Bloodied 70-year-old woman cuffed for having a brown lawn

[eppur_se_muova]

Source: AP/CNN

OREM, Utah (AP) -- A 70-year-old woman arrested in a dispute over her brown lawn pleaded not guilty Tuesday, then stood by as a Los Angeles lawyer waved handcuffs for the cameras outside court.

Betty Perry is charged with resisting arrest and failing to maintain her landscaping, both misdemeanors.

She was arrested July 6 after failing to give her name to a police officer who visited her home.

During a struggle, Perry fell and injured her nose. She spent more than an hour in a holding cell before police released her.

Read more: http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/09/19/lawn.dispute.ap/index.html

---

Speaking of brown lawns ... how about that DROUGHT ??

(Be sure to read to the end of the article.)

[DrunkenMaster]

1. she should be rewarded

for not wasting water greening her lawn in an arid climate.

F**king bourgeois idiots.

[Sequoia]

13. In our town, digging up the lawn is all the rage.

What with water shortages and such, people are laying out bricks and rocks on their lawns instead. I lived in Los Angeles county for years and it was dry then so maybe since then it was become the land of waterfalls so everyone can have a green lawn now!

[DrunkenMaster]

18. Xeriscaping Rules!

Not only is it ecologically sound, it looks quite beautiful as well.

[Sequoia]

27. I didn't know there was a name for it.

And some people are planting gardens in their front lawn too.

[yellowcanine]

23. Exactly. I have never heard of a REQUIRING that lawns be watered. Usually it is just the

opposite. More and more communities in arid areas are not permitting watering of lawns. This is ass backwards. Let the damn lawn die and put in plants that don't need to be watered.

[pokercat999]

42. Watering your lawn was required by the HOA when I

lived in Fort Mill, SC. Just after I moved in I was talking to my neighbor complaining about my $200.00 per MONTH water bill. He replied "You must only water the front yard, I water front and back and my bill is over $300.00 per month". I sold the house and moved back to VA. Now my water is free from our well, tastes better too.;)

[Bandit]

2. The city I live in charges for water and sewer

My water is metered. Maybe if the city gave the water out free they could tell a person how they must use it..Something about unfunded mandates and how up in arms everyone was over them a few years back..

[Trillo]

7. No problem for the creative accountants at water districts

to undermine. Since sewer use is presumed to be relative to metered water consumption, the more water they give you for free (hypothetically), the higher the sewer bill goes.

Like I said, no big deal. Just up the relative percentage of sewer charges a bit, and bingo, water customers will still be paying for the water the municipality forces them to use, just the itemization of billing changes slightly.

[Auggie]

3. Failing to maintain landscaping is a misdemeanor?

[yellowcanine]

24. Most jurisdictions just send a citation to the address. Maybe that was done and she ignored it.

Still, it is crazy that the cop had to confront her about her name. Presumably the city knows who owns the property.

[trogdor]

55. I bet failing to wash your car is, too.

That'll be the next weird HOA law, not only covering non-functioning autos, but the one you drive to work as well. No bondo or primer, no dents more than a month old, no visible dirt above the rocker panels, and NO self-help auto maintenance in the driveways - not even wiper blades.

[LeftishBrit]

4. During many summers in the UK...

you could be in trouble if you DO water your lawn. Water shortages (or poor water conservation and leaky reservoirs!) and hosepipe bans.

Not this summer; but you've probably seen pictures of this summer in Britain! If your lawn is under water, you don't need to water it(!)

To get back to this story, it sounds very officious of the authorities.

[donsu]

5. good for her for not giving her name

is it a crime, or, I should say, did it used to be a crime to not give a cop your name?

now I know everything is a crime including a brown lawn.

[superconnected]

29. When I worked at police departments, yes it was illegal not to identify yourself to a police officer

It's also illegal for people to walk around without id.

I do not agree with those policys.

[Nevernose]

45. The ACLU disagrees, as do many courts.

And it all depends on the circumstances.

Driving a car? Absolutely.
Actually under arrest? Absolutely.

Under questioning? Not necessarily. Why do the police need to know your name? You're either accused of a crime or not, and if you're accused, then they should arrest you (or ticket you in lieu of arrest), in which case the previous under arrest rule applies.

Of course, I haven't seen that last detail yet, either: did the police just knock on her door and demand her name, or did they knock on her door, ascertain that she was the one guilty of a (petty, borderline-insane) crime, tried to ticket her, and THEN she refused to give her name?

I suppose there could be an obstruction charge in there somewhere, but when I worked for the DA's office, I never actually saw one of those go to trial, so it was all kind of a moot point. A scare tactic -- kind of like a burglary charge -- in many jurisdictions. The closest that I did personally witness go to trial were misinformation to a police officer; you don't have to carry ID, as long as you don't lie about who you are.

