City Threatens Woman With Life Sentence For Sand-Filled Yard
Georgianna Reid has to remove 80 tons of sand from her front yard or face 180 days in jail – the same amount of time the woman has left to live. Friends fear her last days will be spent in captivity, but Reid isn’t going to comply without one last twist for the city.
The terminally ill woman has lived in her house in Brookside, Kansas City, Missouri for 33 years. About three years ago she dumped 80 tons of sand in the front yard, giving the house a new beach theme and costing Reid about $4,000.
Reid said, “I would say I’m putting in the largest litter box in the world” about a year ago.
One of her main purposes with creating the giant sandbox was to reduce yard maintenance (she no longer has to mow the lawn).
After almost 3 yrs, a Brookside homeowner plans to remove the sand from her yard. I’ll tell you why on @41ActionNews pic.twitter.com/fks7wdagpi
— LisaBenson (@lisabensonkshb) June 21, 2015
Unfortunately for her, not everyone in the neighborhood appreciates Reid’s unique approach to landscaping, according to local news KSHB 41.
Neighbor Edwin Bisby said, “I think the house looks revolting with all that stuff out there. It’s not a beachfront.”
Other locals say it’s an eyesore and is lowering property values in the area.
As previously reported by the Inquisitr, property values have been cited to try and justify some fairly extreme housing policies. One Canadian neighborhood even kept out disabled and transgender people, claiming they lowered the prices of their homes.
On Reid’s street some say when it rains the sand runs onto the sidewalk creating a cleanup issue.
The city reacted, sending her an order to clear the yard of sand in 10 days. If she doesn’t comply, she will face 180 days in jail or a $1,000 fine.
In a cruel twist, that’s all the time Georgianna Reid has left.
Reid was diagnosed with an undisclosed illness and doctors believe she has about six months left to live.
The woman quipped, “a thousand dollar fine or 180 days in jail. I have one parking ticket.”
The neighbors have been given new reason to complain since a few weeds have begun to sprout from the yard. Reid never minded her new sandy outside herself.
“I loved it, I had no problems until they started stealing my yard decorations.”
The Daily Mail says she used to a giant-sized chess set and beach volleyball net set up on her desert oasis. The homeowner claims she’s hired workers to come out and clean the yard before, but they couldn’t complete the job because of the rainy weather.
Reid says she’ll comply with the city order, but vows to get the final laugh.
“I will take the sand out of the yard, but I’m going to [convert it to] an asphalt yard because I’m still not gonna mow.”
It’s not clear if going from sand to asphalt will spare Georgianna Reid jail time.
[Image Credit: Muriel Clark/Flickr]
