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    Massachusetts State Police Shutdown Twelve-Year-Old’s Green Tea Stand

    Well it’s not exactly lemonade but it’ll do. Christopher Carr’s twelve-year-old stepson had set up a smoothie and green-tea stand near their house when they moved back to the States after the earthquake in Japan. After they’d set up shop, Christopher took his daughter back inside to get some lunch, leaving his son to manage things at the stand.

    After my daughter finished eating and as we approached the end of our street where the drink stand was, I could see from afar that the sign was pulled up and put away, the cooler was shut with everything which we had so carefully arranged on the tray table put away, and my stepson was huddled up and sitting on the rail, staring out between his knees at the ocean.

    "What happened?" I asked when I got down there. I wondered if he had gotten discouraged that no one was buying his drinks or maybe that no one could understand his accent. Or maybe he was just lonely down there by himself.

    "The police told me to pack up and go home," he said. Or, more accurately I discovered after making a few phone calls, the town police swung by and wished him good luck, and then afterwards, "someone in brown" came by and made my stepson stop selling drinks at the end of our street, because this required a permit, and my stepson did not have a permit to sell drinks.

    After hearing a little more from my stepson and talking to the town police, I discovered that it was the Massachusetts State Police that broke up our lemonade stand. After attempting several times to contact the State Police, I reached only answering machines. Apparently, having someone on call on weekends is not in the Massachusetts State Police's budget (but breaking up lemonade stands is somehow cost-effective).

    This may be the first case of state police shutting down a kid’s green-tea stand, but the list of lemonade stands being closed down by various government agencies is long and growing.

     
     
    Top Locations Saratoga Springs

    1,044 comments

    • Abigail  •  9 mths ago
      That is aboslutely ridiculous!!! (State Police in MA wear navy blue too, not brown.) I think this world is getting a little out of control! I dont see anything wrong with a young kid working and trying to sell a little green tea, especially being new in the area. It better than the hooligans who live in my neighborhood who break into cars and steal stuff! Leave the kid be, leave the lemonade stands alone! There are far worst crimes out there but I guess shutting down a kids green tea stand is far more important! RIDICULOUS!!!!
    • JEFF  •  9 mths ago
      OK, someone please clarify for me -- what official in MA wears a brown uniform. I don't live in MA and am just curious. UPS drivers are the only ones that come to mind, but, again, I don't live there.
    • tbone  •  9 mths ago
      Its the parents fault for not teaching the kids how to setup a simple US business: local business permit, state sales tax permit, federal quarterly estimated tax payments, local or state board of health license, inspections by OSHA, USDA, EPA, IRS, FDA.
    • HSL  •  9 mths ago
      Well that's what you get for living in a demotard nazi Nanny police state. Yea, "freedom" I think they call it.
    • evryn  •  9 mths ago
      the world is insane.......
    • Sammy  •  9 mths ago
      Where here does it say "Willfully harassing your child because a lemonade stand may be a terrorist threat?"......CALL AND COMPLAIN!!!! Tell them their behavior will not be tollerated anymore!

      Provides law enforcement, criminal justice and forensic science services statewide where such institutional support is required.

      * Field Services
      * Investigative Services
      * Standards & Training
      * Administrative Services

