The Conservative Cave
Current Events => The DUmpster => Topic started by: sharkhawk on October 08, 2014, 11:15:25 AM
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http://www.democraticunderground.com/10025637063
mopinko (42,326 posts) Wed Oct 8, 2014, 10:46 AM
the city of chicago is trying to shut down my farm.
ROGERS PARK — An urban farmer who bought and then transformed a vacant lot into an urban farm and garden has been hit by the city with 25 building code violations.
Now she worries the city could take her to court and force her to uproot the farm.
"This is just nuts," said Mo Cahill, 60, standing among her apple, pear and plum trees, tomato plants and raspberry bushes at 1839 W. Touhy Ave. "When it was an empty lot, it was a real eyesore."
http://www.dnainfo.com/chicago/20141008/rogers-park/city-slams-urban-farmer-mo-cahill-for-rat-harborage-debris-weeds
So if it's a republican hit with building code violations he's a slumlord, but if it's a DUmmie it's the overreaching of the state.
But the article is really useful for the pic of Mopinkos car
http://www.dnainfo.com/chicago/20141008/rogers-park/city-slams-urban-farmer-mo-cahill-for-rat-harborage-debris-weeds
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lumberjack_jeff (28,735 posts) Wed Oct 8, 2014, 10:50 AM
1. There are a great many problems with building codes and their enforcement.
yeoman6987 (3,516 posts) Wed Oct 8, 2014, 10:56 AM
2. Did she get the necessary permits and other things needed
Or did she just start digging? Little sympathy if latter.
lumberjack_jeff (28,735 posts) Wed Oct 8, 2014, 11:00 AM
3. If, in your world, you need the permission of the local government to plant a tomato in your yard...
... I feel badly for you.
Urban gardening is one of the few unambiguously good things we can do.
yeoman6987 (3,516 posts) Wed Oct 8, 2014, 11:03 AM
7. I could care less
I am just being factual as always.
lumberjack_jeff (28,735 posts) Wed Oct 8, 2014, 11:07 AM
10. I accept that the expression of your opinion is factual.
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snooper2 (21,841 posts) Wed Oct 8, 2014, 11:01 AM
6. Oh I doubt people will read the whole article, I'm halfway down and hit this tidbit
after which a photograph
Mo Cahill's old Chevy truck doubles as a chicken coop.
and there is this-
The report also instructs Cahill to "remove debris from demolition" from the farm, including piles of dirt, logs, wood and construction debris.
The department says the debris harbors rats.
But the piled dirt and organic debris was part of a farming technique to create healthy top soil, she said, and had produced crops all summer long, including 150 pounds of tomatoes.
lumberjack_jeff (28,735 posts) Wed Oct 8, 2014, 11:15 AM
12. I admit, "truck as chicken coop" is probably not good community relations in an urban setting.
RKP5637 (31,496 posts) Wed Oct 8, 2014, 11:00 AM
5. And some of those codes are done to line a city's pockets with permitting cash and
their buddies with cash. And, some inspectors are authoritarians and control freaks out to have a good time of it all. I'm not saying all building codes and inspectors are bad, just that in some cases there is more to it than safety, etc., etc.
I've also seen absolute SH** buildings go up because the builder was buddies with the old boys club.
leftyladyfrommo (7,735 posts) Wed Oct 8, 2014, 11:00 AM
4. I'm all for urban farms.
I don't like grass lawns. Urban farms are much more attractive.
I don't know if urban farms are allowed in KC or not. I know there are urban lots where people all go together are raise vegetables and things.
If it is against city codes then you need to get lots of people to sign petitions and speak out on the news. Lots of times they will make exceptions for something like that.
mopinko (42,326 posts) Wed Oct 8, 2014, 11:07 AM
9. thing is its not only not against code, we are supposed to be the greenest city in the country.
this is supposed to be POLICY. urban farms are encouraged. there is a new farm belt, an area set aside for farming, with a daily market, and on and on.
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Well, it seems to me Big Mo's got to sit back and contemplate on something.
For years, decades, she's apparently voted for the machine that runs Chicago, all those guys trying to regulate things, run things, for personal profit (pay-offs and somesuch).
Might she in the least little slightest way be responsible herself, for her problems?
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But the piled dirt and organic debris was part of a farming technique to create healthy top soil, she said, and had produced crops all summer long, including 150 pounds of tomatoes.
The article doesn't say it, but she got the idea from coach's pig manure mountain.
She calls her big mound of crap and dirt the Rob McGrath Pit.
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The article doesn't say it, but she got the idea from coach's pig manure mountain.
She calls her big mound of crap and dirt the Rob McGrath Pit.
:rotf:
Actually, I don't think Big Mo'll live long enough to acquire the bulk of the William Rivers Pitt, the Jungfrau-looking 740-cubic-yard mound of antique swine excrement dating from 1875-1950, that graces this property, on which "volunteer" "heirloom" tomatoes and catnip lavishly grow.
