Business

Seriously? Denver Neighborhood Wants to Ban ‘Distracting’ & ‘Offensive’ Sidewalk Chalk

While 90 percent of Americans associate sidewalk chalk with harmless childhood fun, one Denver neighborhood homeowners association (HOA) wants to ban the “offensive” and “distracting” art, CBS Denver reports.

“It’s definitely better than video games,” said Sarah Cohen, mother of 3-year old Emerson Cohen. “It’s a simple pleasure for her.”

By drawing on the sidewalk with colored chalk, little 3-year old Emerson is practically engaging in a criminal act, according to the report.

Seriously.

“My initial reaction was, ‘You have to be kidding me,’” said Cohen.

Watch the CBS Denver news brief:

Cohen said her family moved to Stapleton, Colo., because it was supposedly a “family-friendly” neighborhood.

“We live on a courtyard and we all bought into the notion that we were sharing a space,” said Cohen.

However, because it’s “a shared space,” the HOA prohibits anything that “offends, disturbs or interferes with the peaceful enjoyment.”

You know what this means, right? It means that unless the HOA is arbitrarily coming after kids for playing with sidewalk chalk, someone actually registered a formal complaint.

“The association is trying to go down a path of do no harm and prevent the sidewalk art as opposed to… until such time as it can get together and discuss it,” said an attorney representing the HOA in Stapleton.

Cohen said no one in her neighborhood has said anything about her daughter drawing on the sidewalk and that she has no plans to make her stop.

“It’s summertime and God forbid my daughter is drawing flowers, her name and hearts,” said Cohen.

The great sidewalk chalk controversy will be brought up in a future HOA meeting where grown adults will actually debate whether or not a kids can play outside with chalk.

Front page photo source: sidewalkchalk.org

Comments (101)

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  • biffo
    Posted on June 9, 2012 at 6:59pm

    In my neighborhood it was chalk up your own sidewalk (in front of your house). We had a few uncontrrolled scriblers who would eff up from one end of the street to the other. As long as they were outside, the parents didn’t care. The adults in the neighborhood squared them away and problem was solved.

    Report Post »  
  • tom56
    Posted on June 9, 2012 at 6:44pm

    Let’d get a big gulp, a double all beef patty and some chalk.

    Report Post »  
    • 1956
      Posted on June 10, 2012 at 5:38pm

      Right up my alley! I’m with you all the way.

      Report Post » 1956  
  • HPC172ERTAV
    Posted on June 9, 2012 at 6:43pm

    when you join an HOA you leave your rights at the gates. These are excellent examples of if a rule can in any way be used for corruption it WILL be. They suck and should be avoided.

    Report Post »  
    • THXll38
      Posted on June 9, 2012 at 7:20pm

      For people that respect property and the aesthetics of others and their own, HOAs are a necessary evil in upper-middle class and wealthy neighborhoods. Without them, many would look like white trash trailer parks. It only takes one idiot that does not keep up with their property to jack it up for the ones that keep theirs well manicured. That said, this PC BS rule is utterly retarded and the HOA should f*&ck off.

      No one forces you to live in an HOA, so if you don’t like them so be it. The Stapleton area that they are referring to is rather expensive and focuses on upper-middle class and the wealthy. Surrounding Stapleton is another story.

      Report Post » THXll38  
    • Kenszen
      Posted on June 11, 2012 at 2:04am

      @THXll38 While I agree with you on the premise of why HOAs exist and their function, I still have to stop and say…”BUT THIS IS JUST SIDEWALK CHALK!” You know, the stuff that washes off with a hose?

      True, the mother did not have to choose to buy a house governed by an HOA, but that does not mean that HOAs should be so unreasonable. (Notice I said “should.” HOAs certainly have legal bearing and can be totally unreasonable. We call those kind of people “jerks.”)

      Report Post »  
    • saganhill
      Posted on June 11, 2012 at 12:42pm

      THXll38 that is a load of crap. So you say the neighborhood I live in looks like trailer park trash because we have no HOA? Again, a load of crap. HOA’s should be illegal. They break US consitutional law. Just because you’re rich doesnt give you the right to be a little Hitler.

      Report Post »  
  • The_Almighty_Creestof
    Posted on June 9, 2012 at 6:40pm

    Um, it’s a common area for ALL of them to enjoy…that being said, I‘m taking the HOA’s side. I wouldn‘t want to go out to our community’s pool and find it covered in sidewalk chalk which I‘m sure the kids parents don’t clean off when their kid is done.

    Do it in your backyard…give the kid fingerpaints…let the child draw on her bedroom walls covered in a sheet or something.

    But why should everyone else entering the area have to be forced to constantly look upon your brats “artwork.”

    Should your neighbor have to tolerate your kid entering the common area and screaming while playing for hours each day? How about riding one of those bigwheels around and around in the small enclosure for hours making a racket? Bouncing a basketball for hours and tossing it against tree trunks or your house?

    This is really nothing more than the parent being upset because one more way for them to toss the kid out of their view and ignore them has been taken away.

