anti-mustachian HOAs

[Dicey]

Good story goldielocks, and you also imply another excellent point. If you don't like the board, join it and work for change. If there are no openings, start attending meetings and don't be a dick. Once someone realizes there's a decent candidate, they are likely to step aside for you, especially if they've been on the board for  a long time and are ready for a break.

[Zamboni]

OP, I feel for you and your sister.  What you have described is totally obnoxious (especially the part about being followed by someone in a car while you rode your bike.)  I wish your sister luck in following up on the matters.

As others have pointed out, besides the outrageous amount of power afforded to HOA's by some local governments, the challenge with HOA's is that what is "allowed" vs. "in violation" can pretty rapidly descend from reasonable to ridiculous.  What starts with "don't allow your yard to become a hoarder's junkyard filled with rusting piles of crap" turns into the board issuing a letter threatening fines when someone's kid leaves their soccer ball out on the lawn overnight.  Said letter includes a photograph of the aforementioned offensive soccer ball as evidence.  What starts with the "don't paint giant boobies on your house" intent turns into "any interior curtains visible from the street must be white."  People above who have posted about how reasonable your HOA is and how you agreed to the rules, you have been warned.  When you get the letter about your curtains being an unapproved color because the board passes some new silly rule, please don't come crying to us.

[franklin w. dixon]

it's important to remember what HOAs are: weapons of class and race privilege against the poor and nonwhite... They were created to enforce segregation and white supremacy and to a large extent that's what they still do.

I certainly buy the classist argument, but the racist one not so much.  Despite the original intent of HOAs, I don't think most people are so worked about race anymore and would much rather have a Korean dentist for a neighbor than a white family on welfare.  Which is why HOAs make rules against signs of poverty, not against signs of race.

Race and class are obviously very tightly correlated in the United States, to the point that for practical purposes racism and classism are often the same thing. Most cities are extremely segregated by race and HOA barriers (and the almighty god of property values which HOAs worship) are a large part of why. No, HOAs are no longer permitted to have racial clauses in their bylaws, but it turns out they don't need to http://demographics.coopercenter.org/DotMap/

Ah, so because race and class have some level of correlation, I suppose we should ban all forms of "classism", too?

Yep.