NationStates Jolt Archive

link (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/6282348.stm)

US woman arrested over dry lawn

A 70-year-old US woman has been left bruised and bloody after an unexpected clash with police who came to caution her for not watering her lawn.
Trouble flared when Utah pensioner Betty Perry, 70, refused to give her name after being upbraided because her garden breached local regulations.

She says the officer hit her with handcuffs, cutting her nose, although police insist she slipped and fell.

Ms Perry said she was "distraught" after the incident.


She denied accusations she was resisting arrest, maintaining that she only turned to go inside to call her son to fix the confusing dispute.

"I tried to sit down and get away from him [the police officer]," she told Utah newspaper the Daily Herald.

"I don't know what he's doing. I said: 'What are you doing?' And he hit me with those handcuffs in my face," she said.

"He's just trying to cover his tracks, as far as I'm concerned."


The officer had judged that Ms Perry's "sadly neglected and dying landscape" breached an Orem city guideline and was attempting to issue a formal caution when the 70-year-old was injured.

She was treated in a local hospital for the cut to her nose and for other bruises before being taken to jail.

But she was let go when police realised there were "other ways" of finding out her identity without jailing her, a police spokesman said

The arresting officer has not been named but has been placed on administrative leave, he added.

Ms Perry, who says she has never had a run-in with police in the past, has been offered help by local church leaders to clean up her garden.

"I'm very distraught over all this," she said.

"I can't believe this happened. Do you ever just wish you could start your day over and it would all be different?"


Clearly neglecting your garden is a serious criminal offence.:p

policemen beat people with handcuffs now?

I'd hate to see how they use the truncheons :p

They shoot people with their truncheons, and use their guns to keep their hands immobilised.

It's not in the US, it's in Utah.

By local regulations, do they mean one of those housing developments where you gotta get permission to fart?

That's like 250,000 counts of murder. 6,250,000 years to life...

I think the officer misunderstood what was meant by "horticulture". :eek:

Whatever, she totally deserved it. As Sel Appa astutely pointed out, the damage she inflicted on that grass far outweighed the cut on her stupid nose. As far as I'm concerned, the officer should have deprived her of water and nutrients in the hot sun for a few days. :p

Whatever, she totally deserved it. As Sel Appa astutely pointed out, the damage she inflicted on that grass far outweighed the cut on her stupid nose. As far as I'm concerned, the officer should have deprived her of water and nutrients in the hot sun for a few days. :p

pssh, Still to soft. pour bleach on her too, for starters.

Err yeah. Australia is suffering water restrictions and being are forced to neglect the garden due to the lack of water because of the government water restrictions. Weird ...

It's funny...in some parts in England you can get in trouble for watering your garden...in Utah you get smacked about for not watering your garden...

I think the officer misunderstood what was meant by "horticulture". :eek:

ba da boom.....

It's not in the US, it's in Utah.

Heh. Good call. :p

It's funny...in some parts in England you can get in trouble for watering your garden...in Utah you get smacked about for not watering your garden...

Welcome to Mormon Land.

And you know, I thought Utah was in the desert... which tend to have water shortages and all.

If the grass can't survive on its own, why should she interfere with the evolutionary process?

Normally, I'd side with the law enforcement and say "Hey, they are just doing their jobs." But a 70 year old woman...? Resisting arrest? We aren't talking about Big Bubba, man.

ba da boom.....

Oh thank God.

Good thing she wasn't a former marine. :p

So a well-tended lawn is the epitomy of good citizenship apparently.

This seriously frightens me.

A few weeks ago, my family decided to cut our grass less often (about one every month) to conserve gas and noise. Our lawn became sort of wild, but very pretty - lots of buttercups and other types of wildflowers mixed with the grasses. About two or three people mentioned that they had actually been *worried* about us because of this. Others frowned and seemed deeply disturbed that we would allow such a thing to happen. Others said sdisaprovingly that in THEIR neigborhood, nobody would put up with such a thing.

What the hell is with people and lawns???

So a well-tended lawn is the epitomy of good citizenship apparently.

This seriously frightens me.

A few weeks ago, my family decided to cut our grass less often (about one every month) to conserve gas and noise. Our lawn became sort of wild, but very pretty - lots of buttercups and other types of wildflowers mixed with the grasses. About two or three people mentioned that they had actually been *worried* about us because of this. Others frowned and seemed deeply disturbed that we would allow such a thing to happen. Others said sdisaprovingly that in THEIR neigborhood, nobody would put up with such a thing.

What the hell is with people and lawns???

They're King of the Hill fans *nods*

http://img141.echo.cx/img141/9031/hank6kg.jpg

So a well-tended lawn is the epitomy of good citizenship apparently.

This seriously frightens me.

A few weeks ago, my family decided to cut our grass less often (about one every month) to conserve gas and noise. Our lawn became sort of wild, but very pretty - lots of buttercups and other types of wildflowers mixed with the grasses. About two or three people mentioned that they had actually been *worried* about us because of this. Others frowned and seemed deeply disturbed that we would allow such a thing to happen. Others said sdisaprovingly that in THEIR neigborhood, nobody would put up with such a thing.

What the hell is with people and lawns???

Meh, if they want it that perfect tell them to put in astroturf.

If the grass can't survive on its own, why should she interfere with the evolutionary process?If you do not water your grass it will slowly evolve to become sentient and then it shall neglect to water us when they take over the world in revenge.:eek:

One of the reasons I decided not to pursue law as a career was a particular case in Land Law involving 2 neighbours, one (A) of whom neatly trimmed his side of the fence, the other (B) who didn't.

