Code Blue: Keeping Up With the Neighborhood Aesthetic May Cause Arrest
KCTV5.com A local news station back in Kansas City featured my friend Mary in a story recently because of a dispute she has with the city over a couple of items on her porch. Turns out her small recycling bin and milk delivery cooler offended the aesthetic sensibilities of the neighbor who ratted her out. Yes, the Missouri-based Shatto Milk Company actually does deliver and some homes still have front porches. My friend has lived in this one for 56 years. The city threatened Mary with fines of $100 a day and even incarceration for the violations. I’d like to think Kansas City wouldn’t put an 80-year-old woman behind bars for petty code violations and I’m quite sure there are more serious and urgent issues facing the city. But my idea of appropriate law enforcement activity is not necessarily in line with today’s reality. (I’m looking at you, ICE.) I wish my friend well; maybe we can have a chat on her porch sometime when I’m in town. Her plight got me thinki...