bargaining chip a potential buyer will use to their advantage in a negotiation.

 

[Veliko]

My gf is a realtor and listed a property recently in a neighborhood where one particular homeowner was lazy about his yard. Not just talking about uncut lawn but also trash and general untidyness. My gf took these potential buyers to see her listing but she took a road that did not have travel past this one guy's house. People who say this doesn't lower property values and lessen the appeal of the neighborhood are 100% wrong.

If one untidy neighbour is all it takes to drag down the value of all the properties around him, it just shows that the entire market is over inflated and built on smoke and bullshit.

What makes you think you're entitled to these higher values?

 

[Veliko]

And people think you should have the right to keep your yard like that. That is the perfect breeding ground for rodents and disease. This is why we have laws. This is why you can't just build a house any way you want to and have it fall over or burn the whole neighborhood down.

You're trying to compare construction standards to lawn maintenance standards.

 

[Matt1970]

If one untidy neighbour is all it takes to drag down the value of all the properties around him, it just shows that the entire market is over inflated and built on smoke and bullshit.

What makes you think you're entitled to these higher values?

I just wanted to quote this before you realized how utterly ridiculous it was and edited it.

 

[NetWareHead]

If one untidy neighbour is all it takes to drag down the value of all the properties around him, it just shows that the entire market is over inflated and built on smoke and bullshit.

What makes you think you're entitled to these higher values?

Its not smoke and mirrors when your house attracts less attention, less buyers and you receive numerically lower offers on your for sale home when you live next to a hillbilly family.

Honestly answer this question as to which property will be valued higher. A home on a nice street vs the same one where it looks like 1 or more neighbors are unkempt?

 

[NoStateofMind]

It's not extortion. Nobody is forcing anyone to do anything because you are not forced to live in a community that have these codes and ordinances. It's just the way it is.

Then you'd have no problem with any individual (me or some guy down the street) non-extorting you the same way right? I mean you could always move amiright?

 

[Veliko]

Its not smoke and mirrors when your house attracts less attention, less buyers and you receive numerically lower offers on your for sale home when you live next to a hillbilly family.

Honestly answer this question as to which property will be valued higher. A home on a nice street vs the same one where it looks like 1 or more neighbors are unkempt?

You're trying to sidestep what I'm saying.

It just shows that the entire market is over inflated and built on smoke and bullshit.

What makes you think you're entitled to these higher values?

 

[Matt1970]

Then you'd have no problem with any individual (me, or some guy down the street) extorting you the same way right? I mean, you could always move amiright?

Ab so frekin lute ly.

 

[Matt1970]

You're trying to sidestep what I'm saying.

It just shows that the entire market is over inflated and built on smoke and bullshit.

What makes you think you're entitled to these higher values?

It's not smoke and bullshit. A house in a neighborhood where everyone keeps up with their yards has always sold higher than the same house in a neighborhood where they don't. It's been that way for way too long for it to be smoke and bullshit.

 

[NetWareHead]

You're trying to sidestep what I'm saying.

It just shows that the entire market is over inflated and built on smoke and bullshit.

What makes you think you're entitled to these higher values?

More like: why should I have to take a loss on what would otherwise be a normally valued property all because my inconsiderate neighbor makes his house looks like a shithole? Last I checked, it is normal to be clean, orderly and considerate to your neighbors as well as show some decency and have self respect.

 

[Veliko]

More like: why should I have to take a loss on what would otherwise be a normally valued property all because my inconsiderate neighbor makes his house looks like a shithole? Last I checked, it is normal to be clean, orderly and considerate to your neighbors as well as show some decency and have self respect.

What on earth is a "normally valued property" and what makes you think you're entitled to a state-enforced value?

 

[Veliko]

It's not smoke and bullshit. A house in a neighborhood where everyone keeps up with their yards has always sold higher than the same house in a neighborhood where they don't. It's been that way for way too long for it to be smoke and bullshit.

If it has to be state-enforced, then yes it's smoke and bullshit.

 

[bradley]

IMO, Mrs. Holloway's house seems no worse (and in some ways better) than her neighbors. The biggest difference: she hasn't cleared the woods behind her property, unlike many of her neighbors. Although a railroad passes right behind these properties, so it's not the most appealing location.

She's also located 1/4 a mile from the sheriff's office, who is likely the real culprit here. Otherwise, I'm saving my indignation for way bigger injustices.

Front of the property:
https://www.google.com/maps/@35.784...sqIIo2zh86SlV613JTz2JpA!2e0!5s2014-03!6m1!1e1

Side of the property:
https://www.google.com/maps/@35.784...s4kidrm7IqWnxC0i5Jlv8WA!2e0!5s2014-03!6m1!1e1

Back of the property:
https://www.google.com/maps/@35.784...sG-RkOorFQKpIYmhgsCp0og!2e0!5s2014-03!6m1!1e1

 

[Matt1970]

What on earth is a "normally valued property" and what makes you think you're entitled to a state-enforced value?

I take it you don't own a house?

 

[Veliko]

I don't own a house, no.

Can any of the house owners explain why they think they're entitled to a state-enforced value?