Davis Mom Strikes Back After City Tells Her To Move Basketball Hoop

DAVIS (CBS13) — Neighbors in the city of Davis say code enforcement is warning them their basketball hoops are violating a city ordinance and must be moved.

One mom refused to move her hoop and started an online petition that already has hundreds of signatures.

Most afternoons, as many as 10 kids will shoot hoops outside of Jennifer Chapman's house.

"It's really important for our kids to be out learning life skills out in front of the hoops, and that's definitely what they're doing here," she said.

So she was taken aback when she got a "notice of violation" from code enforcement calling her hoop a "public nuisance" and telling her to move it off the curb or face a fine.

"The first amount if we didn't move our hoop would've been $100 and it would've gone up from there," she said.

After discovering her neighbors received similar warnings, she started a petition on Change.org pleading with the city to allow the hoops to stay.

"We are absolutely not after basketball hoops or kids' street sports," said Davis Police Lt. Tom Waltz.

The police department oversees code enforcement. Most cities have similar codes involving blocking the street or sidewalk.

But police say they aren't targeting hoops.

"Who hasn't played street hockey or baseball in the street? Everybody has. We want kids to get out; we'd rather not be involved," Waltz said.

He says code enforcement has no choice but to respond when people complain the hops cause blight, or block storm drains or driveways.

"We would much rather they walk next door and try to communicate that with them and work something out," he said.

After posting her petition, Chapman said the city told her that as long as her hoop was in good shape and isn't blocking anything, she can leave it up.

"My bottom line through all of this is, I hope all the people in Davis who have been asked to take their hoops down can put their hoops back up," she said.

She walked around the neighborhood with a petition also hoping to find out who complained, but not everyone came to the door. She plans to attend Tuesday's City Council meeting with a pack of parents, seeking some clarification of the ordinance.