Posted on 08/21/2008 5:57:56 PM PDT by ellery
CLAYTON, CA (KGO) -- Two young East Bay girls are trying to find out if you really can fight city hall. The youngsters are battling to get their produce stand back after the city of Clayton shut them down.
The mayor himself is getting involved in this issue; he says the produce stand, operated by two young sisters, had to be shut down because of public safety and a zoning ordinance. But members of the Lewis family say - we have just begun to fight.
On a Clayton street corner is where 11-year-old Katie and 3-year- old Sabrina Lewis had been selling their families surplus fruits and veggies - stuff like: Story continues belowAdvertisement "Zucchini, melons, tomatoes, radishes," said Sabrina Lewis.
They did it for maybe four hours on Saturday mornings to make a little money. They haven't sold a thing since the police showed up recently in response to one complaint to the mayor's office.
-snip-
As for the traffic issue, neighbor Terri Highsmith says there isn't one.
"On the weekends is when I mostly notice them selling. I come and go a lot and I've never seen any traffic problems," said Highsmith.
Clayton Mayor Gregg Manning disagrees. And wonders what Katie and Sabrina might do with that produce stand if the zoning laws weren't enforced.
"They may start out with a little card-table and selling a couple of things, but then who is to say what else they have. Is all the produce made there, do they make it themselves? Are they going to have eggs and chickens for sale next," said Manning.
-snip-
(Excerpt) Read more at abclocal.go.com ...
ping!
Oh for heaven’s sakes...bring back the common sense and the days of old. These days are fraught with nothing but envy, jealousy, anger, bitterness and you name it. Kids made money any way they could and at least they were working to make their own money or perhaps help out the family. We have too many busy bodies butting their noses into other’s business. Yes, bring back the good old days where the nosy bodies were told off.
I know where the zucchini should go, much to the mayor’s discomfort.
It’s just about the city not getting any taxes, that’s all.
Yeah, heaven forbid they should earn a living with free enterprise the way most Americans used to do it before we became regulated to death. Also, I wonder just how do you make produce? Is it hard to make a head of lettuce for instance and what tools would one use to make one?
Triple Dose ping.......
Not sure if this is Nanny State or Gardening or Mom’s..........or all.......or none.
I report -— you decide :)
AMEN, AMEN, AMEN...
Can I have an AMEN from everyone here, please?
Too bad that there isnt a bunch of you folks in that area that could go get ahold of said mayor and bring him to a little “Come to Jesus” meeting.
Thanks for the post, dear Gabz! Your daughter can set up a stand. I promise not to report her to the mayor or anyone else. I’ll even be one of her best customers. :-)
Let me guess the political party of the ‘mayor’. The police should have just laughed in his face but the went the JBT route and stole the girls produce which violates the girls 5th Amendment rights.
“nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation.”
If I lived in that area, you can bet I’d be buying something from that stand daily.
I only wish!!!!!
Oh good grief. This is one dumb mayor.
There isn't anyone to report her stand or my stand in the particular part of the county where live. As long as she has made it, I have made, or we have grown it, our stands and our signs can not be touched --- in fact I don't even need a license (tax) from the county. LOL!
Shame on those little girls! They may as well be stealing from Pedro Gonzales and his family! How is he supposed to send all his money back to Mexico if people are buying produce from those little girls?
/ sarc.
Amen!
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