In those days, the pigs were fed surplus from the gardens here, and most years were good years for tomatoes; the family always got much more than what they needed.
The pigs dined on lots of tomatoes, whose seeds passed their their intestinal systems undigested.
<<<knowing the source of these tomatoes, buys tomatoes at the grocery store instead; it's cleaner and safer.
But anyway, after decades, the stuff looks just like plain ordinary dirt.
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Hey, she should get in touch with a community organizer. :-)
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It's worth firing up Google Earth to take a look.
Her Cook County version of the King Ranch measures thirty-three feet wide.
She should put in a hog barn.
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(http://i237.photobucket.com/albums/ff68/kayaktn/dirt.jpg)
"Don't look at me like that."
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former9thward (11,869 posts) Wed Oct 8, 2014, 11:25 AM
13. You don't know Chicago.
Impossible to get the permits. If the city wants to screw with you they will always find something wrong.
yeoman6987 (3,519 posts) Wed Oct 8, 2014, 11:40 AM
18. Why is it all blue areas are screwing with residence?
It was supposed to be better without Republican leadership in these large cities.
former9thward (11,869 posts) Wed Oct 8, 2014, 12:15 PM
21. There has not been a Republican in Chicago in decades.
Except in the far NW section of the city, 41st ward, which is filled with police and firemen and which looks like a leafy suburb compared to the rest of the city.
All the aldermen owe their positions to the Machine and and from there corruption at all levels flows. Yes, there are a few progressive alderman that the Machine tolerates but they are few in number.
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SheilaT (15,792 posts) Wed Oct 8, 2014, 11:32 AM
16. Planting a tomato in your back yard is one thing.
Buying a lot and making an urban garden is quite another. And yeah, some city codes are truly stupid, but you don't get rid of them by not bothering to learn what they are when you do something like this.
I'm reminded of watching one of the home renovation shows a few years back, and the person from the show who was frequently visiting the site to monitor progress, kept on telling the renovator that he needed to pull permits. Guy didn't bother to, and the next thing he knew he was shut down for not pulling the permits. Gee.
former9thward (11,869 posts) Wed Oct 8, 2014, 11:27 AM
14. Chicago harbors rats.
If that was the criteria the whole city would be shut down. When the city wants to screw with you they will always find something wrong. When it was an empty lot full of debris the city had no problem with it.
snooper2 (21,848 posts) Wed Oct 8, 2014, 11:32 AM
15. now it is a lot of plants growing around debris, doesn't sound like the city is asking for much
Half of the citations are against the flats she owns, rusting gutters, put numbers on your door, fix railing that is falling down. Plus she is just letting all the weeds grow wild that have "flowers".
Since she is giving the food away for free it shouldn't be a big deal for her neighbors to jump in and clean the place up. My neighbor lost a huge tree in last winters ice storm and there were six different neighbors including myself with chain saws cleaning up the mess.
Easy Peasy! Get to work!
former9thward (11,869 posts) Wed Oct 8, 2014, 11:39 AM
17. In Chicago nothing is easy.
The inspectors want bribes, the people giving out permits want bribes and most important the alderman wants 'contributions'. The slumlords do all those things and never have to worry about anything.
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Autumn (17,551 posts) Wed Oct 8, 2014, 11:44 AM
19. Love the urban farming. So much better than a weed filled empty lot,
but build a real chicken coop. The truck is an eyesore. It's sad they are giving you such a hard time.
mopinko (42,328 posts) Wed Oct 8, 2014, 12:21 PM
23. no, the truck is a fantastic coop.
it is actually nearly rodent and predator proof. a wooden coop on the ground is neearly indefensible in the city.
and like everything else here, you either love it or hate it, and i get a ton of love. besides, it sits in my back yard, it is not rotting or anything. i dont know why it is anybody else's business.
it is upcycling, and the biggest thing we are trying to do here is not only be sustainable, but help others do the same. there is a long tradition of using old vehicles to house chickens. not something i dreamed up to offend my neighbors.
surrealAmerican (8,943 posts) Wed Oct 8, 2014, 11:55 AM
20. In the article, it claims she could not get a "farm" exemption ...
... because she doesn't sell the produce. Could she perhaps sell a few apples to a friend, and thus meet the definition of a "farm"?
mopinko (42,328 posts) Wed Oct 8, 2014, 12:17 PM
22. no no. it's not an exemption.
actually, it is a whole new set of hoops to jump through.
i wont have enough to sell for a couple more years. but i could have the zoning change if i wanted.
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I hope they throw the filthy old bat into a looney bin.
It is a disgusting piece of crap.
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Just wait until they control healthcare.
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former9thward (11,869 posts) Wed Oct 8, 2014, 12:15 PM
21. There has not been a Republican in Chicago in decades.
Except in the far NW section of the city, 41st ward, which is filled with police and firemen and which looks like a leafy suburb compared to the rest of the city.
No shit.
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No shit.
That's right. Only one republican in the whole damn town......and it's all his fault.
