Me neither, I just clicked the link and gave the article a skim

According to the article, no

You're right. The change is insignificant and the timeline miniscule. The percentage of people with bachelor degrees has steadily increased over the last 15+ years, per OP's own source.

This data is ugly.

The only conclusion that can be reached is OP cherry picked data to intentionally misrepresent educational trends. By their own source, the percentage of bachelor degrees has trended upward over the last 15 years.

Would you happen to have the citation handy? It should have a reference to the city code that they claim is being violated. If you have the exact code, I'd be happy to look it up and offer advice on how to craft an argument in court.

Clickbait title aside, this sounds like some BS they're trying to pull. I would definitely fight the citations/tickets, but you have to do it in a calm, rational way. Claiming they're trying to enslave you isn't going to convince a judge to side with you, because (to be blunt) this isn't slavery.

You need to form a reasoned, clear argument, and that starts with answering this question: which code are they citing you for violating?

It looks like an easement to me too, but according to the report, it's under private ownership.