Posted on 04/11/2005 2:53:53 PM PDT by LibWhacker
RALEIGH, N.C. - Harley-Davidson enthusiast Richard Woodworth has an unusual piece of art in his back yard, and it's causing him quite a headache with the city of Raleigh. It's the gnarled metal of a wrecked motorcycle hanging in a tree.
In February, a city inspector walked on Woodworth's wooded property and decided the dangling metal fell under Raleigh's code definition of a nuisance motor vehicle. But even though Woodworth lives a mile outside the city limits and has posted no-trespassing signs, he falls under some city code enforcement.
For Woodworth, that meant receiving a city inspections letter telling him to pay a $100 administrative inspection fee and demanding that he remove the bicycle.
His community was scooped up into the city's extraterritorial jurisdiction, known as ETJ, about 20 years ago.
"I don't like the city coming here and telling me what to do with my property," Woodworth said. "I knew for a fact that I did not live in the city. I did not know I lived in the ETJ. They've got more to do than hassle me."
For now, Woodworth is considering whether to put up a fence around his art or remove the bike's motor so it is no longer considered a motor vehicle.
"Just because it looks funny doesn't mean we ought to be telling people how to run their lives and what they ought to do on their own property," Regan said. "Just because it's hanging doesn't mean it's going to fall."
Hooligan Ping!
A Red-Neck Frenchie.
He should build a catapult and fling the bike into town.
I'd say that would be just punishment for trespassing on someone's property that was clearly signed as such.
Heh... that would tick me off too I don't blame the guy. I lived outside city limits or any jurisdiction for over 20 years. 4 years ago I moved into a town. Dang. I'm moving out again too. I can't believe how many stupid regulations all the city folk have to put up with!
. . . then that would demonstrate that they had been trespassing! [Yet another term, like "private property", that the left does not understand or respect.]
Then that someone might just get shot for trespassing.
Paging Carl Drega....
Somebody with waaaaaaay too much time on his hands.
Exactly! That's why nosy little COMMUNE-ists shouldn't be snooping around in my trees: They might fall out and conk me on the head like a coconut!
You forgot your (sarcasm) tag.
I know, I had to get rid of all those painted white tires that I had carefully turned inside-out. Darn they were purdy.
I think we should all move out of town and hang motorcycles in our trees -- just to mock the nosy bums! Ring the damn town with trees full of beat-up old motorcycles, lol!
This is the first I’ve heard of “extraterritorial jurisdiction”.
Has a UN-ish ring to it, doesn't it?
2 counts against him:owning a dreaded internal combustion engine and not wearing a helmet around his place just to be safe.
I'll bet he smokes, too.
No Trespassing!
Survivors will be prosecuted.........
Yep.
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