Published 2006-10-03T00:00:00Z”/>

Bob Main

A recent issue of Time magazine mentioned Chico, saying that the city has banned any kind of game from being played in the streets.

In a section titled “Banned: Fine Food and Fun” the Sept. 4 issue of Time briefly states various odd laws throughout the country.

For instance, in Alabama, if you were to dress up as a nun, priest, rabbi or any other religious figure on Halloween, you could be facing a fine or possible jail time.

They were all odd laws, but not playing games in the streets? That’s a proud American pastime, why would Chico ban that?

Does this mean that Wayne and Garth would have permanent “game off” if they were to play street hockey in Chico? What about the introduction to the TV classic “Wonder Years”? Would that be a clear violation in the eyes of Chico police?

To find some solid truth to the matter, I went to the municipal building in downtown Chico to investigate this American snuff.

What I found was city municipal code 9.26.010, last updated March 14, 2000, which stated, “It shall be unlawful for any person in the city to play baseball or any other game upon the street, sidewalk, lane or alley.”

I was informed that the code was put in place because the city feared a possible lawsuit. If someone were to injure oneself on equipment, such as a portable basketball hoop that was on city property, the city could be held liable, said Raul Gonzalez, of code enforcement.

Although Gonzalez wasn’t sure if there had been a citation in the past or if an issue provoked the code into effect, he assured me this was not a law that the police look to enforce, he said.

“It is enforced on a call-only basis,” Gonzalez said.

Since the law is on a call-only basis and hasn’t had a citation recently, the severity of the situation seems to be less controversial than the section in Time magazine made it sound.

Although the cops aren’t looking for stickball games in the alleys to bust, the law gives the wrong people the chance to stop that sort of activity.

Even though the chance of citing a few little kids for playing kickball in the street is unlikely, it’s still considered an illegal act. That threatens an image of freedom that has been embraced by art and entertainment throughout the history of America.

I understand the city’s attempt to protect itself against a possible lawsuit, but forfeiting bits of freedom for fear of legal manipulation is unjust. Codes and laws should work in favor of these timeless traditions, not against them.

Bob Main can be reached at

<a href=”mailto:[email protected]”>[email protected]</a>