# Here is somebody that needs help!!



## HozayBuck (Jan 27, 2010)

This has really pissed me off bad!... Man's keeping kids out of gangs, teaching them things they will never get in any class room and the stupid assed court system get's involved!..

Drop an E mail of support...

Seeds of Discontent 
Code enforcement targets urban garden.
by Hannah Sayle

Seeds of Discontent | The Fly-By | Memphis Flyer

Adam Guerrero and three kids from his neighborhood, Jovantae, Jarvis, and Shaquielle, hardly seem like lawbreakers as they turn over soil at Guerrero's Nutbush home.

But the city's code enforcement department has deemed their urban garden a nuisance, and a judge has ordered them to remove the small ecosystem they've been working on for the last two years.

According to the court summons, Guerrero, a math teacher at Raleigh-Egypt High School, was cited for violating city ordinances 48-38 and 48-87: He failed to "remove personal property" that is "unsightly" or a "nuisance," and he failed to maintain "a clean and sanitary condition free from any accumulation of rubbish or garbage."

Shelby County Environmental Court judge Larry Potter upheld the citation, ordering Guerrero to get rid of the "debris and personal property" stored outside his home and trim overgrown vegetation - including cutting down his 7-foot-tall sunflower plants.

"He said it's considered a neighborhood nuisance," says Guerrero, who is a member of the GrowMemphis board. "I asked him to define nuisance for me, and he said basically if it generates a complaint, it's a neighborhood nuisance."

Guerrero's home is certainly unique: eggplant, tomato, and pepper plants grow in the front yard; the backyard is lined with rows of wooden worm bins; barrels for collecting and storing rainwater are stationed next to his backdoor; his garage is stocked with equipment for making biodiesel and soap; and behind his garage are beehives quietly humming with industry. Elsewhere, passionflowers, butterflies, elderberry bushes, and sunflowers fill out the garden.

But with no visible trash or garbage and plants kept off the sidewalk and driveway, Guerrero doesn't understand why a judge would bring his operation to a halt.

"These are direct applications to math, biology, engineering," says Guerrero, who uses his garden as a sort of continuing education for Jovantae, Jarvis, and Shaquielle, the latter of whom is a former student of Guerrero's at Kingsbury High School. Jovantae and Jarvis attend the Memphis Academy of Science and Engineering (MASE). "I'm proud to know that the students I work with are probably the only students in Memphis City Schools who know how to make their own biodiesel," Guerrero says.

With the glycerin by-product from the biodiesel, the kids have learned to make soap. They suit up in beekeeping gear and harvest honey. They fill worm bins with kitchen scraps from Central BBQ and Huey's - a contract they have with Project Greenfork - and watch as it turns into nutrient-rich soil. Guerrero and the boys have also installed solar panels at the Midtown North Community Garden.

"One aspect of the schools is teaching that every child should be college-bound but [without] teaching them any skills. The kids don't even know how to use a ruler. I'm taking a different approach and teaching them skills," says Guerrero, who has his students at Raleigh-Egypt help with the garden as well, using geometry and basic tools to help craft worm bins, beehives, and small greenhouses from recycled materials.

Jovantae, a junior at MASE, estimates that he and his friends spend three or four days at the garden when school is out and at least one day a week during the school year. They are none too pleased with the judge's decision.

"I don't understand why it's a problem if it's in the backyard," says Shaquielle, a senior at Kingsbury. "We like coming here. We don't want it to go away."

Guerrero returns to court on September 23rd to demonstrate that he has complied with the judge's orders. Last Friday evening, staring out over his backyard, Guerrero was still hesitating to dismantle the project into which he's poured so much time and energy.

Judge Potter was unable to comment as the case is still pending.


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## Salekdarling (Aug 15, 2010)

Well that is just sickening. They have more important things to worry about. Like keeping kids off the streets and dealing with gangs and drugs. Ugh! Idiots.

What can we do to help?


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## UncleJoe (Jan 11, 2009)

Salekdarling said:


> What can we do to help?


I left a scathing comment in the op-ed section of the paper directed at the city codes enforcement dept; along with scores of complaints from other folks


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## tsrwivey (Dec 31, 2010)

Seems like if the City can't think of a more productive use of taxpayer money than to go around shutting down gardens, there needs to be a personnel change &/or a tax rate change.


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## Graebarde (Aug 30, 2011)

And the county has an Environmental Court? What the heck is THAT? And all it takes is a single neighbors complaint? Is this place IN town I presume? Must be one of those uppity neighborhoods. Assinine....

Now I have to rest and get my BP back in place.

FB


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## Nadja (Jan 12, 2011)

Maybe the tables could be turned on the Judge. If all it takes is one complaint to be deemed a nusience, then surely there could be a few people that could all make complaints against the Judge. Wifes car dirty, kids noisy, lawn not mowed to the proper height, gargage cans dented or out of line etc etc. Put the pressure on and keep it up.


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## Bigdog57 (Oct 9, 2008)

Big Agra has it's tentacles everywhere, and does not tolerate citizen competition. Follow the 'complaint' trail back, I am sure it'll wind up at Monsanto or someother Ag Corp.
Not the first time a corporation has worked it's evil via local goobermint ordinance.......


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## Meerkat (May 31, 2011)

Seems maybe a move to the country would be senseable?:scratch
Why should he break the laws of the whole community and be rewarded?Maybe a move to a third world counry where nobody cares about the Nhood? 
All the things we should worry about and stand up for we ignore,yet we choose to occupy our minds with mundane issues. :dunno:


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## rextex (Sep 14, 2011)

Typical gov intrusion! They never know when to leave well enough alone!