[Demit]

6. Well. Her attorney being Gloria Allred, this woman should come out all right.

[trusty elf]

8. Lawn Odor in Shruburbia

[Algorem]

9. LAPD says green up that lawn or your ass is grass.

[Cha]

36. It's the OPD..Orem,

Utah..it's just the lawyer who is from LA.

[Algorem]

44. Utah?Ug.

[Mz Pip]

10. I wonder about the

community values of her neighbors. It's sad that places like Utah that tout values every chance they get would not have people in the community who would help out the woman. We have an elderly woman living next door to us and Mr Pip spends about 45 minutes ever few months trimming her shrubs. It's just a simple act of neighborliness.

How hard could it have been for a neighbor to help her out??

I am curious as to why she had her water turned off for nine months. What did she do for water?

Mz Pip
:dem:

[Gormy Cuss]

17. I read an earlier, more detailed report and she's a bit of a character.

She had the water shut off under a seasonal provision because she claims to be away most of the time, but may be living in the house without water which is a violation of the housing code. On the other hand, the landscaping ordinance is used mostly for junk or junk cars creating a hazard rather than brown lawns.

[yellowcanine]

25. You mean they don't allow old cars as landscape "features"? How elitest of them.

[Gormy Cuss]

28. No, I mean the ordinance isn't intended to supervise something as minor as lawn health

but because the statute doesn't exclude it some NIMBY made a stink over it.
Dead grass isn't in the same league as a pile of broken appliances or derelict cars on blocks.

[Megahurtz]

41. Rofl!

:rofl:

[ShortnFiery]

54. Yes, anyone who does not comply to authority immediately can be labeled "a bit of a character"

allowing for our blessed Police State Officers to beat and tase AT WILL.

God BLESS AMERICA and GREEN LAWNS. If you refuse ANY authority - we'll beat your ass into a stupor.

50,000 Volts, blunt force trauma or FOLLOW ALL OUR ORDERS no matter how inane?

The choice is up to you American Citizen.

Are you also "a bit of a character?"

Be afraid and submit to all our blessed authority figures ... or ELSE!
------------

First They Came for the Jews
First they came for the Jews
and I did not speak out
because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for the Communists
and I did not speak out
because I was not a Communist.
Then they came for the trade unionists
and I did not speak out
because I was not a trade unionist.
Then they came for me
and there was no one left
to speak out for me.


Pastor Martin Niemöller

[Gormy Cuss]

56. Not exactly.

Calling someone a character in that context is the equivalent of eccentric or someone unconventional. The original link made it seem that the brown lawn was the only reason for the action. Reading more about it suggests that the woman does many things out of the ordinary and there may be more to this story than just a lawn complaint. Nowhere did I suggest that she should have been arrested over it.

And since you asked, I am a bit of a character. I swim against the tide of public opinion and expected behavior frequently.

[sandyj999]

11. Why Give Her Name?

They must have a city directory and knew who she was. I am almost 72 and I wouldn't have told them either. Where I live we have an Emperor and if anyone has grass over 6 inches we as neighbors, are supposed to turn them in.

[Vinca]

12. Well, on the "up" side, at least she wasn't tasered. nt

[Theres-a]

22. Nice. nt

[Stuckinthebush]

14. I'm confused. Why is having a brown lawn illegal?

After this summer, all of the lawns are brown around here.

[zanne]

15. Holy shit.

If they saw my yard, they'd hang me.

[AnneD]

16. She fought the lawn....

and the lawn won.:spray:

[Champion Jack]

19. ouch

[trusty elf]

21. Nice!

[endarkenment]

20. Taser her ass!

She could have been armed. She was clearly crazy. The nice policeman could have been injured restraining her. She is an attention whore, a drama queen. Where was John Kerry?

Waving the bloody cuffs now? How dare the lawyer terrorize the court this way?

[ShortnFiery]

52. ... yeah, can't you see that she was clearly a danger to herr city's beautification process?

Take her away and hold her until the end of the War! - no slack for DISRUPTORS! Zap her for wasting The Court's time - Fellow Citizens, this evil-doer clearly hates America and the blessed goal of "keeping up with the anal-retentive lawn watering Jones." Where the hell is "Serial Mom" when you need her? :evilgrin: :sarcasm:

[Cronopio]

26. If she'd only submitted to the notion of police and mob rule ...

... she'd have a much calmer life. Why don't some people learn?

:sarcasm:

If I was cynical, I'd assume that she has the water turned off for a few months to help make ends meet. her neighbors had a problem with something about her, and her brown lawn was as good an excuse as any. Again, not to be cynical or anything, but it doesn't seem to take much to set Americans off on a rampage anymore.

[Carrieyazel]

30. This is outrageous on so many levels.

Arrested for not keeping up her lawn???? Why in the hell should she be arrested for that?? Is this a Utah thing??? She needs to respond to this outrage.

