Would any of your member's be willing to write letter's on behalf of these residents? http://www.timesfreepress.com/... The address to write to is: [email protected] Thank you so much Penny Arnold email [email protected]

Posting email addresses in a public forum is an invitation for spammers who cruise forums and websites looking for them!

Not if the purpose of the address is to BE public.

I'm thinking this address is accessible from a gov website and is public.
?

WOW! I just read that article and that is OUTRAGEOUS!
I'm not even sure it is legal? Can regular landlords prohibit a renter from having anything planted in their yard? If not, then I don't see how these people can be treated any differently. Is it a person's right to be able to garden? or to garden on their own land? or on land they have rented? A yard is land even if it is small? Many of these people are homebound and having something to do in the yard is really all they have! I can't believe HUD would do something like this, but then again, it is stupid so sounds about right

They are basically preventing these residents from growing their own food by banning gardens. They are saying HUD has made this rule, but the HUD office is saying that is not true at all. Basically this is just something the local housing authority WANTS, but I don't see how it can be enforced.

I'm no lawyer, but I suspect it is legal. When I lived in a townhouse - I wasn't even renting - and the association wouldn't let us do anything in the yard. When you rent a house, they can tell you that you can't put anything on the walls, etc.

Now, can and SHOULD is different. That is really really stupid. what possible reason would they have for saying no?

well I have always thought that a renter has all the same rights as a homeowner once the rent is paid, it is theirs. Now, that said, once they are done renting, they have to give it back over in the condition it was. So if I want to paint the bedroom lime green, fine, but when I leave I have to re-paint it to the boring tan it came with. I understand that holes in the walls from rowdy kids-renter pays, holes in the walls from hanging pictures is considered normal use and that is on the landlord, now suppose I hung 100 pictures in my hallway.... ?

It is not against rules to grow a garden on HUD properties. Hud has said that is my understanding. It is the local city gov that is trying to enforce this if I understand right.

I think being able to garden, grow your own food, or grow flowers is the right of a property owner and besides Subdivisions where rules are in place beforehand, I don't know of anywhere that has flat out banned gardens.It is the right of a property owner or RENTER to garden. (once the rent is paid, they also have rented the yard and they get to use it) That is the million dollar question here I guess.

I would urge residents to contact the ACLU. I believe this is a violation of the residents rights. You can't just pick on people who are low income or disabled. If other renters have the right to garden, HUD renters should too, having their rent paid by tax dollars is moot. By that argument, because they are paid w tax money, they have to endure a lower standard of living? Yes, gardening is a standard of living for some people, take it away and they have nothing left. Many folks are home bound, have poor health or no viable transportation options, but they can at least go out in their back yard and plant tomatoes and water a rose. Shame on the lowlife that thought up this stupid idea, which btw profits no one anything. I can't think of one good reason to ban people from growing plants in their yard! What will you ban next, singing? Outrageous nonsense. Surely the housing authority has something more important to attend to than this. You can even buy fruit trees, seeds, plants with food stamps! Oh, but too bad you can't plant them

(Oh, btw, see that little ditty up there? I'm SINGING ---neener neener)