Therefore A sued B for bringing down the cost of his house and this started a lengthy and time-consuming case, which involved going back through English land records to determine who actually owned the hedge.

I had to study this for about a month.

I decided that if this was the level of bickering involved, I wasn't prepared to meet these people.

So I came to NSG - doh!

One of the reasons I decided not to pursue law as a career was a particular case in Land Law involving 2 neighbours, one (A) of whom neatly trimmed his side of the fence, the other (B) who didn't.

Therefore A sued B for bringing down the cost of his house and this started a lengthy and time-consuming case, which involved going back through English land records to determine who actually owned the hedge.

I had to study this for about a month.

I decided that if this was the level of bickering involved, I wasn't prepared to meet these people.

So I came to NSG - doh!It makes you sad doesn't it because here you have to worry about people debating which philosphy is better, that of lol or that of myrth.

It makes you sad doesn't it because here you have to worry about people debating which philosphy is better, that of lol or that of myrth.

Why yes, yes it does :(

My lawn is flat and brown. We don't bother to water it as when it rains - it grows really fast. It's tough grass designed for abuse :cool:

link (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/6282348.stm)



Clearly neglecting your garden is a serious criminal offence.:p

It's incidents like this that make me want to be a police officer, so I can help bring a decent image back to the force.

It's incidents like this that make me want to be a police officer, so I can help bring a decent image back to the force.

That's the ideal everyone becomes a policeman with, until you meet the public, at which point you realise you have to beat some of them once in a while.

That's the ideal everyone becomes a policeman with, until you meet the public, at which point you realise you have to beat some of them once in a while.

Nope. Not happening. I will remain as insistent about my rehabilitation ideals and stressing non-violence as I am now.

Nope. Not happening. I will remain as insistent about my rehabilitation ideals and stressing non-violence as I am now.

Glad to hear it, I understand secret aj man is on his way to Pine Junctions as we speak, probably to the house Il Ruffino lived in before being evicted to Slovakia or wherever he is now.

So a well-tended lawn is the epitomy of good citizenship apparently.

This seriously frightens me.

A few weeks ago, my family decided to cut our grass less often (about one every month) to conserve gas and noise. Our lawn became sort of wild, but very pretty - lots of buttercups and other types of wildflowers mixed with the grasses. About two or three people mentioned that they had actually been *worried* about us because of this. Others frowned and seemed deeply disturbed that we would allow such a thing to happen. Others said sdisaprovingly that in THEIR neigborhood, nobody would put up with such a thing.

What the hell is with people and lawns???Try to convince them it's a new fashionable trend in gardening from the country of Kreitzmoorland (or some other place)

If the grass can't survive on its own, why should she interfere with the evolutionary process?Evolution is illegal in Utah.

A few weeks ago, my family decided to cut our grass less often (about one every month) to conserve gas and noise. Our lawn became sort of wild, but very pretty - lots of buttercups and other types of wildflowers mixed with the grasses. About two or three people mentioned that they had actually been *worried* about us because of this. Others frowned and seemed deeply disturbed that we would allow such a thing to happen. Others said sdisaprovingly that in THEIR neigborhood, nobody would put up with such a thing.These neighborhoods are /creepy/ :/ Especially as wild lawns are much prettier...

Besides, keeping your lawn cut STRAIGHT and NARROW with a uniform length and no other plants is just Plantae collectivism - another step towards COMMUNISM.

That's the fuckedest thing I've read all day. :(

EDIT: The paper which broke the story seems to be trying to mitigate the "Orem is an anally-retentative unAmerican shithole" implication of their scoop:

First story on Daily Herald website, as of Tuesday. (http://www.heraldextra.com/content/view/228167/)

And I'm thinking the Neighborhood Preservation Unit might be where the local police force assigns cops who've been naughty. And the reassigned cops might not like that much.

So a well-tended lawn is the epitomy of good citizenship apparently.

This seriously frightens me.

A few weeks ago, my family decided to cut our grass less often (about one every month) to conserve gas and noise. Our lawn became sort of wild, but very pretty - lots of buttercups and other types of wildflowers mixed with the grasses. About two or three people mentioned that they had actually been *worried* about us because of this. Others frowned and seemed deeply disturbed that we would allow such a thing to happen. Others said sdisaprovingly that in THEIR neigborhood, nobody would put up with such a thing.

What the hell is with people and lawns???
Well, your next step is to encourage butterflies and stuff to live on your lawn, then get the local conservation club to find an extremely rare species - bingo, protected habitat!

Glad to hear it, I understand secret aj man is on his way to Pine Junctions as we speak, probably to the house Il Ruffino lived in before being evicted to Slovakia or wherever he is now.

...

You amuse me...

Turquoise Days: Wouldn't that result in your house being torn down?

...

You amuse me...

Turquoise Days: Wouldn't that result in your house being torn down?

Nah, you'd just be banned from mowing your lawn or using pesticide, I guess.

That's the ideal everyone becomes a policeman with, until you meet the public, at which point you realise you have to beat some of them once in a while.

And from that attitude comes the attitude that anyone who is not wearing a uniform has to be beaten once in a while.

No thanks.

My lawn is flat and brown. We don't bother to water it as when it rains - it grows really fast. It's tough grass designed for abuse :cool:

Crab grass?

I think this is all pretty funny, but I do feel bad for the poor old women.

Evolution is illegal in Utah.

Yeah, I probably should have seen this one coming. You win.