Bible Study Ordered To Stop By County Officials.

[Archaeology cat]

[quote name='MithLuin' post='1877637' date='May 29 2009, 04:57 AM']But the gov't can tell you where you can park your cars. Ie, they could have the meeting if people carpooled, probably, though I don't really know the situation or problem here.[/quote]
I know a few of us carpooled when we went to the home Bible studies, so yes, a definite possibility. I wish we had more facts about all this so we knew exactly what was happening.

[Archaeology cat]

OK, a little more info here: [url="http://www.10news.com/news/19585458/detail.html"]http://www.10news.com/news/19585458/detail.html
[/url]

Some excerpts: [quote]Jones said a visitor to a neighbor's house called the County after a Bible study member hit the visitor’s car while leaving. Shortly after, a county code enforcement officer gave him a citation that said he needed a permit to host the weekly Bible study meetings, he said.[/quote]

[quote]A County spokeswoman says the County is concerned with parking and its impact on the neighborhood.[/quote]

So it looks like this started because of a traffic accident. But still, if they're parked legally, then I don't think there should be a problem with having people there. And if they aren't parked legally, then ticket the person who parked there, or the person who caused the accident - not the person at whose house they were.

[whatsup]

I saw the picture of the house and it looks as if this is a walled community. It also looks like this is on a bend. Trying to cram 15 cars or more on a tiny road is STUPID. I'm guessing the road is probably narrow, too, beucase it dosn't have a curb or rain vale. If you're in the country, yes, go right ahead but in a city which more than likely has a homeowner's association. Its just silly.

Options...carpool, find a venue, etc. If I had 15 people over my apt driving on my street would be a total nightmare for everyone else...especially if anyone else decided to have a party.

Mind you this is weekly and not one time...its not a big weekend bash.

I'm just particular about cars and saftey. Imagine if someone came careening around that neighborhood when it was dark and stormy and killed someone beucase the street was overcrowded. A minor accident was just the precurser.

So, why a permit? Why would that be ok? Well, a permit would pay for the extra poliece protection and the potential widening of the road, and things necessary to facilitate. It'd also shift the liability from the city to the homeowners and clearly define the rights of others on that street.

[scardella]

I think this is a violation of the right to free assembly and a violation of freedom of religion.

Edited May 29, 2009 by scardella

[hoosieranna]

[quote name='whatsup' post='1877790' date='May 29 2009, 07:10 AM']I saw the picture of the house and it looks as if this is a walled community. It also looks like this is on a bend. Trying to cram 15 cars or more on a tiny road is STUPID. I'm guessing the road is probably narrow, too, beucase it dosn't have a curb or rain vale. If you're in the country, yes, go right ahead but in a city which more than likely has a homeowner's association. Its just silly.

Options...carpool, find a venue, etc. If I had 15 people over my apt driving on my street would be a total nightmare for everyone else...especially if anyone else decided to have a party.

Mind you this is weekly and not one time...its not a big weekend bash.

I'm just particular about cars and saftey. Imagine if someone came careening around that neighborhood when it was dark and stormy and killed someone beucase the street was overcrowded. A minor accident was just the precurser.

So, why a permit? Why would that be ok? Well, a permit would pay for the extra poliece protection and the potential widening of the road, and things necessary to facilitate. It'd also shift the liability from the city to the homeowners and clearly define the rights of others on that street.[/quote]

Basically, yes. I work for a local transportation planning authority. Road capacity is always a concern.

[quote name='scardella' post='1877837' date='May 29 2009, 10:58 AM']I think this is a violation of the right to free assembly and a violation of freedom of religion.[/quote]

It's not a violation if the homeowner is in violation of HOA covenants. The homeowner agreed to abide by the convenants when the moved in. Admittedly, the article didn't say if there is an HOA. It's also a safety concern if emergency vehicles can't get through. Sometimes one trumps the other.

You need to get a permit for any sort of gathering that has the potential to disrupt normal functions and conditions. That's not an unusual requirement. Fifteen people is a fairly sizeable gathering. My guess is that one of the neighbors got miffed and reported the meetings. Letting neighbors know that you plan to have regular meetings goes a long way toward forestalling this sort of problem and is common courtesy.

[Lounge Daddy]

[quote name='whatsup' post='1877790' date='May 29 2009, 07:10 AM']I saw the picture of the house and it looks as if this is a walled community. It also looks like this is on a bend. Trying to cram 15 cars or more on a tiny road is STUPID.[/quote]

Definitely. If these people are having a lot of people driving in and parking all over the place, including up and down the street, then it is infringing on other people's property rights. Especially when direct damage to other people's property begins to happen.

[CoffeeCatholic]

I'm from Virginia- a commonwealth, not a state (it's an interesting distinction, really) and I just shudder at the fact that the government feels it can tell me what I can and can not do on my property. NOW- if it's illegal activity, go them. But if a priest offers to hold mass in my house (which you can do) then I'm gonna let him, permit or no. Even if i want to make my home into a perpetual garage sale, I should be able to. I OWN that land, that house, that driveway, and even the sidewalk that goes in front of my house (if i have to shovel the snow off of it, by law, then i OWN that darn thing). If i want to have 40 people LIVING with me, as long as it's safe for everybody and nobody's getting hurt, i ought to just be left alone.

Now- land use permits exist for a reason, and specifically for residential areas. But like i said, as long as I'm on my land doing my own thing, and it's not an inherently illegal activity (no meth labs, eh?) then what does Big Brother have to do with that? And public parking is just that- public. so if my guests want to use it, what's the guff?

[Archaeology cat]

An update - San Diego has apologised and dropped the charges. [url="http://www.10news.com/download/2009/0603/19650601.pdf"]Link here[/url] (it's a PDF).

[whatsup]

Thats too bad. They should of kept them.

Its dangerous and stupid to have a regular meeting of loads of cars on a suburban street. Rent a darn hall or wait, he's a pastor....here's a novel thought...use a church!

If the pastor could keep members on his lawn, sidewalk, etc, thats one thing...but gumming up the street on a weekly basis is NOT cool. Dosn't matter if its a family party or a bible study. Its hard enough to drive down residential streets as it is.