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## Meerkat (May 31, 2011)

This same kind of thing happened to my n-hood.First they broke one zoning rule,before you know it they moved in a dozen people lived in a camper'it was like one of those cars at the circus,where all those people get out of a small car with the clowns'. Next their shooting and loud latin music all night long,slaughtered animals in the roadways and enough trash to here when family ,friends came to visit,they as whats with the cardboard box city ?Then the guns come out if you complain.Realters chased down with machetees for taking pictures because they could'nt sell the propertys with this getup on the toad.
never underestimate what little leinence can do.


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## JayJay (Nov 23, 2010)

Meerkat said:


> This same kind of thing happened to my n-hood.First they broke one zoning rule,before you know it they moved in a dozen people lived in a camper'it was like one of those cars at the circus,where all those people get out of a small car with the clowns'. Next their shooting and loud latin music all night long,slaughtered animals in the roadways and enough trash to here when family ,friends came to visit,they as whats with the cardboard box city ?Then the guns come out if you complain.Realters chased down with machetees for taking pictures because they could'nt sell the propertys with this getup on the toad.
> never underestimate what little leinence can do.


I usually agree with your posts..but not this one...as a former educator, there are times common sense wins and tells you to look the other way...I read a few days ago..if we knew the rules and regulations and laws truly on the books, none of us could survive a day, or even hours without breaking a law..
When LEO are so understaffed they are only answering serious, life-threatening calls of victims??? It's time to reassess this officer's duties..this was a waste of someone's time and could have cost someone's life if that LEO was needed elsewhere.


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## Ezmerelda (Oct 17, 2010)

Graebarde said:


> And the county has an Environmental Court? What the heck is THAT? And all it takes is a single neighbors complaint? Is this place IN town I presume? Must be one of those uppity neighborhoods. Assinine....
> 
> Now I have to rest and get my BP back in place.
> 
> FB


Actually, it's not. The Raleigh area has been on a steady decline since the 1970's. I saw this on the local news. Apparently, a neighbor claims to have seen a rat, and automatically blamed the worm bins. An interviewee stated that there was a cemetery nearby, and "where there's a cemetery, there's a rat problem."

OOPS. My mistake. He TEACHES in Raleigh, he doesn't live there. The Nutbush neighborhood is a decent neighborhood, bordered on one side by the Memphis National Cemetery.


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## Ezmerelda (Oct 17, 2010)

tsrwivey said:


> Seems like if the City can't think of a more productive use of taxpayer money than to go around shutting down gardens, there needs to be a personnel change &/or a tax rate change.


This is Memphis. The city is in budget default but refuses to privatize garbage pick up, to a savings of $2 million annually. Their reason? The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King came to Memphis to protest on behalf of the sanitation workers in 1968, so therefore, the sanitation union is a sacred cow.

But I digress.


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## OldCootHillbilly (Jul 9, 2010)

Goberment be goberment, they do what they wan't.

I ain't seen pictures, but if it be decent, I see no harm in it. Not everbody can just pick up an move ta the country. More folk need ta be doin this, but goberment wan'ts ya dependent on them, not self sufficient. 

Ya give some folks a inch an they'll take a mile, yet others just take the inch, ya can't cover everbody with a blanket rulin. One complaint an it be a nusiance? Should be the bussiest office in town, cause most everbody can find somethin ifin they wanna. Good way ta push yer lifestyle off on everbody else. 

I would like ta think they should be spendin there time with much larger pressin matters then a garden an a worm bed. I've delt with pain in the backside nieghbors before an sure I will in the future. Been in this same spot fer 49 years, most everbody else been here a few at best. My feelins be, stay on yer property, mind yer own business, try an keep it decent, leave me alone an I'll leave you alone.

I got nieghbors what don't mind my place cause we help each other out, an I got nieghbors what think ever place out here should be the ritz er somthin. Common sense has long ago died.

Hope they get it figured out so he don't have ta take it out.


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## Ezmerelda (Oct 17, 2010)

Old Coot, I saw it on the local news and it didn't look terrible. All the worm bins are in the back yard, and the other plants are in raised beds. The grass around the beds is kept trimmed, so there really isn't an eyesore issue.

Unfortunately, all it takes is one (unsubstantiated) claim, and you have the Environmental Board on your back.


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## OldCootHillbilly (Jul 9, 2010)

Well, that sucks. Been through it myself. Don't understand why some folk gotta stick there nose inta everbody eleses's business.

Fer yall what live there, might be time ta really raise a stink an get some changes made if ya can. I've delt with city hall before an got things changed, it can be done, ain't easy, but is doable.


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## hillbilly (Jan 24, 2009)

Follow up:

Update: Adam Guerrero's Garden | News Blog


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## HozayBuck (Jan 27, 2010)

hillbilly said:


> Follow up:
> 
> Update: Adam Guerrero's Garden | News Blog


Thanks for the post HB I had missed this...


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## Meerkat (May 31, 2011)

JayJay said:


> I usually agree with your posts..but not this one...as a former educator, there are times common sense wins and tells you to look the other way...I read a few days ago..if we knew the rules and regulations and laws truly on the books, none of us could survive a day, or even hours without breaking a law..
> When LEO are so understaffed they are only answering serious, life-threatening calls of victims??? It's time to reassess this officer's duties..this was a waste of someone's time and could have cost someone's life if that LEO was needed elsewhere.


 We have the right to do whatever we want on our private property,UNLESS we CHOOSE to move where there are laws ,if so and we move into this area we forfeit some of our property rights. Bylaws,Restrictions and zoning rules are contractual.
If you don't like the rules,don't move in.If you do like the rules that protect you from loss of association,property values and someone moves in and breaks them,then fight back or lose your right to lawbreakers who will almost always turn your once nice manucured street into a ghetto.
Look the other way is what got us all into this bankrupt crime infested socilaistic nation.We allowed others to coem and 'change'us instead of joining us.


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