Ga. police shut down girls' lemonade stand

MIDWAY, Ga. — Police in Georgia have shut down a lemonade stand run by three girls trying to save up for a trip to a water park, saying they didn't have a business license or the required permits.

Midway Police Chief Kelly Morningstar says police also didn't know how the lemonade was made, who made it or what was in it.

The girls had been operating for one day when Morningstar and another officer cruised by.

The girls needed a business license, peddler's permit and food permit to operate, even on residential property.

The permits cost $50 a day or $180 per year.

One girl, 14-year-old Casity Dixon, says the three had to listen to police and shut down.

The girls are now doing chores and yard work to make money.

[no_tubes]

Now the girls are doing yardwork? Better send some Federal SWAT teams down to arrest all of the people that the girls are doing work for. They're in serious violation of child labor laws! Gawd this country is getting ridiculous.

[MrButchWest]

This is not the only case of Police abusing the law. Georgia police told Girl Scouts to stop selling cookies: http://www.courtneyluv.com/a-georgia-police-told-girl-scouts-to-stop-selling-cookies/ The following link is information on cops shutting down kid run concession stands: http://www.mofreedom.org/2011/07/the-government-war-on-kid-run-concession-stands/

[MrButchWest]

This is basically abuse of the law.It is NOT enforcement. It shows the deceit behind "the is the law" stupidity.

"The law is the law" is what officers use when using ridiculous enforcement. What is the intent of the law requiring permits for businesses? It's not shutting down lemon-aide stands of teenage girls and then trying justify intentional dishonesty and deceit by claiming they didn't know what was in the lemon-aide, pretending there was some sort of safety concern.

Speeding is illegal, right? So, by the use of "the law is the law excuse" if I go 75 mph in a 60 in your town, then you would have to break the law to catch me and write a ticket, right? So, when you catch me and you will if I speed (which I don't), you would of necessity have to write yourself a ticket, too. After all, "the law is the law", right?

The truth is that there are exceptions to the law on speeding, one of which is that Emergency Vehicles such as police, fire and ambulances can do their jobs. And an exception should have been made with these lemon-aide stand girls. The police were not enforcing the law, but abusing the law and that abuse should land these police people in jail.

[CapelloStagnola]

There is a Facebook event that's been created to protest this by... setting up your own lemonade stand! Great idea: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=142928182454066

[JoeScrotum]

Strange priorities. A few weeks ago I complained about off road motorcycle with NO license plate roaring around the neighborhood on a regular basis. This teen was ignoring the speed limit and doing wheelies. Cop-with-an-attitude arrived and acted like it was no big deal and became annoyed when I rested my hand on "his" squad car, and was almost apologetic when telling the law breaking teen he could not ride on city streets. Since when is selling lemonade more of a hazard than unplated vehicles.

[The_Federal_Farmer]

OMG!! An unplated vehicle! My God! You poor man. I feel for you dude, and popping wheelies too? Unforgivable!
It's people like you who foment people like those scofflaw pigs who somehow imagine they are our authorities.

[scottabc72]

Police and local government arent likely to do idiot stuff like this unless there are business interests pushing for it. Its likely the town got an ordinance passed by local restaurants or whatever to prevent competition from food trucks and stuff like that. To all the raving 'conservatives' here: start dealing with practical reality and forget the dogmatic ideology.

[Veritas83]

Competition, in other words, law enforced bullying. Competition is good. These idiot cops thought these little girls were competition. I know not all cops are bad but come on. We have too many laws as it is. If a cop has the job for a power trip they don't belong there. Treat people as people. cops are to serve US. I want my Constitutional Republic back. A good place for these nazis to work is a circus.

[MyDogIsOverWeight]

I remember selling lemonade at my great grandmother's house in Iowa, during a parade. Shoot, I even remember a police officer buying some lemonade! Of course there was nothing wrong with the lemonade and I'm sure the quality was 10x that of store bought anything. Back then selling lemonade made me feel like a proud American. Like I could do anything I wanted and be succesful at it if I had good intentions.

Now, our government wants full control. They do not want lemonade stands. They do not want small business. They want a nation of people who do what they tell them to do. It is sickening! These leaders kill thousands of people every year, and then allow lemonade stands to be shut down and small business to be over regulated, in the name of saftey? Then why are we so far in debt and not using the money to better our own country?

The democrats and republicans are both responsible. They are nothing but manipulators. My only hope for 2012 is Ron Paul, and it'll take a miracle to get him elected, the mainstream media won't talk about him! (I wonder why) :(

[Veritas83]

They won't mention him cause they have a hidden agenda. There really is no left or right. It's Nazism & Socialism.

[rrnc5lmce]

this is just plain STUPID!....

[rebelinpa]

OMG Just buy a lemonade Chief. I guess there is no crime in Midway if the police are raiding lemonade stands. Sounds like a run for Congress is in order.

[Veritas83]

This is not what our ancestors fought & died for. This is sad & disgusting. Heaven forbid little girls sell lemonade! The sky might fall!

I might be numb somewhat from all the thing's seen in the news media, movies, etc but something about this really bothers me.
I think this is very disturbing that our country has sunk so low. A lemonade stand I know, but what it entails, the fact some children can't sell lemonade on their own property without paying is an outrage.

I don't see how a cop could enforce such stupid laws.
I know some cops are decent and lenient but not these.

Where is my Constitutional Republic? This is not & never was a Democracy. I want my Constitutional Republican government back! And I want these traitors sent off to some island or another planet!