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Title: Cops Raid Little Boys’ Lemonade Stand, Shut it Down for Not Having a Permi
Source:
Free Thought Project
URL Source: https://thefreethoughtproject.com/cops-denver-lemonade-stand-permit/
Published: May 30, 2018
Author: Matt Agorist
Post Date: 2018-05-30 21:17:33 by Deckard
Keywords: None
Views: 16391
Comments: 102
Common sense, among those who work inside the state, is a rare commodity. Agents of the state, like those who work in law enforcement, often become so blinded to reality by ‘just doing my job’ they throw logic and reason to the wayside, choosing authority and force instead. Nothing highlights this blind order following quite like police tormenting a two young boys for the crime of selling lemonade without a permit. Jennifer Knowles, mother of three boys, wanted to instill a bit of entrepreneurial spirit in her sons over the Memorial Day weekend. So, Knowles and her husband decided they would have her four and six-year-old sons run a lemonade stand. “We have never had a lemonade stand and the boys thought Memorial Day weekend is going to be great weather, so why not have a lemonade stand across the street in the park,” Knowles said. Knowles told Denver 7 that she remembered having lemonade stands when she was a kid and she wanted her kids to do the same. “I want to teach my kids about being an entrepreneur and having your own business. My 6-year-old got his little toy cash register out that he got when he was about two or three and he was learning how to interact with customers and about customer service,” Knowles said. On top of teaching her children how to be entrepreneurs, Knowles said she wanted to teach them about giving to those less fortunate as well. “We here are very fortunate and we forget that many kids in the world are not as fortunate as we are in Colorado or in the country, and so I wanted to teach them how to donate money to a charity,” Knowles said. Knowles explained that her two sons picked a child in Indonesia to whom the proceeds from the lemonade stand would provide food and fresh water. “They picked a little 5-year-old boy from Indonesia with siblings, two siblings, kind of like them,” she said. The plan was set. The boys then set up their lemonade stand in the park across the street from their home and went to selling. “They got a lot of people coming and praising the boys and telling them that they were doing a great job,” Knowles said. “That was so good for my boys to hear and for them to interact with people they’ve never met before in a business way.” However, their good deed and entrepreneurial spirit would soon be squashed as police showed up just an hour and a half into their venture. “The police officers came over and they said that because my boys and I did not have permits for a lemonade stand they shut us down and we had to stop immediately,” she said. “My boys were crushed. They were devastated. And I can’t believe that happened. I remember as a child I always had lemonade stands and never had to worry about being shut down by the police officers. I mean that’s unheard of.” When her children saw the police coming toward them, they naturally got scared. “My 6-year-old he saw the police officers coming over and he ran and he hid,” she said. “My 4-year-old came over and was looking at the police officer and heard what he was saying. He started to frown and then he started to cry. And it made me want to cry because they were so upset.” Knowles explained that the police were nice but they were still shutting them down because someone had reported the children for selling unlicensed lemonade. In other words, they were just doing their jobs. After being shut down for selling lemonade without a license, Knowles did some digging and found out that there is actually no law explicitly prohibiting lemonade stands. However, there were no laws explicitly permitting them either—meaning that these officers could’ve used their discretion and allowed the kids to continue selling, but they did not. City officials, however, did say that they will shut down lemonade stands if they get a complaint. “If our inspectors go to a lemonade stand, it means we’ve received a complaint, and generally complaints stem from high levels of activity or noise that disrupt neighbors,” Communications Program Manager Alexandra Foster told Denver7. Sadly, Knowles has now felt the wrath of government regulation and issued a warning to other parents. “I want parents know that they need to be aware that if their kids want to have a lemonade stand there could be repercussions like there with my kids,” Knowles said. While Knowles’ children escaped without a fine, other children who’ve dared to sell the cool lemony goodness without a permit haven’t been so lucky. As TFTP reported last year, a five-year-old girl was issued a citation after she set up a lemonade stand without first obtaining a permit. In 2015, comedian Jerry Seinfeld’s son, Julian, and two friends set up a lemonade stand to raise money for a charity. However, thanks to a see something say something neighbor, police were notified of the illegal lemonade venture. Hero officers then swooped in to shut down the stand, citing local village law violations. After being shut down, Jerry and family posed for an epic pic, trolling both the police and the neighbor who would call the cops to shut down a charitable lemonade stand. In Portland, Ore. an 11-year-old girl wanted to sell mistletoe from their farm at a holiday market to help her dad pay for her braces, which cost $5,000. But the Parks Bureau refused to let her set up without a permit, lease or concession agreement. She was told she could beg instead.
