Current Events > Judge fines 72-year-old cancer patient for being too weak to mow his lawn

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https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/wayne-county/2022/01/12/judge-shames-72-year-old-cancer-patient-too-weak-tend-his-lawn-tdn/9190831002/

In the three years since he was diagnosed with cancer, Burhan Chowdhury has had a difficult time maintaining his yard and keeping his property in suburban Detroit in good shape. At a recent Michigan state court appearance over Zoom, the 72-year-old man struggled to breathe as he explained to a judge that he was "very weak" and unable to clean up the grass that had overtaken the home over the summer.

But 31st District Judge Alexis G. Krot had no sympathy for Chowdhury. Instead, she shamed the cancer patient for the neighborhood blight in Hamtramck and told him the punishment she wished she could have given him.

"You should be ashamed of yourself!" Krot said on Monday. "If I could give you jail time on this, I would."

After issuing Chowdhury a $100 fine for failing to keep up with home maintenance, Krot called the amount of grass on his walkways "totally inappropriate." When Chowdhury reiterated that he was "very sick," Krot said his inability to keep up with his property was inexcusable.

"The neighbors should not have to look at that," she told him. Krot repeated: "You should be ashamed of yourself!"

A video of the court exchange was shared on social media, with many critics blasting the judge for how she handled what should have been a routine hearing. Among those was Shibbir Chowdhury, who joined his father for the court hearing this week.

"The way she said that my father should serve jail time for this thing really bugged me," Chowdhury, 33, told The Washington Post on Wednesday. "I was really shocked by it. I didn't expect her to yell at us in this kind of a situation."

Krot did not immediately return a request for comment Wednesday. Her role as a judge forbids her from commenting on the case, according to WDIV.

Burhan Chowdhury and his family first came to the U.S. from Bangladesh in 2010, eventually settling full-time in Michigan in 2014, his son said. They bought their current home in Hamtramck, located about six miles from downtown Detroit, in 2016.

The family was devastated when Chowdhury was diagnosed with cancer in his lymph nodes in February 2019, his son told The Post. Shibbir Chowdhury said he's seen his father's health deteriorate not just from the cancer but also a heart issue and high blood pressure. His mother also has faced health issues after she fell down the stairs and hurt her back, he said.

"It's been difficult," the son said, adding that the cancer treatments have affected his father's mobility.

Though Shibbir Chowdhury and his mother were diligent in cleaning the yard since the cancer diagnosis, the family faced challenges when the son traveled to Bangladesh for three months last year. With his parents unable to keep up on the maintenance, the grass and weeds grew out of control in front of and on the side of the house, Chowdhury said.

When the son returned home, his father informed him that they were issued a ticket on Aug. 2, 2021, for, what Krot later described as, "failing to keep the fence, walkway, sidewalk or alley free of trees, leaves" or other items. Chowdhury noted that the region's rainy season also played a role in the vegetation getting out of control.

"It was a chain reaction," he said. "The neighbors probably complained and took the picture that was sent to the city."

The family cleaned up the house soon after, but Burhan Chowdhury still had to make a court appearance to see whether he would have to pay a fine. The father did not know anything about Krot, who was appointed to the bench by then-Gov. Rick Snyder, R, in 2016. She was reelected to the nonpartisan position in 2020 after running unopposed.

At around 2:45 p.m. Monday, Krot called on Chowdhury to speak. Even though English is not his first language, Chowdhury introduced himself, explaining he was a cancer patient who had become too weak to maintain the front of the home on his own.

Then, the judge pulled up a photo taken of Chowdhury's home and expressed her disgust.
"You have got to get that cleaned up," she told him.

After ordering him to pay the $100 fine by Feb. 1, Shibbir Chowdhury asked if she understood that his father was suffering from cancer. Krot answered his question with another question: "Have you seen that photo?"

Toward the end of the exchange, Burhan Chowdhury was heard saying, "Oh my God."

Shibbir Chowdhury said his father didn't understand everything what was said, but that the judge's message was clear to him.

"She was telling my father, a sick person, that he should go to jail. That's ridiculous," he said. "You can't give a 72-year-old person jail time for not cleaning an alley."

Yep I read this. She'd have jailed him if she could? She's inhuman.

Oh fuck that, and especially fuck that judge

This is pissing me off

What a see you next Tuesday. She probably just pays someone else to do hers.

Busybodies who get butthurt at someone else's lawn need to go fuck themselves.

That judge needs impeached now.

what a coincidence. i'd have her executed if i could. guess neither of us will get what we want.

but maybe, we'll at least get her off the bench.

I can't imagine talking down to a cancer patient for not having the energy to maintain a yard. I bet she felt like she really accomplished something.

What a bitch.

Mow the lawn with her face

This got posted to Reddit a few days back, people started looking at the judges other rulings and found if the person wasnt white she would give them jail time or fines regardless of what they did.

That piece of shit judge should be in jail.

Her display of compassion and empathy is truly humbling.

Materus posted...

This got posted to Reddit a few days back, people started looking at the judges other rulings and found if the person wasnt white she would give them jail time or fines regardless of what they did.

who was appointed to the bench by then-Gov. Rick Snyder, R, in 2016

Oh, look at that.

Ok she was a bitch, but his grown children couldn't have helped him with the fucking yard? Or at least paid some kid $20 to do it?

That's the kind of stuff you do for your elderly parents.

I'm not surprised at all.
We care more about our neighbors lawn then we do our neighbors.

FFS, they used at as a excuse to violate my 4th Amendment last year. I'll still a little fucked up about it.

If someone wants to keep a messy lawn, that should be their right. They own it. Fuck anyone who says otherwise

If a fine is warranted, that's fine, but jesus christ what a way to talk to a presumably dying person.

DeadBankerDream posted...

If a fine is warranted, that's fine,

Fam

You're a bitch if you report your neighbor to the lawn police

LeoRavus posted...

Ok she was a bitch, but his grown children couldn't have helped him with the fucking yard? Or at least paid some kid $20 to do it?

That's the kind of stuff you do for your elderly parents.

the article said the son would often help, but went to Bangladesh for a few months

This sounds like a bad comedy skit except its not funny and actually happened.

Hope she gets kancer, tbh. Suffer with it for years.

g0ldie posted...

the article said the son would often help, but went to Bangladesh for a few months

Yeah he was back at that point. The city will give you notices before they take action. Mine will actually clean up the yard and charge you some ridiculous amount per hour. Never heard of them taking someone to court.

Not saying she wasn't out of line. I just watched the video and she seemed crazy or something.

There are rules.

Why did this need to go to court?

LeoRavus posted...

Yeah he was back at that point. The city will give you notices before they take action. Mine will actually clean up the yard and charge you some ridiculous amount per hour. Never heard of them taking someone to court.

Not saying she wasn't out of line. I just watched the video and she seemed crazy or something.

true, but it sounds like it was something he helped them take care of once he got back and they informed him of what was going on.

Materus posted...

This got posted to Reddit a few days back, people started looking at the judges other rulings and found if the person wasnt white she would give them jail time or fines regardless of what they did.

I got racistt vibes while reading that. Its the only reason I can think of why somebody would act like that to a clearly sick person. She went above and beyond to shame him instead of just going "per state law your lawn should not exceed x amount of inches and thus youll be fined and Im sorry of your situation but the law is the law"

How is this person a judge?