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Any one else doubtful of her claim she gives her produce away free.
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Don't feel the least bit sorry for this bitter old shrew.
I hope the city shuts her down and leaves her with a hefty fine.
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Using Google I noticed that most properties around her are in decent shape. Her's looks like someone plucked it from Detroit and dropped it onto that lot.
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Google (https://www.google.com/maps/place/1839+W+Touhy+Ave,+Chicago,+IL+60626/@42.0125737,-87.6774985,3a,45y,179.77h,87.79t/data=!3m4!1e1!3m2!1slw1my4w1ZOaZKV67j67V7g!2e0!4m2!3m1!1s0x880fd1b584356ebd:0x6e318afbaeebe3c5!6m1!1e1)
What a mess. Clean that shit up.
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Google (https://www.google.com/maps/place/1839+W+Touhy+Ave,+Chicago,+IL+60626/@42.0125737,-87.6774985,3a,45y,179.77h,87.79t/data=!3m4!1e1!3m2!1slw1my4w1ZOaZKV67j67V7g!2e0!4m2!3m1!1s0x880fd1b584356ebd:0x6e318afbaeebe3c5!6m1!1e1)
What a mess. Clean that shit up.
Wow. May I suggest a good napalming? :fuelfire:
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She has a skid-steer in the background, assuming it is not some sort of lawn ornament, she should use it push the garbage in her yard into a dumpster.
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Google (https://www.google.com/maps/place/1839+W+Touhy+Ave,+Chicago,+IL+60626/@42.0125737,-87.6774985,3a,45y,179.77h,87.79t/data=!3m4!1e1!3m2!1slw1my4w1ZOaZKV67j67V7g!2e0!4m2!3m1!1s0x880fd1b584356ebd:0x6e318afbaeebe3c5!6m1!1e1)
What a mess. Clean that shit up.
There's a skid steer loader in the back and a dump truck out front.....maybe the city is already cleaning up that mess.....OR, is that what she used to make that mess?
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truedelphi (29,745 posts) Wed Oct 8, 2014, 01:16 PM
25. Corruption -- one of thy many names is
Chicago.
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truedelphi (29,745 posts) Wed Oct 8, 2014, 01:20 PM
27. All this is sad.
When my landlord pulled the plug on "neighbors" visiting our yard and taking off with loads of our blackberries, he soon found that someone had informed the Fire Department that the forty year old plum tree and its compost pile was a fire hazard. (The tree had an enromous compost pile, well watered all eyar long, at the base of its trunk.)
All of who lived on the property waitied for the Fire Department officials to show upand tell us to get rid of the compost pile.
Finally the fire marshall showed up, ran his hand through several layers of the compost pile, wiped his hand on a rag, smiled and said, "Gosh, what a beautiful plum tree - and with a nourishing compost pile likethis one, it is no wonder."
And then he went on his way.
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The fat one:
KittyWampus (47,252 posts) Wed Oct 8, 2014, 01:37 PM
30. So fix the issues and be done with it. I read the article and it can all be dealt with
relatively easily.
Fix the issues, get the inspector in and then wait til next year.
Cause I do remember your thread about reporting a tenant who was neglecting their children. So if this is retaliation, it won't happen next year.
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Autumn (17,552 posts) Wed Oct 8, 2014, 01:10 PM
24. I have coyotes, skunks, racoons, fox, snakes, hawks and falcons.
My chicken coop is well built and I have never lost a chicken when they are roosting or laying in it.
The city seems to object to the truck and getting rid of that is one less issue for them to complain about.
You can walk right next to my chicken coop and smell nothing stick your head inside and that's when you smell it and even then it smalls like chicken, straw and hay. I agree with you on the flowering weeds, some of them have nice blooms and I water them
The fat one, again:
KittyWampus (47,252 posts) Wed Oct 8, 2014, 01:35 PM
29. Several sympathetic DU'ers have suggested getting rid of the pick-up eyesore and building
a real coop. Including me.
So maybe, just maybe, you actually are not helping yourself in this situation.
A little give and take might help you.
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surrealAmerican (8,945 posts) Wed Oct 8, 2014, 01:44 PM
31. It would seem like the zoning change would be a good place to start ...
... that, and building a proper chicken coop.
I was thinking more about a symbolic sale, but I don't know if that would matter.
It might be worth consulting a lawyer about what you need to do to keep the city off your back.
jberryhill (35,171 posts) Wed Oct 8, 2014, 01:17 PM
26. They are not nuts, they are fruits
"This is just nuts," said Mo Cahill, 60, standing among her apple, pear and plum trees, tomato plants and raspberry bushes"
I question her farming ability if that's what she think.s
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Alittleliberal (64 posts) Wed Oct 8, 2014, 01:51 PM
32. Farming is dirty
I can't believe on a liberal site I'm hearing people bitch about urban farming. Ohh, it's an eyesore? It stinks? I'm sorry that you now have to know what it takes to produce the food you eat. Functional gardens don't have to be pretty. They have to produce food.