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#22. To: Pinguinite (#9)
Yes. For every law or ordinance that hasn’t been proven unconstitutional via CASE LAW... and there is a valid actual tax paying public COMPLIANT lodged. The officers have a duty to act... you have a duty to bitch to the asshole who crafted the law you don’t like. Stupid question... next.
I'm the infidel... Allah warned you about. كافر المسلح
The diffrence is in your analogy, mom isn’t selling food products to her kids for profit. This is no different than a mom allowing her two 14 year olds to run a black jack table on the corner... 5 dollar minimum bets. Same thing, the kids are violating a constitutionally tester law or ordinance. Selling lemonade for MONEY, on a public sidewalk, to the passing public, is no different than selling Big Mac’s at McDonald’s... for the exception that McDonalds pays dearly with permits and health inspections to sell food, the kids aren’t. There was an actual complaint... a law was being violated. How can The responding department not act? Personally for me, if there wasn’t a complaint and I saw the lemonade stand on patrol... I’d stop and buy a drink. If the neighbor complained 30 minutes later and I was dispatched to the call... I’d arrive and shut it down. Drive away muttering how much a douchebag the neighbor is... and then realize the lemonade family might be bigger douchebags to live next to and that might be why the complaint was lodged.
I'm the infidel... Allah warned you about. كافر المسلح
I think people who haven't worked in law enforcement don't readily grasp these issues of practical law enforcement. To be fair, we all have to live under the same laws and their enforcement. If people want kiddie lemonade stands, they need to elect representatives who will write specific exceptions to beverage vending requirements and exempt from regulation and inspection all beverage businesses run by children under a certain age. But no one ever does that. And no one will. Instead, they'll whine and complain about these endless annual stories about some jackboot cop abusing some poor tyke trying to sell a glass of (possibly deadly) lemonade mix to the public. But let 10-20 people get sick from that lemonade, and they'll be howling at the police for allowing these scofflaws to break our beverage vending laws and health regulations.
Never got sick never will. So you insist that lemonade mix prepared by kiddies is scientifically incapable of causing disease. Isn't that quaint...
It's obvious that you are too young to remember when this was a free country and allowing kids to make money on their own was encouraged.
Yeah - in GrandIsland Bizarro Wold, anyone not a cop is a "douchebag". Man you are such an asshole! No wonder you became a cop - police departments are loaded with assholes like you.
Oops. Forgot all about the paperwork part. Plus, who sets up a private business on public property?
Don't give him any ideas.
Oh, so I guess I needed to file paperwork on all the money I earned mowing grass in the neighborhood as a teen? Plus, who sets up a private business on public property? Plenty of people do - of course if you and your ilk had their way, you'd put a stop to that as well.
No one showed up. No one cared. It's only when it affects them personally that they believe they should be the exception to the rule because they're special and their hearts are pure.
There was no such "law on the books". After being shut down for selling lemonade without a license, Knowles did some digging and found out that there is actually no law explicitly prohibiting lemonade stands. However, there were no laws explicitly permitting them either—meaning that these officers could’ve used their discretion and allowed the kids to continue selling, but they did not. "Selling lemonade without a license". Do you not see the absurdity in that statement?
Or practicing medicine.
You mean you haven't?
I'm old enough to remember when this was still a free country and kids weren't busted for selling lemonade to make a few bucks..
"Busted"? The kids were asked to stop because of a neighbor's complaint. I'm old enough to remember that when a neighbor complained about what we kids were doing we stopped. We may have grumbled about it, but we didn't call our lawyer, run to the media, and make a fucking federal case out of it. And we sure as shit didn't tell our parents, because they would have given it to us double. It's called respect -- for the rule of law, for the cop, for neighbors, for elders.
Uh no, it wasn't a "neighbor", someone from the nearby art show called police on her sons and complained. I'm old enough to remember that when a neighbor complained about what we kids were doing we stopped. The difference is that said neighbor would have worked it out with the kids, probably getting a free cup of lemonade for their trouble . THAT'S how neighbors are supposed to act, not call the cops as you are so want to do when you see someone engaging in an activity which you disapprove. Knowles set up a GoFundMe page for her boys to raise the money instead. As of Wednesday afternoon, they were already about halfway to their goal. Happy now Gladys? Your not allowing the kids to earn money on their own has resulted in making them beg for money.
