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