City Shuts Down Kids Free Library Lending BoxHeather Callaghan Not too much bigger than a mail box, what started as a Mothers Day gift to also help the neighborhood, is now relegated to the garage as of Wednesday. Spencers vision for his little freelibrary was for people to get into reading, get to know your neighbors, and just make new, meet new people, make friends. But the city warned the family with a notice to stop, actually claiming that the little house is an accessory structure, buildings that arent attached to the house. A building? Would it help if it was shaped like a shoe? Poor Spencer thought he could get around the law by attaching a rope from the house to the box. Richard Coleman, director of community development (ironic because Spencer said he wanted his library to help the community) said hes only enforcing a law. Mr. Collins said it was a misinterpretation and that applying [the law] to something that wont house mice is a bad idea. This supposedly long-standing ordinance has only been around for about 10 years. While people think of structures as buildings, the city is applying it to anything. This reminds me of when the Helvenstons wanted to grow a community garden, but they were shut down Orlando city which aspired to become the Greenest City in America. Or when Karl Tricomo, with his front yard garden, had the city painting his yard into a large industrial farm claiming he needed permission to engage in agriculture. In either case, they didnt break the law it was a major stretch of ordinance because the yards werent uniform and everything must be uniform now. As in most cases like these, the shut down is said to stem from mysterious anonymous complaints. In this case, one wonders But of course, the complaint that the city so ardently must put right can only have a basis if there is an existing ordinance. Ordinances can be a gray area they are rules developed by municipalities that can be pretty much anything and are upheld as law in that locale. Not many residents ever consider that they can be taken to extreme enforcement. The conflict occurs when they are so unyielding or deal with personal property. To say that a childs free lending library is going to open the floodgates of people everywhere creating extra buildings and structures is a bit overkill. The other conflict is, that no action really needed to be taken where no obstruction or harm occurred. This isnt an isolated incident to say that the library or the child wasnt targeted isnt exactly true. Lemonade stands, gardens, cupcake making and other childrens ventures are targeted all the time. Its always met with the same clinical response. Coleman said: Why not? Neighboring towns like Prairie Village have residents who display such illegal accessory buildings, and have gone on record to say that they simply wouldnt enforce codes that would restrict little free libraries. With his fathers help, Spencer is going to appear before city council. Its absolutely incredible to me that a child would have to fight the city over an ordinance in order to have lending book box in the yard. You can contact the city HERE. Wow check out this quote they have for the city development contacts page. More irony! Heather Callaghan is a natural health blogger and food freedom activist. You can see her work atNaturalBlaze.com and selfnewsPost.com. Like at Facebook. Recent posts byHeather Callaghan: 