better stop watching tv & get your landscaping cleaned up this weekend.

[zapfbroad]

who knows, rotations might be in your neighborhood this week. 105 warrants in 1 day in a town of 6000 wow.

 

Police captured on camera serving a warrant for uncut grass.

 

http://www.wtae.com/news/local/allegheny/police-captured-on-camera-serving-a-warrant-for-uncut-grass/-/10927008/20504378/-/item/0/-/qxccr3z/-/index.html

[RichardR]

I have mixed feelings on this.

While I absolutely hate it when a neighbor allows their property to become overgrown, I also absolutely hate the government forcing homeowners to maintain their own property (or else) iffin the homeowner doesn't want to or can't do so (for whatever reason).

That's the problem with "freedom" it is completely chaotic by nature, people going around doing or not doing whatever the heck they feel or don't feel like doing (so long as they aren't hurting anyone else).

*shrug* I guess I just love "freedom" more than I hate unkempt yards ...

[RobertNashville]

The police could have been more polite as the article suggested. However, this is the trip these residents (be they the landlords or tenants) signed up for.

 

Living in a community means you agree to follow the laws of that community...you don't like the laws you either get them changed or you go live somewhere else.

[daddyo]

Oh, great. So now we'll be treated like criminals for not mowing our grass.

 

Violating a neighborhood ordinance doesn't give a cop a license to be a major a**hole.

 

Is anything legal nowadays?

Edited June 23, 2013 by daddyo

[Chucktshoes]

Oh, great. So now we'll be treated like criminals for not mowing our grass.

Violating a neighborhood ordinance doesn't give a cop a license to be a major a**hole.

Is anything legal nowadays?

As long as you are from the government it is. As has been alluded to and stated fairly clearly in multiple threads here, at this point in time the government in this country and those that populate it from top to bottom have become enemies of the people and of the Constitution. The state and local houses of government are filled with petty tyrants and some of them have aspirations of joining the real tyrants in Washington.

[Grand Torino]

It's called responsibility and pride in ownership. It's what happens when people lack it and are too lazy to get off their asses. A lot of what goes on with government involvement in our lives is because too many people refuse to do the right thing.

[Spots]

It's called responsibility and pride in ownership. It's what happens when people lack it and are too lazy to get off their asses. A lot of what goes on with government involvement in our lives is because too many people refuse to do the right thing.

Actually ownership means just that. If I own 10k acres and wanna plant it all in posion ivy and kudzu then its my right. Thats why I will never live anywhere with an HOA or anyone else who tells me what I can and ca 't do with my land. I guess having the desire to tell those people to go do an impossible act to themselves comes from growing up way out in the country were we were the onlynones wh9 had a say on our land.

sent from the backwoods

[DaveTN]

I don’t understand why they would want to go the warrant route (or even what the warrant is for). The city I worked for sent you a couple of notices and if you didn’t clean it up a city crew came out and did it and you got the bill.

[Dolomite_supafly]

It is their property and they can do whatever they want with it providing it is safe, tall grass is not unsafe. If a persona wants to put 1,000 pink flamingos in their yard it is their right as property owners. If they don't want to cut the grass that is their right.

 

If you don't like it you have every right to move.

[gun sane]

It's called responsibility and pride in ownership. It's what happens when people lack it and are too lazy to get off their asses. A lot of what goes on with government involvement in our lives is because too many people refuse to do the right thing.

 

And in this case, the woman was the grass and the cops were the mower.  Look at how often Congress lets the grass grow under their feet.

[DaveTN]

Cities have ordinances.  They can make you maintain your yard, not abandon cars in your yard, and require you to keep your house in a safe condition. Tall grass can lead to insect infestations that cause health concerns.  If people don’t like that they can get the ordinances changed…. Or they can move.

[RichardR]

It is their property and they can do whatever they want with it providing it is safe, tall grass is not unsafe. If a persona wants to put 1,000 pink flamingos in their yard it is their right as property owners. If they don't want to cut the grass that is their right.

If you don't like it you have every right to move.

That's just crazy talk!

Everyone knows that if "We the People" were allowed that sort of individual freedom to make our own decisions about stuff some adults would be lazy about keeping their properties tidy, OMG could you imagine the horror of having a neighbor with a shaggy looking yard?!?!