I also can't understand why people are harping on you for your recycled truck. Has anyone seen a ****ing junkyard lately? Last year Americans decided they didn't want roughly 14 million cars. Does anyone know where all that metal, plastic and rubber go?
:clap:
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Wow all that and her husband still decide to divorce her. Go figure. :whatever:
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Big Mo did a pretty good job in attracting an audience.
Gormy Cuss (28,998 posts) Wed Oct 8, 2014, 02:37 PM
40. And that's one reason why farming has been zoned out of high population density areas.
An urban farm by its very nature must mitigate negative impact on the surrounding community and that includes reducing odors and keeping it a bit tidier than a rural farm.
Urban gardening/farming means that one must live with zoning laws that aren't designed for low population density areas. One can work to change them, but in the meantime getting cited for violations is just something to be expected. I live in an area with fairly lax zoning for an urban area. I can have chickens on the property but I am responsible for making sure they're not a nuisance. That means no roosters, no strong odors, and I'm guessing no junk car as the structure unless it's concealed from view. Likewise, I can and do compost but am not allowed to do an open pile. I don't know what the OP's other violations were, but I'm not surprised that Chicago zoning calls both the truck coop and debris pile violations.
There are other zoning prohibitions for my area that limit what I can do on my lot, but it's up to me whether I try to conform or try to change the zoning, but flout the zoning, expect citations.
mopinko (42,339 posts) Wed Oct 8, 2014, 02:44 PM
46. except that those are lies. there is no odor. there is no debris.
there are hugelkultur raised bed. if it is a "debris pile" how do you explain 150 lb of tomatoes?
and the truck is in my backyard, not in view of jack shit. it isnt a "junk car". it isnt a car at all.
Gormy Cuss (28,998 posts) Wed Oct 8, 2014, 03:02 PM
54. If it's lies, it should be easy enough to get rid of the code violations.
Is hugelkultur legal in the city limits? If yes, does your bed conform to the zoning laws for hugelkultur? If the city code doesn't recognize hugelkultur as an acceptable practice, it doesn't matter what you call it, the city will view it as debris. As for the truck (which is a vehicle like a car, you know) it's not being used as a vehicle. As a coop it may be covered by code for appurtenant structures even though it has inflated tires.
I don't pretend to know the code in your city, but you were cited for seven violations so at least one qualified individual thinks your lot is nonconforming. I realize that bringing the lot and the structures up to code is a PITA and probably expensive, but as a property owner you are obligated to conform to the zoning laws or face the consequences. (and FTW, I've been mad every time I had to spend the time and shell out more money to bring something up to code so I understand the frustration.)
mopinko (42,339 posts) Wed Oct 8, 2014, 02:51 PM
51. and the city's official policy is to encourage farming and gardening.
they are giving away vacant lots so that people will farm them. if i wanted the zoning changed to farming, i could do that. it comes with its own grief, and i am not at the point where i am producing enough for it to be a business.
when that time comes, i intend to do that. but in the meantime i am not flouting jack shit. i am well within my rights.
H2O Man (50,497 posts) Wed Oct 8, 2014, 02:41 PM
42. Fight the Good Fight.
If there is any way that I can assist you, please let me know.
mopinko (42,339 posts) Wed Oct 8, 2014, 02:45 PM
47. thank you.
i am still hoping someone comes to their senses and it just goes away.
judging from this thread, tho, senses are hard to come by.
KamaAina (54,554 posts) Wed Oct 8, 2014, 02:43 PM
44. Take this viral*
Your man Rahmbo will hate the bad publicity.
*trust me, the DUmpster's trying.....
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Response to mopinko (Original post)
Wed Oct 8, 2014, 03:48 PM
yellowcanine (25,986 posts)
66. This lady is not an "urban farmer"
She has a small flock of backyard chickens and some garden vegetables and a few fruit trees. She sells none of it. It is an insult to real farmers to call her garden a farm. No real farmer is going to house a flock of chickens in an old pickup truck. The place actually sounds like a dump, with only some of the citations relating to "farming" activities. Sorry but this is bs.
:nutkick:
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She has a skid-steer in the background, assuming it is not some sort of lawn ornament, she should use it push the garbage in her yard into a dumpster.
It looks like there is a fence gate. But no fence. Reminds me of the toll plaza in Blazing Saddles.
Would not a progressive city like Chicago require a licensed union skid steer operator? Would not the skid steer need to be certified safe and environmentally friendly? With registration, safety inspection and insurance? Lie a good neighbor, State Farm is there! Run on propane or hybred?
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former9thward (11,869 posts) Wed Oct 8, 2014, 12:15 PM
21. There has not been a Republican in Chicago in decades.
Except in the far NW section of the city, 41st ward, which is filled with police and firemen and which looks like a leafy suburb compared to the rest of the city.
Democrat run city you say. Hmmmm.
