This time of the year is often when many people step back for a moment of introspection as the past year is sent away and the New Year is welcomed. I read this entire thread and have some thoughts...
I see a lot of comments about working with the nuances of the law... "Park on your own property", "Don't look like you are camping", "Move to the country and live free". It is like we all enjoy playing the game rather than addressing the problem.
In my opinion, the problem is a complete lack of common sense grounded in reality - by all parties involved.
City Council: They felt a pressing need to do something about the 'homeless problem'. Their solution was not to actually do anything that solves the issue, rather it was to make it against the law to be homeless in their town. Encourage the homeless to leave and go be someone else's problem is their 'solution'. And the measure by which they determine 'homelessness' is 'living in an RV within city limits'. Then the unintended consequences turned up with these fine people helping out their elderly parents over the Christmas holiday.
Code Enforcement: This is a government employee who has been given power they would not otherwise have. "Enforcement" is the right word here too. The truth is they have very little power, as all they do is enforce the rules set by others. Real power is not the ability to say 'no', it is the ability to say 'yes'. They have no ability / desire / capability of applying a little common sense to realize this situation is not a homeless vagrant, and clearly a different situation.
The neighbors: Code Enforcement officers generally don't drive around the city streets looking for random violations. (If they do, then that is 'too much time on their hands' and perhaps an over-staffing situation.) They do, however, respond promptly to complaints made through official channels. Because now it is their job to go and do something about it. In all likelihood a neighbor phoned in a complaint, and being sticklers for the letter of the law they went out to deliver the smack down. It is probably too late to address now, but the next time go and talk to the neighbors right away.... "Hi, we are going to be here for a few days taking care of the folks. Here are some Christmas cookies."
The neighbors part II: Chances are whoever called the Code Enforcement officer is someone who had been subject to a violation in the past. Perhaps they were loading their 5th-wheel for a hunting trip last fall, and got bit by the RV ordnance. Or maybe it was some other completely unrelated code enforcement rule they violated. They figure, 'I got busted, why should they get away with it at Christmas, I'm calling it in'. While I am not saying the elderly parents called in a complaint about the neighbors in the past, I am saying this can all become a viscous cycle where the government is all too happy to help in their self-serving interest of justifying their own jobs.
My point: This is a classic case where Common Sense has evaded everyone involved. Homeless vagrants and 'Zombie RV's' are a problem. City Councils creating overly broad ordnances in a knee-jerk reaction are a problem. Government employees who zealously enforce the precise letter of the law are a problem. Jaded neighbors who look for an opportunity to tattle-tale on someone are a problem.
To my original comment about introspection at the time a New Year, it seems that WE, AS A CIVILIZED SOCIETY, could use a big injection of 'calm down' and 'common sense'. There is no real reason any of this should be going on, and yet here we are trying to find ways to 'game the system' by parking on private property or not appearing to be camping. WE all need to let go of the game, as the game itself is tearing us apart. Happy New Year.
Sorry for the long commentary...
-Eric
