Submitted by Mike Krieger of Liberty Blitzkrieg blog [7],
The trend of average U.S. citizens being incarcerated by overzealous judges and prosecutors within the police state formerly known as America continues with reckless abandon. In fact, these sorts of cases are becoming so commonplace I simply cannot keep up with all of them. The following story is a perfect followup to my piece earlier today [8], which shows how American public school students are being arrested or harassed by police for the most minor of infractions, such as wearing too much perfume, sharing a classmates’ chicken nuggets, throwing an eraser or chewing gum.
If you are an adult American slave, you can add not mowing your lawn to the list of prison-worthy crimes in the police state.
[9]
From Yahoo News [10]:
If you are a resident of Lenoir City, Tennessee, you might want to remember to mow your lawn — otherwise, you will be spending the night in jail.
Karen Holloway just spent six hours in a jail cell for failing to maintain her yard in accordance with the standards set by the city.
The saga began last summer, when Holloway was sent a citation for her overgrown grass and shrubbery. Holloway, who works a full-time job and has two children living at home, a husband in school, and one family vehicle, admits the yard needed some attention but that it just wasn’t feasible to do the work.
“The bushes and trees were overgrown. But that’s certainly not a criminal offense,” she says.
Last week, Judge Terry Vann handed down a five-day jail sentence to Holloway for refusing to comply with the city ordinances regarding yard maintenance, specifically the lack thereof. Holloway feels this was all just too much, saying, “It’s not right. Why would you put me in jail with child molesters and people who’ve done real crimes, because I haven’t maintained my yard.”
In addition to the severity of the sentencing, Holloway say she also feels that she was bullied during the process because she was never read her rights or told that she could have a lawyer present.
And you wonder why so many Americans feel the country is on the wrong track. As the Wall Street Journal noted [11] yesterday:
The only time the public has felt worse was in October 2008, during the first, deep spasms of the recession. Then, 78% said the nation was on the wrong track, and only 12% felt good about the country’s direction. The last time “right direction” beat out “wrong track” was in January 2004 — and the last election cycle where that was the case was 2002.
For related storied about serfs being arrested for minor incidents, while the rich and powerful get away with enormous criminality, see:
Connecticut Man Arrested for “Passive Aggressive” Behavior to a Watermelon [12]
New Jersey Threatens to Take 13-Year-Old Student From His Father Due to “Non-Conforming Behavior” [13]
Hyper-Sensitive Illinois Mayor Orders Police Raid Over Parody Twitter Account [14]
Charleston Man Receives $525 Federal Fine for Failing to Pay for a $0.89 Refill [15]
The “War on Street Artists” – Puppeteer Unlawfully Arrested and Harassed in NYC Subway [16]
Video of the Day – Thuggish Militarized Police Terrorize and SWAT Team Iowa Family [17]