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A pickup truck chicken coop. Isn't that a tad bit redneck? I'm a little disappointed that the truck isn't seen on the google street view. Even where I live, out in the country, near real farms, we have to keep our place sort of tidy. Our chicken coops are kept clean and neat and look like chicken coops. And you have to be in the back yard to see them.
And if a vehicle is not in a garage, it must be registered and inspected. People who have cars that they use for a demo derby have then inside or put a stockade fence around them. And this is a rural township in NE PA.
I hope Big Mo takes it to the limit because she will loose on most of the complaints.
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I hope Big Mo takes it to the limit because she will loose on most of the complaints.
It certainly seems that she wants to. In spite of the good advice from several DUmmies (which is rare indeed).
The OP about her day in court should be most entertaining.
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Finally the fire marshall showed up, ran his hand through several layers of the compost pile, wiped his hand on a rag, smiled and said, "Gosh, what a beautiful plum tree - and with a nourishing compost pile likethis one, it is no wonder."
And then he went on his way.
Wait. What? You don't believe that?
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(https://videos.files.wordpress.com/Rf1xVkrv/fred-sanford-legal-eagle00h02m24s-00h04m31s_std.original.jpg)
Chicago, you big dummy!
That lot looks just fine to me!
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It sounded like an rsmithnumbers bouncy.
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To get the full effect of what Mo did to the lot in question, be sure to check out the street view from 2011:
https://www.google.com/maps/@42.0125731,-87.6775268,3a,75y,175.19h,85.44t/data=!3m4!1e1!3m2!1saNEOArHxY1_Zy1IzfgDPPQ!2e0
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A look at the pigsty it has created.
http://wgntv.com/2014/05/15/chickens-in-the-city-urban-coops-growing-in-popularity/
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A look at the pigsty it has created.
http://wgntv.com/2014/05/15/chickens-in-the-city-urban-coops-growing-in-popularity/
Back in Rogers Park, Mo’s girls lay eggs in shades of brown, pink, and green. Her ultimate urban farm goal is to build a better chicken. “How’s my Whitey, huh?â€
:racist:
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A look at the pigsty it has created.
http://wgntv.com/2014/05/15/chickens-in-the-city-urban-coops-growing-in-popularity/
Mo seems to be on the road to showing up on the show "Hoarders", that yard is looking like a mess.
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mopinko (42,339 posts) Wed Oct 8, 2014, 02:44 PM
46. except that those are lies. there is no odor. there is no debris.
there are hugelkultur raised bed. if it is a "debris pile" how do you explain 150 lb of tomatoes?
and the truck is in my backyard, not in view of jack shit. it isnt a "junk car". it isnt a car at all.
How many chickens does she suppose to have?
When I was growing up we had a few, but we didn't have the "there is no odor" kind.
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How many chickens does she suppose to have?
When I was growing up we had a few, but we didn't have the "there is no odor" kind.
Fifteen or sixteen, I believe.
Only someone who is experiencing odor blindness could claim that many chickens have no odor.
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Well, it looks like a tenant, or an ex-tenant, ratfinked on Big Mo:
LeftyMom (47,012 posts) Wed Oct 8, 2014, 07:46 PM
94. There are a ton of urban farms near me. They're great.
Even in their shabbiest offseason months they don't landscape with Home Depot buckets and abandoned vehicles. What an eyesore.
And more of the code violations were in your rental property. You need to fix that shit.
mopinko (42,354 posts) Wed Oct 8, 2014, 08:01 PM
103. zero were in my rental property.
that is why my tenant had to complain about the farm. there was zero to report in the building.
<<<am accumulating quite a lengthy enemies' list, of primitives being disrespectful to Big Mo.
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mopinko (42,354 posts) Wed Oct 8, 2014, 08:01 PM
103. zero were in my rental property.
that is why my tenant had to complain about the farm. there was zero to report in the building.
Is Mo the one that talked about reporting her tenant for child neglect? Maybe that tenant reads DU.
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Is Mo the one that talked about reporting her tenant for child neglect? Maybe that tenant reads DU.
Yeah, the one and the same.
But anyway, something here stinks, and it's not the chickens.
In real life, Skippy and the great-aunt of triplets are good friends, good pals, good chums, of Big Mo; whenever Skippy's in Chicago visiting his idol, William "25 Million Dead" Ayers, the three primitives get together and have a good old time.
But one looks in vain, for Skippy and the great-aunt, to show up and defend her.
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Big Mo has had it.
LeftyMom (47,013 posts)
104. Is this the tenant whose child you wanted to steal?
You're lucky she only called code enforcement.
Wed Oct 8, 2014, 08:04 PM
Star Member mopinko (42,355 posts)
105. im going to delete this thread.
i wasnt expecting a whole lot of support, but i didnt expect to be quite this pissed on. and i didnt expect du'ers to go and piss on me on local boards.
i guess i should have.
this place has turned into a swamp. i really cannot imagine this reaction to having this story posted about a complete stranger here.
pat yourselves on the back, trolls. you win this round.
