Cops shut down lemonade stand

[Rageaholic]

because they didn't have a permit.

This is a year and a half old, but it's too stupid not to post. A permit? For a lemonade stand? Someone has a stick up their ass.

[Jester]

Sadly, this is not uncommon.

[Greenday]

Sadly, this is not uncommon.

The police shut down a lot of lemonade stands by you?

[TheHuckster]

The police shut down a lot of lemonade stands by you?

I've personally read many similar articles in recent years where kids' lemonade stands are "shut down" because they technically break zoning ordinances, cause "disruptions in traffic," and the kids are illegally operating a "food establishment without proper license"

Hell, I've heard of yard sales getting shut down for similar reasons.

[Greenday]

I've personally read many similar articles in recent years where kids' lemonade stands are "shut down" because they technically break zoning ordinances, cause "disruptions in traffic," and the kids are illegally operating a "food establishment without proper license"

Hell, I've heard of yard sales getting shut down for similar reasons.

Well, feel free to back that up. Including the one in this thread, I've no heard of a grand total of two lemonade stands being closed, which is far from many.

[TheHuckster]

Well, feel free to back that up. Including the one in this thread, I've no heard of a grand total of two lemonade stands being closed, which is far from many.

My pleasure...

Oregon City, OR

Midway, GA

City Rapids, IA

Charlestown, SC

Edgewood, PA

Naples, FL

Salem, MA (although that one had since been overturned)

...and that's just from the first 3 minutes of perusing.

[fireheart17]

There was a story down here a few years back, where a kids flower stand was shut down...

...because the kid didn't have public liability insurance.

Although, another article referred to a similar situation. Long story short, a local celebrity (if you can call her that) wanted to run a multicultural get toegher for her community. The amount of paperwork she had to go through for one tiny get together was absolutely insane. And it was because it was being publicly marketed. Had she just spread it through word of mouth, it wouldn't have been a problem. Some of the paperwork and things she had to factor in were....toilets, public liability insurance, getting a liquor licence, completing a food safety course, the list goes on.

Oh and it was in her backyard.

[protege]

Edgewood, PA

Actually, according to the article, the stand wasn't shut down because it didn't have a permit. What happened, is someone, possibly one of the kids running the stand, allegedly threw a rock at a passing car. None of them would admit doing it, so the stand was forced to close for the night. Otherwise, the cops usually tend to look the other way when dealing with such stands. As long as they're not a problem, nobody cares.

But, there have been a couple of cases in Mt. Lebanon, where stands have been forcibly closed because of no permits. Bullshit reasons usually, but that neighborhood (and nearby Upper St. Clair) is full of rich assholes like that.

[kaycivine]

In my town, we need a permit for a lemonade stand.

Lovely Fresno, California

[Greenday]

But, there have been a couple of cases in Mt. Lebanon, where stands have been forcibly closed because of no permits. Bullshit reasons usually, but that neighborhood (and nearby Upper St. Clair) is full of rich assholes like that.

So then it's the neighborhood that basically forced the police into shutting it down.

[lordlundar]

So then it's the neighborhood that basically forced the police into shutting it down.

Pretty much. I don't think I've actually heard of an incident where the police unilaterally shut one down. It's usually a neighbour throwing a temper tantrum, filing a formal complaint and going up the chain of command to cause the police to go over and regrettably shut it down.

[Rageaholic]

So then it's the neighborhood that basically forced the police into shutting it down.

Come to think of it, that wouldn't surprise me. I've had some cranky anonymous neighbors complain about "gangsigns" on some playhouse we built. Stupid ordanance people came and demanded we take it down. I hate that some stuck up prude with nothing better to do had to make a fuss over this, but I also hate that these ordanace people acted as goons for them. Why can't they just tell the cranky kill joys off?

[Greenday]

I know cops hate doing a lot of dumb shit such as this. A lot of the time, it's something like, "Sorry to have to do this, but someone bitched and moaned so we were forced to stop you even though we don't give a crap."

[protege]

Why can't they just tell the cranky kill joys off?

Because those cranky kill joys are more interested in keeping their jobs...and because of the whole "they're taxpayers, and they can make more trouble for us by bringing it up at the next township/borough/city council meeting." Then there's the possibility of the township/borough/city making some additional (easy) cash in the fines or other punishments.

That's how my neighbor got busted for having a jet-ski on her property. Never mind that the damn thing was *behind* the house and practically invisible. Sure, it was against borough ordinance, but nobody cared. She got turned in...because some busybody complained...and actually did a bit of *trespassing* to do so.

Here though, the borough seems to pick and choose who they go after. Why is it, that my neighbor with the jet-ski gets busted...but the guy with the junk in his yard, the 42 free-roaming cats, and the rotting (and immobile) Peugeot in the driveway...gets a free pass? People complained about that shit constantly, but the borough didn't do a thing. What the fuck?