NationStates

Georgia cops bust 10-year-old’s lemonade stand
Posted on 07.15.11
By David Edwards
Categories: Featured, Say What?

When three girls in Midway, Georgia set up their lemonade stand, they intended to raise enough money to go to the water park. But the ever-vigilant local police quickly identified the girls’ effort as criminal enterprise and shut them down.

“It’s kind of crazy that we couldn’t sell lemonade,” 14-year-old Casity Dixon told WJCL. “It was fun, but we had to listen to the cops and shut it down.”

The police chief and another officer discovered the stand only one day after it had opened.

“They told us to shut it down,” 10-year-old Skylar Roberts said.

“We had told them, we understand you guys are young, but still, you’re breaking the law, and we can’t let you do it anymore,” Midway Police Chief Kelly Morningstar explained. “The law is the law, and we have to be consistent with how we enforce the laws.”

A city permit that would have allowed the lemonade stand to stay open costs $50 a day. In contrast, a child’s water park ticket goes for about $27.

Shaoyuan wrote:Well, it is the law, you can't just make exceptions based on age... What would ou say if a 40 year old set up a mass production lemonade stand on the street?

The Wild Northwest wrote:...
Why are we giving our tax dollars to these idiots? They should be fighting REAL crime, like intelligent people!

The Wild Northwest wrote:...
Why are we giving our tax dollars to these idiots? They should be fighting REAL crime, like intelligent people!

Shaoyuan wrote:Well, it is the law, you can't just make exceptions based on age... What would ou say if a 40 year old set up a mass production lemonade stand on the street?

Gravonia wrote:I think Skylar is a stupid name

Grave_n_idle wrote:

Shaoyuan wrote:Well, it is the law, you can't just make exceptions based on age... What would ou say if a 40 year old set up a mass production lemonade stand on the street?

Interesting - the difference between your 'scenario' and reality isn't about age. You somehow seem to be arguing that a kids lemonade stand is somehow parallel to mass production?

Wilgrove wrote:

Shaoyuan wrote:Well, it is the law, you can't just make exceptions based on age... What would ou say if a 40 year old set up a mass production lemonade stand on the street?

C'mon it's kids though. I doubt they're part of a terrorist cell that plans to distribute toxins through lemonade stands. As for the 40 year old, are we talking about a "special" 40 year old?

Cops in Georgia are Jerks

Shaoyuan wrote:

Wilgrove wrote:
C'mon it's kids though. I doubt they're part of a terrorist cell that plans to distribute toxins through lemonade stands. As for the 40 year old, are we talking about a "special" 40 year old?

That's not the point, not every crime is terrorism. If an adult set up a stand they'd have to pay tax, licensing, minimum wage etc. You can't just make exceptions because they're kids, that's not how the law works. If it were me I'd just pretend I never saw it but I can understand the decision.

Wilgrove wrote:

Shaoyuan wrote:
That's not the point, not every crime is terrorism. If an adult set up a stand they'd have to pay tax, licensing, minimum wage etc. You can't just make exceptions because they're kids, that's not how the law works. If it were me I'd just pretend I never saw it but I can understand the decision.

Actually...the law DOES differentiate between children and adults. That's why you don't see children in adult prisons.

Wilgrove wrote:[Yea, how DARE those girls try to earn their own money rather than begging mommy or daddy for it! As we all know, this isn't the first time a lemonade stand was closed down by a city government.

What, do cops and inspectors just hate lemonades or something? Maybe the kids should start opening up doughnut stands.

Thoughts?

Wilgrove wrote:C'mon it's kids though...

Costa Estralia wrote:

I do agree that it is kinda jacked up, my girlfriend ran a lemonade stand this past week and some policemen even bought her lemonade.

Ifreann wrote:BREAKING NEWS: Law applies to everyone. Public disgusted.

Wilgrove wrote:C'mon it's kids though...

Exactly. They're kids. Do you expect them to keep up to the hygiene standards that actual trained, paid adults sometimes don't? If they forgot to wash their hands then people could get seriously sick.

Wilgrove wrote:

Shaoyuan wrote:Well, it is the law, you can't just make exceptions based on age... What would ou say if a 40 year old set up a mass production lemonade stand on the street?

C'mon it's kids though. I doubt they're part of a terrorist cell that plans to distribute toxins through lemonade stands.

Meowfoundland wrote:

Ifreann wrote:BREAKING NEWS: Law applies to everyone. Public disgusted.

Exactly. They're kids. Do you expect them to keep up to the hygiene standards that actual trained, paid adults sometimes don't? If they forgot to wash their hands then people could get seriously sick.

As always, Ifreann has to ruin everything by making sense.

Meowfoundland wrote:

Ifreann wrote:BREAKING NEWS: Law applies to everyone. Public disgusted.

Exactly. They're kids. Do you expect them to keep up to the hygiene standards that actual trained, paid adults sometimes don't? If they forgot to wash their hands then people could get seriously sick.

As always, Ifreann has to ruin everything by making sense.