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Wed Oct 8, 2014, 08:04 PM
Star Member mopinko (42,355 posts)
105. im going to delete this thread.
i wasnt expecting a whole lot of support, but i didnt expect to be quite this pissed on. and i didnt expect du'ers to go and piss on me on local boards.
i guess i should have.
this place has turned into a swamp. i really cannot imagine this reaction to having this story posted about a complete stranger here.
pat yourselves on the back, trolls. you win this round.
They are not trolls, Chicken Witch. Those are your fellow DUmbasses. They're inbred hyenas, and they smelled blood.
You've been the hyena yourself a time or two, so all I have to say is "karma is a bitch".
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https://www.facebook.com/MoahsArk
:whistling:
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Filthy,crazy DUmbass haz a sad.
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Big Mo has had it.
Well, it's pretty pathetic, when all these detractors are mere lumpenunterprimitiven, primitives who don't count, and Big Mo has to rely upon the lonely support of franksolich--from the other side--to defend her.
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To get the full effect of what Mo did to the lot in question, be sure to check out the street view from 2011:
https://www.google.com/maps/@42.0125731,-87.6775268,3a,75y,175.19h,85.44t/data=!3m4!1e1!3m2!1saNEOArHxY1_Zy1IzfgDPPQ!2e0
Ha! In 2011 there was a fence with no gate, now there is a gate with no fence.
Really bad timing.
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Ha! In 2011 there was a fence with no gate, now there is a gate with no fence.
Really bad timing.
Classy. :rofl:
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Ha! In 2011 there was a fence with no gate, now there is a gate with no fence.
Well, yeah, but she did put a new lock on it.
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There was a rooster somewhere around where I lived in California, it SUCKED. I never like hearing it just as the sun came up...ever. I would be so pissed if I lived next door to that. She is insane.
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https://www.facebook.com/MoahsArk
:whistling:
You can get a really good look at the broken down truck- err, chicken coop, there.
My favorite detail is discovering the half brick hanging from a piece of twine from the coop's driver side mirror.
A close second was discovering that Judy the Addled isn't the only primitive who owns a little red wagon full of garbage.
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Well, Big Mo killed her own thread, but a lot more primitive comments were made, before that.
MineralMan (67,527 posts) Wed Oct 8, 2014, 03:37 PM
60. Sorry you're having trouble with the city.
Since you posted the address of this vacant lot, I used Google Streetview to have a look. It does appear to be a bit out of character for the neighborhood. I think it's great to do urban farms, but neighbors are going to object to anything that seems out of character in the neighborhood, I'd think.
While your idea is a good one, I wonder if something more conventional would pass muster better with the city officials. I don't know, but things like an old pickup used as a chicken coop probably aren't the best way to avoid complaints from others living on that block. Does Chicago even allow chickens in residential neighborhoods?
I'm afraid that your efforts are likely not to be appreciated by everyone, and I imagine some neighbor has been complaining to the authorities. Life's complex in urban neighborhoods at times.
shireen (7,753 posts) Wed Oct 8, 2014, 03:52 PM
68. i've been following her farm on FB
Mo has gone out of her way to invite neighbors over to see the place, share produce, answer their questions. She's even had open house events for them that have gone well. From comments I've read, many neighbors appreciate what she's doing once they come to understand it.
This is really really sad. Mo is doing important work, and I wish the city could be a bit more accommodating with her startup farm.
MineralMan (67,527 posts) Wed Oct 8, 2014, 03:57 PM
70. It only takes one neighbor who doesn't like it.
I live in an urban neighborhood in St. Paul, MN. I can tell you that you cannot get everyone on board with anything out of the ordinary in my neighborhood. Like I said, urban farming is a good thing, but it's going to get complained about if it doesn't fit into the neighborhood. I don't know about any Facebook page about this, but I wonder how many of those commenting there live on that block, really.
Cities run on rules. The rules may not always make sense, but the city generally enforces them when there are complaints by neighbors. That's the problem with doing unusual things in residential neighborhoods.
Maybe the answer is to get all of those friendly neighbors together, clean up that lot and farm it in a more conventional way as a neighborhood project. I get the alternative cultivation stuff, but that doesn't mean everyone thinks it's cool and innovative. For some, it's just an eyesore. Neighborhoods are not farms in rural areas. Do weird stuff and people will complain. It's guaranteed.
mopinko (42,356 posts) Wed Oct 8, 2014, 04:45 PM
78. so i should let a few whiners run my life?
**** that. i am not doing anything wrong.
and i should just tell all the folks that love it too bad, right?
and for the umpteenth time in this thread, it is not a ****ing pick up truck.
MineralMan (67,527 posts) Wed Oct 8, 2014, 04:54 PM
83. I didn't say that in any way.
I said that it only takes one neighbor's complaint to get the city interested in your "farm."
I doubt if there's only one, really, in truth.
It's difficult to do something unusual in a residential neighborhood in a city without upsetting someone who lives nearby. Even building a fence around a yard can set someone off and get them to complain. Then, if you didn't get the requisite permit, the city can make you remove the fence or pay a large fine.