    Report Post »  
    • marcus_arealius
      Posted on June 9, 2012 at 7:07pm

      The problem with HOAs (and I was an officer for 10 years in one in Kommiefornia) is that when the ‘good, sensible’ rules get violated, the violators keep violating. I assessed fines and they went unpaid. When I got tough and suggested lien procedures against the homeowner, the membership said I was being ridiculous and making trouble. Then what the hell are the rules for? For selective enforcement when the membership majority doesn’t like someone. Otherwise the CC&Rs have no teeth. I will NEVER, EVER have a property again under an HOA.

      Report Post »  
    • BBEV
      Posted on June 9, 2012 at 7:15pm

      WOW Dude get a life they are kids having some fun outside. I have managed more than 2000 condo units and I will call you one of them. A NAZI. I have always managed property with this thought in mind Mussolini always had the trains on time but at what cost??????.

      Report Post »  
    • The_Almighty_Creestof
      Posted on June 9, 2012 at 7:21pm

      @ marcus_arealius

      I live in one now and the only problems we have are trashcans left out, people parking on the street when they have room for 4 cars in their garages and driveways & people/kids leaving trash all over the gated pool area and “tagging it”…oh, and not cleaning up after their dogs and putting up security screen doors on their front door.

      However, the HOA does NOT get involved with renters brats trashing the landscaping, screaming like banshees up and down the block, loud music and so on…at least not to my knowledge. And yes I do mean renters suck…they have zero stake in the property and 9 out of 10 times wind up trashing it until they pack their crap and move on.

      Report Post »  
    • glorious
      Posted on June 9, 2012 at 7:55pm

      agree

      Report Post »  
    • loafer4952
      Posted on June 9, 2012 at 7:58pm

      Your a jerk.

      Report Post »  
    • RamonPreston
      Posted on June 11, 2012 at 8:53am

      Oh, you just hate it when those little kids write big words that you can’t understand. Get a hose and wash it off. Better yet, MOVE! Lots of open spaces on this earth.

      Report Post » RamonPreston  
  • cristo52
    Posted on June 9, 2012 at 6:36pm

    There goes “Moscow Rules.”

    Report Post »  
  • FEMALL
    Posted on June 9, 2012 at 6:29pm

    Dear Sarah,
    Communal(commie) living requires some people to more equal than others. Please be advised chalk has been added to the banned list.
    Sincerely,
    Your local HOA Comintern

    Report Post » FEMALL  
  • Baddoggy
    Posted on June 9, 2012 at 6:28pm

    No no no no no no no no no no no no no no FREEDOM is left………

    I will not comply should become EVERYONES mantra by now….

    Report Post » Baddoggy  
  • Dougral Supports Israel
    Posted on June 9, 2012 at 6:28pm

    I don’t like HOAs. Like anything else, the rules are made by the type of people who like to order the lives of others. Its another layer of government but because the rules are based in contract law they can do things that traditional government cannot. I’d much rather deal with a somewhat disorderly neighbor than the iron fist of an HOA.

    Report Post »  
  • Ron Staiger
    Posted on June 9, 2012 at 6:13pm

    Jawohl, mein Fuhrer! Seig, HEIL! ! Seig, HEIL! Seig, HEIL!

    Democrats are really friggin’ nuts, aren’t they?

    Report Post »  
  • SERE22
    Posted on June 9, 2012 at 6:11pm

    CHALK PARTY!!! Bring your own chalk.

    Report Post » SERE22  
  • artistskeptic
    Posted on June 9, 2012 at 6:09pm

    Aren’t these up-tight HOA members smart enough to use a garden hose ?

    Report Post »  
  • EP46
    Posted on June 9, 2012 at 6:07pm

    Off topic:
    Jehmu Greene (bow tying white boy Tucker Carlson) was BACK on Fox news today…please let Fox know if you are ‘happy’ to see her or not !

    Report Post »  
    • Cosmos102
      Posted on June 9, 2012 at 6:45pm

      Thanks for the heads up. I was frankly disappointed to see FOX still uses Tamera Holder as a guest too. After it came out that she is a mistress of the Revrund Jesssseeee Jack-son, I threw up in my mouth.

      Report Post » Cosmos102  
    • AmazingGrace8
      Posted on June 10, 2012 at 4:44pm

      I saw her and started laughing. That girl has got “some-kind-of-attitude” now. Whew…..she is sure “fired-up” about something. “Chalk that up to experience”!!!

      I am very grateful that in the neighborhood Glenn lived in, they did not ban children from chalk-writing on the sidewalks!!! LOL We little girls used chalk to draw a hop-scotch game and we used “rocks” to show our place during the game. Hours of fun and exercise. On Kid’s Day every year there were contests for best chalk picture on the sidewalks of main street. Simple fun & community together-ness.

      Many crimes never would have been solved in the “old-days“ if detectives were banned from ”chalking-the-figure-of-the-victim”. LOL
      And the beat goes on!

