The shocking stories of government harassment of ordinary citizens doing ordinary things just keep coming. Last week, I wrote about the persecution of Jill Bass in Oak Park, Michigan for planting a well maintained, community tended, organic garden in her front yard.
Now comes a story out of Midway, Georgia of police shutting down a girls’ lemonade stand for lack of a business license, peddler’s permit, and a food permit.
The permits cost $50 per day (or $180 per year), making selling lemonade a money losing proposition for the children who were only trying to raise money to go to a water park.
The lemonade stand was in operation for one day before police had the gall to shut the poor children down, whom I have no doubt were traumatized by the event. Midway Police Chief Kelly Morningstar said police were concerned with how the lemonade was made, what was in it, and who made it.
For heaven’s sake. These girls weren’t selling hash brownies! This was lemonade. Water, sugar, lemon juice.
Is this too difficult for government officials to comprehend?
I guess this explains why the government prefers children to go to fast food restaurants serving government approved franken fare made in factories that barely qualifies as food in most cases.
But hey, fast food establishments have all their permits in order so they are a-ok.
I myself operated a lemonade stand when I was a child to raise money for various summer activities. I can’t even imagine a police officer telling me I was breaking the law and that I had to stop. My neighbors certainly would have protested against such idiocy since they always enjoyed and supported children in the neighborhood taking on such projects over the summer that brought the community together.
It seems that in Georgia, which not so coincidentally suffers from a high obesity rate, children should be inside during the summer watching TV or playing video games instead of outside, interacting with the community, learning simple business skills and putting their arithmetic to practical use with a simple lemonade stand!
High Time for the Return of Civil Disobedience?
This government harassment of normal, everyday activities by citizens has simply got to stop. I hope the people of Midway, Georgia express their outrage to the local authorities.
Perhaps the cutting of local and state government budgets across the country will have a silver lining over time .. fewer government workers and increasingly cash strapped budgets may mean less – or even a cessation of this stupid type of government behavior.
In the meantime, it could be high time for some well placed Civil Disobedience. Citizens need to stop rolling over on this stuff. Would the police dare to cuff a Mom or Dad who told them to get lost or come back with a warrant if they tried to shut down their children’s lemonade stand?
Sarah, TheHealthyHomeEconomist.com
Source: Police in Ga. Shut Down Girls’ Lemonade Stand
Picture Credit
Katherine Jenson via Facebook
I guess they just don’t have enough to do with their time. Oh..I don’t know….catching real criminals??? Giv me a break! This is from a past “lemonade stand owner at 12!”
Julie Leon via Facebook
Oh, that was a different story. Oops. This one is in Wisconsin…
Julie Leon via Facebook
Looks like they apologized.
Sarah, The Healthy Home Economist
Great news! Thank you for posting. I had not heard this.
Sue
What’s next? Knocking on people’s doors to see if there’s a babysitter without a business license? Stopping kids mowing the lawn? Shutting down bake sales at schools and churches?
Terry Mindah
It’s just unbelievable that the Police would shut down these little girls stand. It’s just so typical of Police behavior. Forget going after the rapist, drug dealer or murderer just harass an 8 year old girl selling lemonade. It’s just so pathetic and the cop that did this is not a real man but a weak and pathetic bully who should have exercised better judgement.
unbelievable31320
So let me start by saying that No this shouldnt have happened however I would like to give you a view point from a citizen of Midway. What I dont see in any of the stories is the fact that the neighborhood where the children were STANDING IN THE STREET with signs is drug infested and also has several REGISTERED sex offenders in close proximity. This is all nothing more than a character assasination on the Chief of Police Kelli Morningstar. Its a well known fact that most residents in Midway do not like the Police Department because they have been engaging in “Civil Disobedience” for as long as they can remember because up until 4 years ago Midway didnt have a Police Department. I wish that people would get the ENTIRE story before jumping to conclusion and dragging a good person through the mud. This was all done for nothing more than personal satisfaction and self promotion……..
Lorelei aka Hawaiigirl
**IF** that’s true- this is a bad neighborhood – it still doesn’t change the police shutting down children over “what was in” the lemonade. Hopefully it’s still the parents’ responsibility in Midway to determine whether it is safe for THREE girls (from the photo, at least) to be out in broad daylight? Also, perhaps the police should instead be focusing on said druggies and sex offenders. A better use of their time, to my way of thinking. If they did it because they were concerned for the girls’ safety, they could have patrolled the neighborhood. HEY, isn’t that what cops are supposed to do?
You comment looks more like somebody from the police dept trying to get a little spin in, though, rather than the ENTIRE story.
Sarah, TheHealthyHomeEconomist
So, if this was a “nice” neighborhood, the children should have been allowed to sell lemonade but not in a “bad” neighborhood? Sounds pretty elitist to me. Why should children from only good neighborhoods be allowed to learn simple business skills and run a lemonade stand? Kids from “bad” neighborhoods should stay inside and get fat watching TV?
If they were standing in the street with signs, the police officer should have simply told them to get out of the street – not shut the lemonade stand down.
The police went way overboard on this one .. saying this was a bad neighborhood doesn’t change a thing.
Scott
I don’t know why government cannot tell that it is pushing people to their limits. Every time I think I’ve seen the final straw, Americans continue to not rebel. With mean, thoughtless, cruel, greedy, stupid people running everything these days, it is certainly time for civil disobedience.
Lori @ Laurel of Leaves
This is almost laughable — if it weren’t so scary, that is.
Melissa @ Dyno-mom
We don’t need the government to nanny us. Let the buyer beware. If I want to buy a child’s lemonade, I should be able to and they should be able to sell it to me. If I am allowed to vote, to serve in the military, to drive a one ton van why can I not decide what I am going to eat?!
Emily Michele (@ButterBeliever) (@ButterBeliever)
The future of our "great nation," folks — police shut down little girls’ lemonade stand… http://t.co/VeFZkfT (via @HealthyHomeEcon)