Only if the kids act the way they're supposed to. More likely, today's kids would accuse the neighbor of cursing them, assaulting them, or even molesting them. And people would believe it and flood social media with the accusations. Screw that. I'm calling the police every time. Ain't nobody got time for that.
Who's teaching them that they should be afraid of the police, mom?
Well, no, there is no law explicitly prohibiting lemonade stands. The Denver city ordinance simply says you must have a pedder's license ($125 for a one day operation) to sell food and drink. Now here's the kicker the story didn't disclose. The kids set up their lemonade stand right next to the Denver Arts Festival, where there was a lemonade vendor. The kids sold lemonade 2/ $1 while the licensed vendor sold it for $7 a glass. "Knowles says they raked in about $200 for charity before police shut them down". Meaning they sold 400 glasses of lemonade. Meaning the licensed vendor lost $2,800. No wonder he was pissed. Thanks mom. A real "business" lesson.
They should have gone for the license. They still would have cleaned up at $4 glass. This goes back to what I was saying about a level playing field to compete for customers. The guy ripping people off for $7 lemonade had a lot higher costs. He probably had to pay the venue to have a stand. He had to have all the usual beverage/food safety items. Bathrooms and washing for employees, etc. And pay a minimum wage or more. And carry insurance. Et cetera, et cetera.
They already raised a little more than their target. See? Much easier to teach them to beg than to work for it. Smart kids, now they know how to make money next year. Get busted, whine on the internet, beg for money. They'll be experts at running their own griftathons in only a few years!
"And how, indeed, are the Goyim to perceive the underlying meaning of things when their rep-resentatives give the best of their energies to enjoying themselves? For our policy it is of the greatest importance to take cognizance of this detail; it will be of assistance to us when we come to consider the division of authority, freedom of speech, of the press, of religion (faith) , of the law of association, of equality before the law, of the inviolability of property, of the dwelling, of taxation (the idea of concealed taxes) , of the reflex force of the laws..." --Protocol No. 10 Somebody sure went through a lot of trouble to author that satirical commentary.
Ahem...
This story is amazing ! This story, and the comments from a number of the posters, shows that our nation has a serious deficit / lack of common sense !!! Many of the posters should be ashamed of their statements displaying their low IQ's and lack of common sense !! I am rather surprised at the comments of some of the posters ! I had previously thought better of them !! Based on the story, and many of the posters comments, if this line of thinking prevails across our nation, we are en route to bad times!
Si vis pacem, para bellum Rebellion to tyrants is obedience to God. Never Pick A Fight With An Old Man He Will Just Shoot You He Can't Afford To Get Hurt "If there are no dogs in Heaven, then when I die I want to go where they went." (Will Rogers) AMERICA! Designed by geniuses. Now run by idiots.
I'm surprised no one posted the perp shot of these thugs:
Hero officers then swooped in to shut down the stand, citing local village law violations. Ha! Gotta love the reporting.
Well, partially true...I'd also blame whomever gave the order to "immediately shut down" the stand and make a scene. But given these "crafted-laws" and enforcement, how many technical "laws" aren't enforced and simple "courtesy warnings" issued instead? LE have leeway, you know that. In my opinion, the treatment was too heavy-handed. Couldn't the cops have given some common-sense leniency, have quietly spoken to the parent(s) and asked politely to shut it down within a half-hour or so? OTOH, cops in say Berkeley allow "the Law" to be broken by Leftist agitators. I guess what p*sses people off about this incident is a double standard by LE, equating "soft" laws with "hard" law, and the insensitive manner in which kids must be subject to direct LE interaction.
Given the huge amount of bureaucracy Americans are faced with, that's simply not realistic. If a cop gets it in his head to pull over and cite everyone he sees not using a turn signal on a highway when changing lanes, is it still not the cops fault for "enforcing the law that's on the books"? Exactly. This is a matter of propriety AND priority; NOT for weaponizing LE for petty BS. Now IF the tykes were hawking their wares on a weekly basis, then perhaps some LE action is warranted.
LOL, rather like future MS-13 !! Surprised some of the posters did not demand summary execution on the spot !!
Si vis pacem, para bellum Rebellion to tyrants is obedience to God. Never Pick A Fight With An Old Man He Will Just Shoot You He Can't Afford To Get Hurt "If there are no dogs in Heaven, then when I die I want to go where they went." (Will Rogers) AMERICA! Designed by geniuses. Now run by idiots.