      470 Worcester Road
      Framingham, MA 01702 Ph: (508) 820-2300
      Fax: (617) 727-6874 or (508) 879-6941
    • Sammy  •  9 mths ago
      pigs have nothing better to do that harass a child??? Really can't you go run radar and catch people speeding and putting many people at risk...???...Come on we expect better from pigs...Oh wait its all a power trip...Hope the Father sues the #$%$ out of you pigs...We Americans need to fight them, Take back our communities that are becoming a police state...
    • tami  •  9 mths ago
      This is the second time I've heard of this happening to a child. What is so wrong with a child setting up a lemonade/green tea stand? It's not like they're gonna rip off the public for millions of dollars as our great leaders do us.....it's a child's drink stand for heavens sakes!! This makes me want to run out and put a lemonade stand on every empty corner around town!!! Needs a permit my patootie!!!!
    • Ronald  •  9 mths ago
      This is the reason that policemen should be drug tested.
    • tbone  •  9 mths ago
      Don't the state police have better things to do than harassing a kid's lemonade stand, like shutting down yardsales of a cancer victim attempting to raise money to pay medical bills or imprisoning dairy farmers selling raw milk.
    • Brian  •  9 mths ago
      get the goddamn police out of our live's>.....this is not a stalinist society, isn't it????
      what happened to cops with judgement and discretion...this goes doubly for the pols/bcats...
      get out of our grill's!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
    • Frank  •  9 mths ago
      The sad fact of the matter is that this country is moving toward a more totalitarian state and even something as innocuous as a child's lemonade stand is considered operating a business without a license or permission from the state and therefore is considered "against the law"......
      • Frank 9 mths ago
        Hey, thumbs down guy, look up the definition of "totalitarianism"......unless you already know what it is and accept that this is the way of life you want to live...you idiot!!!
      • mrz865 9 mths ago
        God forbid we teach our children about permit laws or how to do things responsibly. Nah, let's just all revolt against "the totalitarian country" because of perfectly harmless local regulations. That makes sense. Because some dad is whining about his kid's tea stand (not lemonade, by the way, try reading the article). How about an adult step in and help the little guy get a permit? Or maybe set up some other project. Nah, let's just cry like privileged babies to the media. That'll stir things up!

        You people act like the government is somehow shackling children across the nation from doing what they all want to do...sell green tea? Please. Act like adults if at all possible. I gave you a thumbs down, but someone else did first!
      • The Shadow 9 mths ago
        We should also teach them when the "law" is wrong.
    • Deborah  •  9 mths ago
      Don't the police have better things to do than to pick on children with a drink stand? Seems to me they should be out chasing killers, child molesters, drug dealers, etc.....
    • lawrence s  •  9 mths ago
      I signed up for Yahoo news alerts not tall tales. Contracting out news may give us this but any cop/policeman always speaks to the parents so they can pay the ticket whether it is for curfew or seat belts or unpermitted garage sale signs.
    • seeingred  •  9 mths ago
      They can take the time to bust up a kids lemonade stand or a sick womans yard sale, threaten you with arrest, but can't arrest an illegal.
      • jim 9 mths ago
        They are more confortable picking on women and children.
    • A Yahoo! User  •  9 mths ago
      How about selling turnip greens, sweet potatoes, opossum and watermelon; permit needed?
    • D J H  •  9 mths ago
      when injustance becomes law, resistance becomes duty!
      "Thomas Jefferson"
      • RoseH 9 mths ago
        that was "injustice" Honey but thats OK ... we got the gist
      • James 9 mths ago
        "We the People"

        Time to wake up!
      • I amafreeman 9 mths ago
        I whole-heartedly agree, James, but it is SOOO much easier to "roll over" and go back to sleeeep....
    • Justsurfinthru  •  9 mths ago
      "Apparently, having someone on call on weekends is not in the Massachusetts State Police's budget (but breaking up lemonade stands is somehow cost-effective)."
      That one line says it all~~
      • Ernie 9 mths ago
        Apparently you are an idiot --- this is an urban myth and you fell for it.
      • InGodWeTrust 9 mths ago
        Reduce our tax money to police dept and this useless polices will be gone
      • Chuck 9 mths ago
        Hey know it all Ernie, tell us what you are talking about.
    • Osellout  •  9 mths ago
      Vote Dr. Ron Paul in 2012!
      Time to save America.
    • Hiding in plain sight  •  9 mths ago
      The State Cops have nothing better to do than to harass some poor kid. I wonder just how wonderful they felt busting a child.Like real men. Typical of the Massachusetts State Pigs.
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