[AnneD]

31. I guess no one

thought to ask her if she needed some help. I've been known to water a neighbour's yard or mow a yard if the folks were unable to due to surgery or something. What happen to daily acts of charity? I don't know WJWD, but he sure as hell wouldn't taser the poor woman. She may have been off her meds, dehydrated, needing a Vit B shot, you name it. :eyes:

[shenmue]

32. Messin' with a 70-year-old?

Is there absolutely nothing else to do in Orem?

:grr:

Okay. Maybe she had to fix the lawn, but there were surely better ways to go about this. Shame on those jerks.

[tomhayes]

34. You right, 70 year old should be able to do whatever they want!

Police asking a 70 year old for their I.D? OUTRAGEOUS. I say RESIST SISTER!!!!!!!!

Also, Floridian septagenarians feel free to litter, urinate outdoors, honky if you are horny, drink milk directly from the carton, and whatever else you want to do, as long as it's not too bad.

Fight the system, you'll be dead soon anyways!

[Name removed]

37. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[tomhayes]

38. Thanks for trying to suppress me

And thanks for the ad hominem attacks.

I'd do the same , but your reply seem less than hominem to me.

Hopefully your attack will be replaced with a "message deleted" soon.

next up: Octogenarians don't have to wear pants!

[ShortnFiery]

53. Only if they follow every order of our blessed Police State Officers and don't act crazy.

:eyes:

[chelsea0011]

33. Do you have to cut your lawn in Utah, also?

This is an outrage. Nobody should be wasting water on a lawn. I eliminated my backyard lawn with plantings and mulch and my front lawn never sees water except from above. Some years it is brown and some years it is not. And I don't cut it reguarly either. And when it is a dry year, like it was this year, keeping it long kept it fairly green with no watering.

[Cha]

35. Nobody waters their lawn

here and it's brown unless of heavy rains. Water's too expensive.

In Arizona one year we had a rock and cactus garden..no way should Betty have have arrested for having a brown lawn.

I see Gloria is there..maybe she can get Betty some resolution that doesn't suck. At least they didn't taser her.

[Megahurtz]

39. What In THE FUCK???

Is this for fucking real?:wtf: Holy Shit, I'm never moving to Utah!:crazy:

This is about as Gestapo as you can get!

A law against your lawn going brown???:banghead:

:crazy:

Sounds just like an excuse to get more $Revenue$ those psychotic freaks!

[zanne]

40. I think I'll grow some corn on my front lawn...

And sit back and see what happens.

[martymar64]

43. Is she a Mormon? I'd guess no.

Utah society is a little tilted in favor of Mormons, kind of like how Jena is a little tilted in favor of whites. If she was, I'd bet this wouldn't have escalated like it did.

[Hekate]

46. I've been wondering that too.The Mormons are all about family values--their families...

My mother, a Unitarian, lived in Salt Lake City for the last 15 years of her life. There seemed to be some gaps, shall we say, in Mormon notions of taking care of "gentiles."

But who's to say? Mom lived in a block of senior condos and made lots of friends among the "gentiles" while coexisting peacefully with the Mormon majority, who after discovering what a heathen she was, left her pretty much alone.

This being a condo, she wasn't in charge of keeping the lawn watered however.

I think the fate of this woman in Orem may turn on personalities rather than religion, but it doesn't say much about modern American culture that the neighbors wouldn't have pitched in to keep the yard tidy if they were so all-fired concerned about appearances.

By the way, it's a good thing my own neighbors are pretty tolerant, because my yard went back to Nature years ago. :eyes:

Hekate

[Pesky_Hound]

49. Hekate, cool nick.

My yard is in a semi natural state as well. I'm in the process of remodeling and looking for work. Some things you just have to let go. Anyways, the cop is the one that needs to be in the clink. He should have told the complainers to make a citizens arrest if they were that all fired worried about their neighbors yard. I am so glad I don't live in Mormonland.

[Hekate]

51. The Orem cops really need something better to do with their time

Did I read correctly that Gloria Allred has gotten involved as the woman's lawyer? Serves Orem right, is all I can say -- Ms. Allred has a pitbull reputation out here in So Cal.

Hekate
:hi:

[Momgonepostal]

48. Orem is a very LDS town

Statistically, it's likely she is Mormon.

[bitchkitty]

50. Lots of jack Mormons in Utah -

My mom's branch of the family are all smoking, drinking, hell-raising Mormons.

[GoddessOfGuinness]

47. Why couldn't a brown lawn BE her landscaping?

As long as her lawn doesn't pose a health risk, why should anyone give a damn what she does with it?

I wish I had money...I'd send her some to help pay her legal bills.

[tom_paine]

57. Oh Bushie America, you are SUCH an ASSHOLE!

Not as bad as the Nazis...yet..but give it some time.

This makes perfect sense, but only if one understands Amerika is trasitioning or already has transitioned to totalitarian tyranny.