      Report Post »  
    • AmazingGrace8
      Posted on June 10, 2012 at 5:10pm

      I have to comment on Tucker. What a hoot! He smiles that boyish smile(he will have boyish looks in his 80′s) & he is just so darn charming. He is like a chiropractor. Massages & pops the spine and you hear a crack and then he goes for the final move, “half-turn-of-the-head” to put your spine in full alignment!!! Opponents “feel-alittle-sore” after the exam but they still go back to whatever made their spine out-of-line!!! LOL

      Report Post »  
  • LB
    Posted on June 9, 2012 at 6:06pm

    Today it’s someone elses chalk…Tomorrow it’s something of yours. PEOPLE think about what is really going on.

    Report Post » LB  
    • HorseCrazy
      Posted on June 9, 2012 at 9:05pm

      people have to be seriously anal or just nuts to buy in an HOA. its crazy to allow your property “privilages” to be determined by random folks not paying the bills. guess thats why I live on acreage in the woods.

      Report Post »  
  • LB
    Posted on June 9, 2012 at 6:04pm

    HOA’s are a nightmare. You should attend every meeting and residents can take back their neighborhood. What happens is the board is usually the only attendees so they make all the rules. When no-one else attends the meetings to discuss ideas and how to spend your money, they get their way. I will never live in an HOA neighborhood again. HOA’s are mini governments and the few at the top tend to rule the neighborhood. The board are your neighbors that have to be voted for. You just need a majority to pass or change rules and regs. Go door to door with petitions if you want to change something. You as a group have a voice but need to take action to change the rules.

    Report Post » LB  
    • kaydeebeau
      Posted on June 9, 2012 at 6:36pm

      You are so right. In the HAO of my parents neighborhood, the pres of the hoa and all the other officers were all in the same family – that is until my folks started going to the hoa meetings. Suffice it to say, the power brokers of the hoa are no longer in charge…..education and courage to stand go a long way

      Report Post » kaydeebeau  
  • beckwill
    Posted on June 9, 2012 at 6:02pm

    Better let ‘em get it out of their system while they’re little with chalk on the sidewalk rather then when they’re older with spray paint on the side of your garage!

    Report Post »  
  • antrancher
    Posted on June 9, 2012 at 6:01pm

    That is what HOA’s do. There is probably more to this story than meets the eye though. Stay away from HOA’s

    Report Post »  
  • glorious
    Posted on June 9, 2012 at 5:56pm

    When people live in close/shared quarters, they have to be considerate. You cannot use chalk on the property of others….sorry. It’s one of the things your mother needs to teach you. There are other games to play or other places to draw.

    Report Post »  
  • mrmarkjohnson
    Posted on June 9, 2012 at 5:53pm

    My neighbors used to complained when I draw on the street in chalk. I knew Colorado was liberal, I didn’t know they were this far to the left.

    Report Post »  
    • amymichelle26
      Posted on June 9, 2012 at 9:06pm

      Colorado is not liberal, Denver specifically is. This city is in Denver where our old airport was. It is very progressive and has a lot of young hipster wannabees. Most everywhere else besides Denver we are more common sense based for the most part.

      Report Post »  
  • momrules
    Posted on June 9, 2012 at 5:53pm

    This story has depressed me more than all of the stories on the Blaze today.

    When my kids were growing up I bought sidewalk chalk by the tub full. Harmless fun for all the kids on the street we lived on. The rain or a waterhose washes it all away and a new palette is ready for the next work of art.

    For The love of all that is decent, good and filled with common sense………..Grown Ups… Please grow up. Get your noses out of the things that in the grand scheme of things don’t matter. Let children be children and when they, the children, look to you for guidence they might really have a tinker’s damn of getting some.

    Report Post »  
  • Ron Staiger
    Posted on June 9, 2012 at 5:53pm

    I agree! Get rid of those friggin democrats loitering on the corner tossing chicken bones!

    Report Post »  
  • Skrewedretiree
    Posted on June 9, 2012 at 5:52pm

    With each news article I read, the more I understand I now live in the new National Socialist States of Amerika.

    How long will it be before EVERYTHING is either regulated, licensed, monitored, taxed or illegal?

    Thanks, Democrats…….

    Remember In November/Lock and Load!

    Report Post » Skrewedretiree  
    • BBEV
      Posted on June 9, 2012 at 7:30pm

      Amen

      Report Post »  
    • sprouter.q
      Posted on June 10, 2012 at 12:33pm

      This is not a demon or republipuke issue retireeeeeeeeee! CONservatives are not about freedom anymore than libs. This is about people that have no respect for others. Everything is regulated because he political class knows that everyone will pick sides ……joining a party is not really about freedom is it?

      Report Post »  
  • barber2
    Posted on June 9, 2012 at 5:49pm

    Am sure the HOA people are coming from a graffiti state of mind ! Maybe Sarah can let her daughter use chalk , secretly , on her own patio ! shhhhh…

    Report Post »  
  • frogg
    Posted on June 9, 2012 at 5:47pm

    More Government BS! They don’t care about what they control as long as they control everything! Think about it!!!! Vote the Bums out!!!!!!!

    Report Post » frogg  
  • TheFederalist
    Posted on June 9, 2012 at 5:40pm

    Denver HOA… Get a life!!

    Report Post »  
  • lukerw
    Posted on June 9, 2012 at 5:34pm

    Carpet Bomb em… with Chalk!

    Report Post » lukerw  
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