Well...They ARE breaking the Law. ;-)
Smart kids, now they know how to make money next year. Get busted, whine on the internet, beg for money. They'll be experts at running their own griftathons in only a few years! Sometimes I think your posts can be appreciated more.
Ha! Gotta love the reporting. " Drama queens !!
Si vis pacem, para bellum Rebellion to tyrants is obedience to God. Never Pick A Fight With An Old Man He Will Just Shoot You He Can't Afford To Get Hurt "If there are no dogs in Heaven, then when I die I want to go where they went." (Will Rogers) AMERICA! Designed by geniuses. Now run by idiots.
I'm willing to consider it if they can't somehow curb these citrus terrorists! I really can't believe people are arguing over lemonade. What is this, 1918? Do people imagine they're going to stroll in a straw hat down to the bandstand in the park to listen keenly to some favorite John Phillip Sousa tune while sipping some pink lemonade and wooing their best girl? Yowza.
Of course. Then no one could have complained. And mom would have taught them a positive lesson about the responsibilities of running a business. Assuming that was her intent. "They still would have cleaned up at $4 glass." There you go! The importance of market research and competitive analysis. Mom really dropped the ball here.
Also, not to be a gang of wee scofflaws.
These kids caused a legit lemonade seller to lose almost $3,000. That's petty BS? He's probably got kids to feed. What about him and his family?
Not only that but the arts venue may have had a contractual profitsharing agreement with the authorized beverage seller and been entitled to a share of his profits. They may have been using beverage profits to subsidize their show and advertising and to try to monetize the looky-loos who were just going to stroll through but not buy anything. So it probably wasn't just the authorized beverage vendor who had an incentive to rat them out to the citrus police.
Does that goal include the $2800 worth of business they stole from the legitimate lemonade vendor? Are they going to make him whole? Or don't you care about him and his family?
A small, local Arts Festival -- $2800 is a lot of money. What's worse, the kids were not fined for violating the city ordinance and were allowed to keep the $200. Well, children … what lessons have we learned today?
Violating the laws can be profitable despite those stinky cops trying to ruin it all and making us cry so our mama can whine about it on CreepBook and make a legit licensed arts festival look like a bunch of thugs?
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Top • Page Up • Full Thread • Page Down • Bottom/LatestShould that be done for every last law, ordinance & regulation on every local, state and federal book?
#23. To: A K A Stone (#15)
(Edited)
I'm outtraged what if some mother serves her kids some bad food with germs on it. In this day and age there is no excuse to cook at home in an unregulated kitchen. You could hurt your very own children.
#24. To: GrandIsland, A K A Stone (#23)
Personally for me, if there wasn’t a complaint and I saw the lemonade stand on patrol... I’d stop and buy a drink. If the neighbor complained 30 minutes later and I was dispatched to the call... I’d arrive and shut it down. Drive away muttering how much a douchebag the neighbor is... and then realize the lemonade family might be bigger douchebags to live next to and that might be why the complaint was lodged.
#25. To: A K A Stone (#21)
I buy lemonade from every kids lemonade stand. Even if I'm not thirsty.
#26. To: GrandIsland (#23)
This is no different than a mom allowing her two 14 year olds to run a black jack table on the corner... 5 dollar minimum bets. Same thing, the kids are violating a constitutionally tester law or ordinance.
“Truth is treason in the empire of lies.” - Ron Paul
Those who most loudly denounce Fake News are typically those most aggressively disseminating it.
#27. To: GrandIsland (#23)
Drive away muttering how much a douchebag the neighbor is... and then realize the lemonade family might be bigger douchebags to live next to and that might be why the complaint was lodged.
“Truth is treason in the empire of lies.” - Ron Paul
Those who most loudly denounce Fake News are typically those most aggressively disseminating it.
#28. To: Deckard (#0)
“I want to teach my kids about being an entrepreneur and having your own business."
#29. To: A K A Stone (#15)
I think it is ridiculous that your nanny state isn't in every mother's kitchen. There have been no inspections of kitchens in people's homes
“Truth is treason in the empire of lies.” - Ron Paul
Those who most loudly denounce Fake News are typically those most aggressively disseminating it.
#30. To: misterwhite (#28)
(Edited)
Oops. Forgot all about the paperwork part.