Heck they might even decide to drink a whole 32 oz cola! Or maybe even decide to not wear their seatbelt! It would be complete anarchy & utter chaos! Dooomed we're doooomed I tellzya!

[RobertNashville]

It is their property and they can do whatever they want with it providing it is safe, tall grass is not unsafe. If a persona wants to put 1,000 pink flamingos in their yard it is their right as property owners. If they don't want to cut the grass that is their right.

 

If you don't like it you have every right to move.

People can't do whatever they want with their property, safe or not if the laws say otherwise.  The laws a community has were promulgated by that community...if you live there then you agree to live under those laws or face the consequences.

 

If someone wants more freedom about what that they can do on their property then then need to move to a different community our away from developed areas altogether (and be willing to give up the services that a community/development provides).

Edited June 23, 2013 by RobertNashville

[RobertNashville]

Everyone knows that if "We the People" were allowed that sort of individual freedom to make our own decisions about stuff some adults would be lazy about keeping their properties tidy, OMG could you imagine the horror of having a neighbor with a shaggy looking yard?!?!

Heck they might even decide to drink a whole 32 oz cola! Or maybe even decide to not wear their seatbelt! It would be complete anarchy & utter chaos! Dooomed we're doooomed I tellzya!

Whether someone drinks a 32ox cola or not isn't likely to impact me in any way...a neighbor who doesn't take care of his yard/property can most certainly impact MY property value (and he's breaking the laws HE has voluntarily agreed to live under).  His individual freedom STOPS when it starts to impact me negatively.

 

If someone isn't cutting their grass/keeping up with their yard because they are ill/old, etc...then that person's family (first) or that community (second) should step in and help. If they aren't cutting their grass because they are lazy/just don't want to then they deserve whatever the law (they agreed to  live under) says they deserve.

Edited June 23, 2013 by RobertNashville

[Moped]

Living in the city and being a property owner I see it both ways, though I don't see this as a police matter. I believe LE has better things to do, than to service warrants like this.  Especially, when that is Codes Enforcement's job.   I agree with DaveTn's  post regarding the city sending a couple of notices and then doing the work themselves and sending the property owner the bill afterwards.  If the property owner doesn't want to pay that bill, then the city has the right to sell the property on the courthouse steps.

 

As a property owner, you have a responsibility to your neighbors to maintain your property, because that affects the value of their property as well as yours. It's not like living out in the country, where a pasture field may separate you and your neighbor.  My  neighbor's houses are 30' from mine on either side of me. 

 

And while you do have the choice to move away from such people, are you willing to take a loss on your investment, because your neighbor is a lazy SOB and refuses to mow his yard or keep his property cleaned up?  When it comes to dollars lost, I think most of us would come down on the city's side in this.

[RobertNashville]

Actually ownership means just that. If I own 10k acres and wanna plant it all in posion ivy and kudzu then its my right. Thats why I will never live anywhere with an HOA or anyone else who tells me what I can and ca 't do with my land. I guess having the desire to tell those people to go do an impossible act to themselves comes from growing up way out in the country were we were the onlynones wh9 had a say on our land.

sent from the backwoods

How is it your right to break the laws/rules you agreed to live under?

 

No rights, including the right to own property or the right to bear arms, exist in a vacuum...as soon as exercising a right infringes on the rights of another then the state has an duty to seek an accommodation...in this case, the accommodation are ordinances about how a person is supposed to care for his yard.

If these rules are written into the deed for the property then the property owner has even less of an excuse for not following them and no reason to cry about it when their refusal to follow the rules catches up with them

[Spots]

Actually ownership means just that. If I own 10k acres and wanna plant it all in posion ivy and kudzu then its my right. Thats why I will never live anywhere with an HOA or anyone else who tells me what I can and ca 't do with my land. I guess having the desire to tell those people to go do an impossible act to themselves comes from growing up way out in the country were we were the onlynones wh9 had a say on our land.


sent from the backwoods

How is it your right to break the laws/rules you agreed to live under?

No rights, including the right to own property or the right to bear arms, exist in a vacuum...as soon as exercising a right infringes on the rights of another then the state has an duty to seek an accommodation...in this case, the accommodation are ordinances about how a person is supposed to care for his yard.


