Raising chickens is allowed in the city only on parcels of 5 acres or more, and they're not allowed in the downtown area.
So where are the chickens?
Downtown. On small lots.
Well Avenue, where one flock of chickens wanders the street, is a downtown city street near Westville Avenue.
They're coming into Chiarito's Well Avenue yard in the mornings, and napping under shrubs in the neighborhood during the day.
"Every day I go out front, and they're digging up the grass," said Chiarito who, like many of his neighbors, complained to the city about the increasing chicken menace.
"You're asking about the chickens up the street? There's five or six. They're running in the road. They're digging holes in the lawn," said Samantha Dinho of Well Avenue.
The city is getting a call or two a week about people raising chickens in town.
City Health Director Scott Leroy said raising chickens in the city poses health risks. A chicken coop is home to a sizable amount of chicken droppings, and it smells. After a rain storm, contaminated water is likely to drain into streams and rivers.
[...]
Over on Stillman Avenue, Rita Godfrey remembers when she moved in 51 years ago.
"They were raising chickens across the street back then. Nowadays, you can't raise livestock downtown," Godfrey said. "I usually keep an eye out. I haven't heard anything. I haven't seen anything."
At another house on Stillman Avenue, Bunting saw the construction materials for a chicken coop. He recognized chicken wire. He warned the homeowner a coop wouldn't be permitted on Stillman, which is a block away from South Street on Town Hill Avenue in downtown Danbury.
"I sent them a letter after giving them the verbal warning," Bunting said.
The coop was built anyway.
The city issued a cease and desist order Nov. 1 to Betsy Lopez of 18 Stillman Ave. Lopez could not be reached for comment Wednesday but she did try to convince the zoning enforcement officer that she was not in violation. Evidence persuaded him otherwise.
"I went over, and she said it was a dog pen," Bunting said. "I looked at it and I saw chickens. I said, 'Those are chickens.
Okay, as I person who was raised in the South, I can see where city folks can get alittle nervous seeing chickens run around the street (believe me, thank goodness their chickens and NOT roosters!)
I think the city should have no problem hunting the offenders down and getting rid of these chickens. Let's hope this doesn;t get blown out of hand and become yet another immigration problem.
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On September 26, 2007, ten plaintiffs filed suit in response to an arrest of aday laborers at a public park in Danbury, Connecticut. Plaintiffs amended their complaint on November 26, 2007.
The amended complaint states that plaintiffs sought to remedy the continued discriminatory and unauthorized enforcement of federal immigration laws against the Latino residents of the City of Danbury by Danbury's mayor and its police department.
Plaintiffs allege that the arrests violated their Fourth Amendment rights and the Connecticut Constitution because defendants conducted the arrests without valid warrants, in the absence of exigent circumstances, and without probable cause to believe that plaintiffs were engaged in unlawful activity. In addition, plaintiffs allege that defendants improperly stopped, detained, investigated, searched and arrested plaintiffs. Plaintiffs also allege that defendants violated their Fourteenth Amendment rights when they intentionally targeted plaintiffs, and arrested and detained them on the basis of their race, ethnicity and perceived national origin. Plaintiffs raise First Amendment, Due Process and tort claims.
Plaintiffs request declaratory relief, damages and attorneys fees.
On September 26, 2007, ten plaintiffs filed suit in response to an arrest of aday laborers at a public park in Danbury, Connecticut. Plaintiffs amended their complaint on November 26, 2007.
