SANTA ROSA – Jason Windus of Santa Rosa does not go down quietly — or take down a fence without a fight. All he wanted was a fence to create a little privacy and keep his dogs in the front yard, but thanks to a nosy neighbor and an obscure city statute, he ended up with a stubby barricade and a mischievously arranged tableau of mannequins posing nude around his outdoor furniture.
It all stems from a petty dispute between neighbors. Windus built a six-foot-tall fence to corral his dogs, a pit bull mix and King Corso Mastiff, but it turned out that the height exceeded regulations.
“I built a fence about six months ago, and I built it because I have these two big dogs,” he said to KCBS Radio.
But an unknown neighbor filed a complaint with Santa Rosa city officials about the fence. Because Windus' property occupies the corner of a three-way stop, city rules prohibit fences taller than three feet to maintain visibility for drivers crossing the intersection.
City official ordered Windus to bring the fence into compliance.
A post shared by KCBS Radio (@kcbsradio) on Mar 20, 2019 at 12:07pm PDT
Windus, who works in hauling, came across several life-like mannequins from a clothing store and decided to arrange them fully nude in his now exposed front yard to send a message.
"Keep your nose in your own business,” Windus said. “I wanted privacy. Now you get to see what’s behind my fence.”
Men and women sit in wicker patio chairs, while a standing woman provocatively poses with her hands over her head. Another female mannequin sits casually in the grass, wearing a cat mask, and a smaller, decapitated mannequin head serves as a centerpiece on a round table.
The scene has become a point of interest, and now hundreds of drivers are now going out of their way to take a look. “I think it’s sad,” one told KCBS Radio, “because if everyone else was allowed to have a higher fence, why is the neighbor picking on him?”
Written by Jordan Bowen