In cities, which always have the toughest restrictions on stuff, dotting is an crossing ts is always a good idea.
See, I don't mind your eclectic sort of gardening project. I wouldn't complain. But I'm not all of your neighbors. One of them, at least, did complain, and now you've got the city on your back. And once they drop by, all of the things you may have neglected on your properties become fodder for their workday.
As for it not being, as you say, a "****ing pick up truck," I'm afraid I can't see the connection. You have a vehicle as a chicken coop. It's unlikely that it meets Chicago's backyard chicken ordinance, if they even allow chickens. So, one more thing for them to put on the list.
Living outside of the norms is a good thing. We need more of it. But, when it calls attention to itself, it also may get unwanted attention. I'm afraid that you're unlikely to convert the city to your idea of what makes up an urban farm, really. Now that they have a list of "violations," about the only way you're going to get to farm that lot is to tear it all down and start over, once you get the other stuff they found cleared up. Stuff tends to multiply when people nose around.
You can get angry with me. I don't mind. But what I'm saying reflects the reality of doing unusual stuff in the middle of a city neighborhood. It rarely lasts long. Just one complaint and the fun's soon over.
mopinko (42,356 posts) Wed Oct 8, 2014, 07:18 PM
92. what you are saying is full of supposition that does not happen to be true.
and the rest is "get in line" bullshit.
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Jamastiene (33,704 posts) Wed Oct 8, 2014, 03:40 PM
63. Question about the truck:
How did you turn it into a chicken coop? I wonder because where I live, it would be more like a chicken cooker. I have a neighbor who has about 6 or 7 cars in his backyard. You can't see them from the road, but as a neighbor, I can see them. They are all rusted and doing nothing really. It's nice to see someone try to do something nice with a piece of land and if what you are doing ends up with food coming from it, you must be doing something right. Best bet might be to move out of the city. Live somewhere where you can farm until your heart is content and not be hassled.
mopinko (42,356 posts) Wed Oct 8, 2014, 06:06 PM
89. not goin nowhere. period.
if i aint free where i stand, nobody is free.
we gutted the mechanicals. the parts were all sold and are now in use.
we pulled out everything from the inside, lined the floor with 2 layers of 1/4' hardware cloth, and covered it with rolled rubber roofing that we burned down.
we covered the windows with hardware cloth, but they still go up and down fine, so climate control is one of its strong points.
we reinforced the few rusty spots, and plugged up holes, like the heat vents.
so far we have had one incursion of rodents, during the polar vortex. we found the hole, and corked it. end of rodents.
we put the seats back in, put baskets on one which they lay in. put more on the floor in the front.
we recycled a couple of old wooden ladders for roosts, putting them over the seats and in the back.
they are closed in safely at night, and i open a back door to let them out in the morning.
since the engine compartment is empty, we have a nice dry storage space for extra bedding, etc.
the tires still hold air, so it is dry and off the ground, so nothing can burrow in.
i really have never seen a safer, sounder coop.
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yellowcanine (25,986 posts) Wed Oct 8, 2014, 03:48 PM
66. This lady is not an "urban farmer"
She has a small flock of backyard chickens and some garden vegetables and a few fruit trees. She sells none of it. It is an insult to real farmers to call her garden a farm. No real farmer is going to house a flock of chickens in an old pickup truck. The place actually sounds like a dump, with only some of the citations relating to "farming" activities. Sorry but this is bs.
mopinko (42,356 posts) Wed Oct 8, 2014, 04:42 PM
75. i dont sell anything because we are not that far along in the process.
this is only the 3rd year, and most of our efforts have been toward growing decent soil.
an urban farm and a country farm are not the same thing.
and it isnt a pick up truck. it is a painstakingly retrofitted chevy suburban.
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Tsiyu (16,704 posts) Wed Oct 8, 2014, 05:35 PM
87. You need Black Jesus
and some of his special tomato sauce
Sorry for the levity; couldn't resist. Black Jesus is having the same problem you are....
This totally sucks. I can't believe your neighbors would rather have a vacant lot than a thriving, productive food source right nearby.
People are idiots. Busy-body, ignorant, control freak idiots.
Good luck to you, mopinko
Phentex (9,918 posts) Wed Oct 8, 2014, 06:31 PM
90. I am not a farmer but...
I love the idea of the chicken coop in a truck!
We had neighbors who grew corn in their side yard and they got talked about but nobody reported anything. We don't have any sort of homeowners association. We had another lady who had bees and some neighbors did pitch a fit about that. I am of the live and let live variety and I like gardens of every kind. I am not overly fond of the totally manicured lawn for the sake of a lawn and I'd much prefer a neighbor with a yard like yours.
The house stuff? You admit you can fix those things, so I guess that's what ya gotta do.