If these rules are written into the deed for the property then the property owner has even less of an excuse for not following them and no reason to cry about it when their refusal to follow the rules catches up with them

You notice I said I won't live under an HOA or any other body or organization that wants to tell me what I can and can't do with MY land. If your dumb enough to live somewhere the governs how long your grass can be or which way your garage faces then thats your own fault. But its still not something a police officer should be serving a warrant for. Don't they have more important shit to do? Not to mention the fact that they acted like complete assholes. A lil common courtesy and a polite attitude goes a long ways.

sent from the backwoods

[RobertNashville]

You notice I said I won't live under an HOA or any other body or organization that wants to tell me what I can and can't do with MY land. If your dumb enough to live somewhere the governs how long your grass can be or which way your garage faces then thats your own fault. But its still not something a police officer should be serving a warrant for. Don't they have more important #### to do? Not to mention the fact that they acted like complete assholes. A lil common courtesy and a polite attitude goes a long ways.

sent from the backwoods

I understand the distinction...but some folks don't. ;)

 

I'm sure they have plenty of things to do but if this is a criminal charge then they have a duty to serve a criminal complaint warrant...if it's a civil warrant, as this may well be, then somebody has to serve it...in Rutherford county that's usually the RCSO (or at least that's what I've been told).

Edited June 23, 2013 by RobertNashville

[Moped]

Do they not have Codes Enforcement in Rutherford County?  That's who should be serving the warrants.  That is not a LE duty.  Now I could see a Deputy coming a long with the Codes Enforcement Official, if the property owner is violent or threatening.

 

Spots, you probably shouldn't live in a city, brother.  Just sayin' ! :)

[RobertNashville]

Do they not have Codes Enforcement in Rutherford County?  That's who should be serving the warrants.  That is not a LE duty.  Now I could see a Deputy coming a long with the Codes Enforcement Official, if the property owner is violent or threatening.

 

Spots, you probably shouldn't live in a city, brother.  Just sayin' ! :)

All I can tell you is what a local attorney once told me; I have no personal knowledge whether we have Code Enforcement officers or not.

[mikegideon]

You notice I said I won't live under an HOA or any other body or organization that wants to tell me what I can and can't do with MY land. If your dumb enough to live somewhere the governs how long your grass can be or which way your garage faces then thats your own fault. But its still not something a police officer should be serving a warrant for. Don't they have more important #### to do? Not to mention the fact that they acted like complete assholes. A lil common courtesy and a polite attitude goes a long ways.

sent from the backwoods

 

The video was done in PA. Being an asshole is a big part of their job :)

[Worriedman]

Article 1 Section 8. Deprivation of life, liberty or property under law; due process

That no man shall be taken or imprisoned, or disseized of his freehold, liberties or privileges, or outlawed, or exiled, or in any manner destroyed or deprived of his life, liberty or property, but by the judgment of his peers or the law of the land.

 

If you have peers who decide you must cut your grass, Constitution says they can require you to cut your grass.  Vote with your feet and move where they are not so inclined.

[JayC]

It was an arrest warrant, for a 50 something male...  Yet they demanded to see the ID of what is clearly a much younger female...  How stupid do you have to be to think the women answering the door is the subject of your arrest warrant?

 

 

I don’t understand why they would want to go the warrant route (or even what the warrant is for). The city I worked for sent you a couple of notices and if you didn’t clean it up a city crew came out and did it and you got the bill.

 

[enfield]

I live at the corner of a county road and a state 'highway'.  I cut my grass oh, maybe 25-30 times a year.  The county mows the road shoulders maybe twice a year, and the state once a year.  Guess we need higher taxes.

[JayC]

I'm sorry Robert but that is just plain wrong...  Their freedoms stops when they physically harm you, or steal from you...  If you don't want to have your property values  decline, buy a big enough place that it doesn't matter what your neighbors do...  or get together as a neighborhood and offer to help cut the grass of your next door neighbor...

 

Our country is not founded on a tyranny of the majority...  individuals have natural rights, the right to own property and use it without having that property taken (in part or in whole) by the government without just compensation.

 

This is what happens when you want to use the force of government to force people to live the way you want them to live...  Men with guns and badges show up at the persons front door and violate any number of civil rights in the name of the grass not being cut.

 

His individual freedom STOPS when it starts to impact me negatively.