“Truth is treason in the empire of lies.” - Ron Paul
Those who most loudly denounce Fake News are typically those most aggressively disseminating it.
#31. To: GrandIsland (#3)
Where was the concern when the law was crafted and put on the books?
#32. To: GrandIsland (#3)
Where was the concern, when the law was crafted and put on the books?
“Truth is treason in the empire of lies.” - Ron Paul
Those who most loudly denounce Fake News are typically those most aggressively disseminating it.
#33. To: Tooconservative (#2)
Let them get away with selling lemonade illegally and next thing you know they are narcotics traffickers.
#34. To: Deckard (#30)
Oh, so I guess I needed to file paperwork on all the money I earned mowing grass in the neighborhood as a teen?
#35. To: misterwhite (#34)
“Truth is treason in the empire of lies.” - Ron Paul
Those who most loudly denounce Fake News are typically those most aggressively disseminating it.
#36. To: Deckard (#35)
I'm old enough to remember when this was still a free country and kids weren't busted for selling lemonade to make a few bucks..
#37. To: misterwhite (#36)
(Edited)
The kids were asked to stop because of a neighbor's complaint.
“Truth is treason in the empire of lies.” - Ron Paul
Those who most loudly denounce Fake News are typically those most aggressively disseminating it.
#38. To: Deckard (#37)
THAT'S how neighbors are supposed to act, not call the cops as you are so want to do when you see someone engaging in an activity which you disapprove.
#39. To: Deckard (#0)
When her children saw the police coming toward them, they naturally got scared.
#40. To: Deckard, GrandIsland, Tooconservative (#0)
After being shut down for selling lemonade without a license, Knowles did some digging and found out that there is actually no law explicitly prohibiting lemonade stands.
#41. To: misterwhite (#40)
"Knowles says they raked in about $200 for charity before police shut them down". Meaning they sold 400 glasses of lemonade. Meaning the licensed vendor lost $2,800. No wonder he was pissed.
#42. To: Deckard (#37)
Knowles set up a GoFundMe page for her boys to raise the money instead. As of Wednesday afternoon, they were already about halfway to their goal.
#43. To: misterwhite (#40)
#44. To: Tooconservative (#41)
The guy ripping people off for $7 lemonade had a lot higher costs. He probably had to pay the venue to have a stand. He had to have all the usual beverage/food safety items. Bathrooms and washing for employees, etc. And pay a minimum wage or more. And carry insurance. Et cetera, et cetera.
#45. To: VxH, A K A Stone (#44)
--Protocol No. 10
#46. To: Deckard (#0)
(Edited)
" Cops Raid Little Boys’ Lemonade Stand, Shut it Down for Not Having a Permit "
#47. To: Stoner (#46)
#48. To: Deckard, Stoner, Tooconservative (#0)
However, thanks to a see something say something neighbor, police were notified of the illegal lemonade venture.
#49. To: GrandIsland (#3)
The problem is with the idiot elected officials that craft such laws without writing in exemptions for those under 16 years of age, operating on private residential property.
#50. To: Pinguinite, GrandIsland, TooConservative, misterwhite (#9)
Should that [strict LE) be done for every last law, ordinance & regulation on every local, state and federal book?
#51. To: Liberator (#47)
#52. To: Stoner (#51)
Surprised some of the posters did not demand summary execution on the spot !!
#53. To: Tooconservative, Olive Garden Fans (#42)
See? Much easier to teach them to beg than to work for it.
#54. To: Liberator (#48)
" Hero officers then swooped in to shut down the stand, citing local village law violations.
#55. To: Stoner, Liberator (#51)
(Edited)
Surprised some of the posters did not demand summary execution on the spot !!
#56. To: Tooconservative (#41)
They should have gone for the license.
#57. To: misterwhite (#56)
And mom would have taught them a positive lesson about the responsibilities of running a business.
#58. To: Liberator (#50)
NOT for weaponizing LE for petty BS.
#59. To: misterwhite (#58)
These kids caused a legit lemonade seller to lose almost $3,000. That's petty BS?
#60. To: Deckard (#37)
Knowles set up a GoFundMe page for her boys to raise the money instead. As of Wednesday afternoon, they were already about halfway to their goal.
#61. To: Tooconservative (#59)
So it probably wasn't just the authorized beverage vendor who had an incentive to rat them out to the citrus police.
#62. To: misterwhite (#61)
Well, children … what lessons have we learned today?
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