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Veggie Garden Victory
All charges dropped in Oak Park case
after Internet uproar.
Robin Schwartz
Contributing Writer
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10 August 4 • 2011
Hsi
11 vegetables and animals
have been cleared of crimi-
nal charges at the Oak Park
home of Julie and Jason Bass. For sev-
eral weeks, the family, their front-yard
veggie garden on Dartmouth Street
and their two dogs were at the center
of a dispute with the city.
Julie Bass, a wife and mother of six
children, received three misdemeanor
tickets, each carrying a possible pen-
alty of up to 93 days in jail: one for
planting vegetables in her front yard
and two because her dogs were not
properly licensed.
City officials said the organic front-
yard garden violated an ordinance that
reads, "All unpaved portions of the site
shall be planted with grass ground
cover, shrubbery, or other suitable live
plant material:'
The vegetable charge was dropped
after the story about the battle went
viral on the Internet. Thousands of
people around the world sided with
Bass, flooding Oak Park City Hall with
angry emails and phone calls, some
of which city council member Paul
Levine described as "threatening" and
c`cyber-bullying." The Facebook page
"Oak Park Hates Veggies" was buzzing
July 26 after Bass appeared in court
and the dog license charges were also
dismissed. She had paid fees and took
care of the dog licenses immediately
after receiving the tickets.
"Well done wrote one Facebook
fan. "I did send an email all the way
from California to your mayor and city
manager and told them to knock it off.
I'm so glad you stuck to your guns and
pushed them back in the corner."
Another fan wrote, "Amazing! A vic-
tory for common sense!" A third per-
son added, "I think they've realized this
is a no-win situation for them — the
ire and reaction of the public would be
more than they could handle."
And the posts kept coming. Later,
Bass sat down and wrote an entry in
the online blog she's been keeping
since the dispute began.
"The good news is that we get to
keep the garden, and the dogs are safe
from further prosecution:' she posted.
"People stood by me and helped me
in countless ways. I appreciate every
single one of them:'
The family's attorney, Solomon
Radner of Oak Park, explained the
charges were dismissed without preju-
dice, meaning they can technically be
filed again at a later date.
"That is the way virtually all criminal
cases are dismissed if and when they
are dismissed," he said. "So we are satis-
fied with the outcome." Radner added
the family is still considering filing a
lawsuit against Oak Park. Bass called
the victory and the battle "surreal."
"Because of all the momentum
that was generated, people's eyes were
opened:' she wrote. "The good news
is that I will have healthy food for my
family, and they will have so many
learning experiences to draw on. They
will know that it is OK to stand up for
your beliefs, and that many people will
come to your defense if you are just
and correct. They will know that some
things are worth fighting for." Li