But I hate busy body neighbors and rules for the sake of rules so I hope you can keep your "farm" as is. Good luck!
mopinko (42,356 posts) Wed Oct 8, 2014, 07:10 PM
91. the house stuff was on the list.
a couple had already been repaired and the will do what i can about the rest. but there is not a person on this block, or for a couple of blocks around that has put more work into their house than me.
it is a 110 yo greystone, and i have done extensive rehab and refit. i wont say it is the nicest place around, but i seriously have done more with it than anyone around.
i dont really intend to change anything besides that, tho. the complaint goes from bogus to delusional.
thanks. and i really is a great coop. so many people do love it.
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LeftyMom (47,017 posts) Wed Oct 8, 2014, 08:03 PM
104. Is this the tenant whose child you wanted to steal?
You're lucky she only called code enforcement.
^^^the primitive's now on franksolich's shit list.
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and it isnt a pick up truck. it is a painstakingly retrofitted chevy suburban.
lol
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Any one else doubtful of her claim she gives her produce away free.
Actually that's about the only thing in the whole tale of travail that I think she is telling straight-up.
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Y'know, reading this poor, miserable tale of woe puts me in a Beverly Hillbilly frame of mind. Without the oil. Perhaps she should sit out on the front porch in a rocking chair with a shotgun across her lap and put out some handpainted signs that say "City Revenuers Shot on Site!"
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Y'know, reading this poor, miserable tale of woe puts me in a Beverly Hillbilly frame of mind. Without the oil. Perhaps she should sit out on the front porch in a rocking chair with a shotgun across her lap and put out some handpainted signs that say "City Revenuers Shot on Site!"
And add one of them thar cement ponds next to the non pickup truck truck.
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And add one of them thar cement ponds next to the non pickup truck truck.
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Well, at least a still for her "rheumatism" medicine.
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Y'know, reading this poor, miserable tale of woe puts me in a Beverly Hillbilly frame of mind. Without the oil. Perhaps she should sit out on the front porch in a rocking chair with a shotgun across her lap and put out some handpainted signs that say "City Revenuers Shot on Site!"
In the Greater Shitcargo area, they'd just write her a felony gun charge for that, one way or another.
Hey DUmmies, maybe one-party rule by Democrats is not such a great idea, huh?
:-)
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She could have avoided all this aggravation if she had done the right thing first.
Consulted franksolich !
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She could have avoided all this aggravation if she had done the right thing first.
Consulted franksolich !
Word! But, they all make that mistake, don't they.
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To get the full effect of what Mo did to the lot in question, be sure to check out the street view from 2011:
https://www.google.com/maps/@42.0125731,-87.6775268,3a,75y,175.19h,85.44t/data=!3m4!1e1!3m2!1saNEOArHxY1_Zy1IzfgDPPQ!2e0
That looks a lot better than Mo's mess. She needs to sell and go find herself some "real" farm property out in the country.
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I think most people's conception of an "urban farm" would be something along the lines of a small number of well-tended beds, pruned trees, and a general disciplined cleanliness in keeping with the surroundings. What this insane, horrible, mentally ill woman has done is plant a bunch of shit, do a pisspoor job of maintaining it, and then turn her nose up at people who have the temerity to be critical, or at least to request that the smell and the critters be checked.
All to which I say, congrats, Chicago liberals, and enjoy what your aesthetic has wrought.
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mopinko (42,356 posts) Wed Oct 8, 2014, 04:45 PM
78. so i should let a few whiners run my life?
**** that. i am not doing anything wrong.
and i should just tell all the folks that love it too bad, right?
and for the umpteenth time in this thread, it is not a ****ing pick up truck.
You are violating the laws and regulations put in place by the very people you have chosen to rule your life.
:ownit:
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Wed Oct 8, 2014, 10:46 AM
Star Member mopinko (42,356 posts)
This message was self-deleted by its author
This message was self-deleted by its author (mopinko) on Wed Oct 8, 2014, 07:04 PM. When the original post in a discussion thread is self-deleted, the entire discussion thread is automatically locked so new replies cannot be posted.
It was a good run,,,,while it lasted.
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The End. It came as if a flood. As in the Day's of Noah, everyone was eating and drinking marrying and giving in marriage...
Response to mopinko (Original post)
Wed Oct 8, 2014, 08:04 PM
Star Member mopinko (42,356 posts)
105. im going to delete this thread.
i wasnt expecting a whole lot of support, but i didnt expect to be quite this pissed on. and i didnt expect du'ers to go and piss on me on local boards.
i guess i should have.
this place has turned into a swamp. i really cannot imagine this reaction to having this story posted about a complete stranger here.
pat yourselves on the back, trolls. you win this round.
now piss off.
Big Mo, this is no way to fight Custer's last stand...
And I would like to pat myself on the back but you yanked the thread before my troll got into the action.
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You are violating the laws and regulations put in place by the very people you have chosen to rule your life.
:ownit:
The libs never think the laws they enact to ru(i)n everyone else's life apply to them.
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The libs never think the laws they enact to ru(i)n everyone else's life apply to them.
The Law of Unintended Consequences bites them in the ass. :whistling: