Yeah right. Door to door means they were casing the homes for future excursions. Those little tykes are really a professional midget robbing crew.

If you're going to get in trouble anyway, you might as well have fun with it ;)

submitter: five year-old triplets

Why are there 5 of them if they're triplets? And isn't 1 year old a bit young to be selling lemonade unsupervised?

Legality became an issue on July 10, when William Nickerson called to complain that neighborhood children were peddling the stuff.

Maybe the adults should just step aside and let the children settle the matter themselves. Kids have amazing (and amusing) ways to settle scores if left to themselves.

That neighbor is a douche, calling the cops on kids selling lemonade... if he didn't want to be a "scrooge" as he claims, he would have confronted the parents about the kids not being supervised, not called the farking cops!

welcome to my lovely home state - where we call the cops on the corner lemonade stand.

This is the kind of place that would have gladly turned over Anne Frank to the cops, then written long rants in the local paper about why vigilance against moral corruption was a civic virtue.

Weaver95: This is the kind of place that would have gladly turned over Anne Frank to the cops,

Thread over. Weaver95 wins.

/or loses, depending on what the rulebook says about Godwin's Law.

Next thing we hear is the IRS banging on their door demanding they pay taxes on their earnings.

/That would be both sad and hilarious.

LadyHawke: That neighbor is a douche, calling the cops on kids selling lemonade... if he didn't want to be a "scrooge" as he claims, he would have confronted the parents about the kids not being supervised, not called the farking cops!

Well, not to defend the guy, but I've called cops on kids before (they were lying in the road pretending to be dead, making cars stop, then running away. It was dark. We nearly ran one down) because I didn't know who they were. Maybe the guy isn't especially neighborly and doesn't pay attention to which kids are whose.

LadyHawke: That neighbor is a douche, calling the cops on kids selling lemonade... if he didn't want to be a "scrooge" as he claims, he would have confronted the parents about the kids not being supervised, not called the farking cops!

Have you ever tried talking to the typical parent about their parenting skills? Good chance the cops would have ended up on the scene anyway if he tried that.

Chinchillazilla: LadyHawke: That neighbor is a douche, calling the cops on kids selling lemonade... if he didn't want to be a "scrooge" as he claims, he would have confronted the parents about the kids not being supervised, not called the farking cops!

Well, not to defend the guy, but I've called cops on kids before (they were lying in the road pretending to be dead, making cars stop, then running away. It was dark. We nearly ran one down) because I didn't know who they were. Maybe the guy isn't especially neighborly and doesn't pay attention to which kids are whose.

I would've ran their ass over.

Weaver95: welcome to my lovely home state - where we call the cops on the corner lemonade stand.

This is the kind of place that would have gladly turned over Anne Frank to the cops, then written long rants in the local paper about why vigilance against moral corruption was a civic virtue.

Easy with the melodrama there Shakespeare.

erupt2001: Weaver95: welcome to my lovely home state - where we call the cops on the corner lemonade stand.

This is the kind of place that would have gladly turned over Anne Frank to the cops, then written long rants in the local paper about why vigilance against moral corruption was a civic virtue.

Easy with the melodrama there Shakespeare.

I'm not exaggerating. There are people who live in the midstate who really love authoritarian style government. This is the only place i've ever lived in where people masturbate to law books. that's how much in love they are with following 'the rules'.

Weaver.

This isn't mid-state.

This is a suburb twenty minutes out from philly.

"The police officer would have no way of knowing this on the street," Viola said. "He acts on information he has available."

So he just guessed what the law said? I see a lot of this. For instance, cops like to tell you that taking pictures is illegal, more so post 9/11. They just make it up to harass you.

FTFA: "The responding officer - who was unavailable, whom Viola would not identify, and whose name and badge number were blacked out of the police report..."

Is it common practice to black things out of a police report?

"Lemonade". Yeah, sure, that's what they tell you (NSFW?)

holy cheesecake

This is a suburb twenty minutes out from philly.

Might as well be Nebraska, then.

King Something: Weaver95: This is the kind of place that would have gladly turned over Anne Frank to the cops,

Thread over. Weaver95 wins.

/or loses, depending on what the rulebook says about Godwin's Law.


It says that he lost the game. And now, so have you.

SharkTrager: LadyHawke: That neighbor is a douche, calling the cops on kids selling lemonade... if he didn't want to be a "scrooge" as he claims, he would have confronted the parents about the kids not being supervised, not called the farking cops!

Have you ever tried talking to the typical parent about their parenting skills? Good chance the cops would have ended up on the scene anyway if he tried that.

Why would you want to complain to parents about kids going door-to-door selling lemonade? We all went door-to-door in our day, selling some fundraising junk or another. "Times" have not changed. There is no more danger now to kids doing that than there was when we did it.

The guy who called the cops is a douche. The kids probably rang his doorbell just as Tom Watson was lining up a drive and the guy doesn't have DVR so couldn't pause. He got all bent out of shape & called the cops. Then realized that the story made it to the paper & had to cover his tracks, so made up the "think of the children" BS.

People call the PD about kids all the time where I work as an emergency services dispatcher.

Kids selling lemonade (blocking the sidewalk/too close to street/could be kidnapped/assaulted/etc.).
Kids riding bikes with or without helmets. On the sidewalk or on the street.
Kids riding skateboards (see above).
Kids in the park.
Kids without gloves/mittens/hats in winter.
Kids playing on soccer fields (not allowed in the summer).
Kids playing in street.
Kids too loud.
Kids too quiet (they must be up to something).
Kids out after dark/specific time.

It never ends, and none of it is anything other than busy-bodies minding everyone's business but their own.

Scott77: People call the PD about kids all the time where I work as an emergency services dispatcher.

Kids selling lemonade (blocking the sidewalk/too close to street/could be kidnapped/assaulted/etc.).
Kids riding bikes with or without helmets. On the sidewalk or on the street.
Kids riding skateboards (see above).
Kids in the park.
Kids without gloves/mittens/hats in winter.
Kids playing on soccer fields (not allowed in the summer).
Kids playing in street.
Kids too loud.
Kids too quiet (they must be up to something).
Kids out after dark/specific time.

It never ends, and none of it is anything other than busy-bodies minding everyone's business but their own.

We have to call on the kids who congregate at the park across the street after dark because they'll do so in groups of 40 to 50, set off fireworks, get into fights, and they damaged property more than once.

brigid_fitch: SharkTrager: LadyHawke: That neighbor is a douche, calling the cops on kids selling lemonade... if he didn't want to be a "scrooge" as he claims, he would have confronted the parents about the kids not being supervised, not called the farking cops!

Have you ever tried talking to the typical parent about their parenting skills? Good chance the cops would have ended up on the scene anyway if he tried that.

Why would you want to complain to parents about kids going door-to-door selling lemonade? We all went door-to-door in our day, selling some fundraising junk or another. "Times" have not changed. There is no more danger now to kids doing that than there was when we did it.

The guy who called the cops is a douche. The kids probably rang his doorbell just as Tom Watson was lining up a drive and the guy doesn't have DVR so couldn't pause. He got all bent out of shape & called the cops. Then realized that the story made it to the paper & had to cover his tracks, so made up the "think of the children" BS.

Would I complain about kids selling lemonade? Nope. But I most certainly would think 5-year old kids going door to door unsupervised is not in their best interests. Kids that young should not be wandering the neighborhood alone because it is not safe. You are assuming he did it to be a dick which is based on facts not in evidence.

Maybe the guy is an asshole, but I know a lot of people who would have been legitimately concerned about those children. Personally I'd have just asked them if their parents knew what they were up to, and if I personally knew the parents I'd have called just to make sure they did know.

holy cheesecake: Weaver.

This isn't mid-state.

This is a suburb twenty minutes out from philly.

This is exactly the sort of mindset i'm referring to - you took what I said and warped into something that isn't in the text.

I said that 'I know people in the midstate'. Which is true - I do know people in this area who have a weird, almost sexual devotion to strict authoritarian police state laws. I was speaking from personal experience. I didn't say I had personal knowledge of that mindset from anywhere else in the state of Pennsylvania, just my section of it. Nothing more, nothing less. But you inferred something out of my statements that was not there. You seemed to believe that I said this incident occured in my backyard. Which isn't what I said at all....but you just made up your own reality and then applied to it my original comment.

that's one of the most frustrating things about living around here - people who can't seem to take things for what they are, they have to twist statements into something resembling a reality THEY want to see.

Weaver95: holy cheesecake: Weaver.

This isn't mid-state.

This is a suburb twenty minutes out from philly.

This is exactly the sort of mindset i'm referring to - you took what I said and warped into something that isn't in the text.

I said that 'I know people in the midstate'. Which is true - I do know people in this area who have a weird, almost sexual devotion to strict authoritarian police state laws. I was speaking from personal experience. I didn't say I had personal knowledge of that mindset from anywhere else in the state of Pennsylvania, just my section of it. Nothing more, nothing less. But you inferred something out of my statements that was not there. You seemed to believe that I said this incident occured in my backyard. Which isn't what I said at all....but you just made up your own reality and then applied to it my original comment.

that's one of the most frustrating things about living around here - people who can't seem to take things for what they are, they have to twist statements into something resembling a reality THEY want to see.

Nope. I just wanted to clarify that this isn't Pennsyltucky as we are so used to seeing out of PA as on first read it did read like that. Then I had coffee.

I live here. I work retail here. I know all too well.

edmo: "The police officer would have no way of knowing this on the street," Viola said. "He acts on information he has available."

So he just guessed what the law said? I see a lot of this. For instance, cops like to tell you that taking pictures is illegal, more so post 9/11. They just make it up to harass you.

But if Joe Citizen does something on contravention to an obscure law on the books, they say "Ignorance of the law is no excuse!"

Grr, skipping preview.

'I'm not exaggerating. There are people who live in the midstate who really love authoritarian style government. ."

That could have been taken the wrong way and I felt it important to be sure that our jerks are ours and not Pennsyltuckian's.

Bah. preview fail!

Weaver95:

By the way, thanks for inflicting Fast Eddie on the rest of us. Don't think we'll ever forget that.

Hey, I don't like him either! But, yes, yes, he is ours.

/sigh

But, in all seriousness, there is a problem with the very bored youth in this town but those are the 14 year olds...the 7 year olds? Get over yourself.

Weaver95: Bah. preview fail!

A string of Weaverfails, I'm proud of you. ;)

I don't understand how you can have five triplets who are one-year old.

"It's ladys night. biatches drink free."
Link (new window)

Is this where I yell "where the kids black?" and watch this thread turn into racism incarnate?

imustbcr8zier: Is this where I yell "were the kids black?" and watch this thread turn into racism incarnate?


Ducking license fees to make tax-free cash? They were obviously Jews.

holy cheesecake: We have to call on the kids who congregate at the park across the street after dark because they'll do so in groups of 40 to 50, set off fireworks, get into fights, and they damaged property more than once.

There are no excuses to brake the first two rules of fireworks fightclub.

Perhaps the 'concerned citizen' was worried that the cup of lemon-aid was not made from lemons? Never know when dealing with a 5 year-old, let alone three 5 year-olds!

Did the container list the ingredients?
Was there an associated health permit where this 'lemon-aide" was made?
Is it legal to employ 5 year olds in a for profit business venture?

The list can go on and on!

Just kidding. Have to give credit to the kids for going to potential customers rather than sitting on the sidewalk yelling as people drive by. Watch in a few years when these kids get a little older and learn the proper usage of toilet paper and eggs. I pity the home-owner then.

There was a greenlight a few years ago about how a code enforcement officer shut down some kids' lemonade stand because they didn't have soap and water, and that they were otherwise operating using unsanitary conditions.

Makes me wonder how many people have gotten food poisoning from curbside stands like this. If it is "none" or close to it, city officials should drink a cup of STFU.

Otherwise, create a special license for such kids that lasts a few days and only costs a buck. If it gets abused, revisit the idea, but until then, go easy on the kids.

But I most certainly would think 5-year old kids going door to door unsupervised is not in their best interests. Kids that young should not be wandering the neighborhood alone because it is not safe. You are assuming he did it to be a dick which is based on facts not in evidence.


and another person proves that some people cannot live without making sure their position is inflicted on the rest of us. Did it ever occur to you that they could 'wander the neighborhood' and the world not end? For that matter, why do you live in such a 'dangerous' neighborhood if it is so scary that kids under 13 are 'wandering the streets'.

and people wonder why some kids are so messed up socially...

Maybe the guy is an asshole, but I know a lot of people who would have been legitimately concerned about those children. Personally I'd have just asked them if their parents knew what they were up to, and if I personally knew the parents I'd have called just to make sure they did know.

Now repeat after me.....this is a free country, they have every right to 'wander the neighborhood'...or are you one of those people that sits in your window with a pair of binoculars making sure the world does what YOU want it to, and flooding 911 with calls about people who 'look suspicious because they are wearing the wrong color shirt'? I bet you call the cops whenever someone accidently touches your lawn too, don' t you?

Please get a life and stop worrying about everyone else's...please?

//SOO glad I am not a kid nowadays...talk about discrimination...when you are not even being a problem but because you are a kid, 'something has to be wrong with this picture'...

TheMarchHare: holy cheesecake: We have to call on the kids who congregate at the park across the street after dark because they'll do so in groups of 40 to 50, set off fireworks, get into fights, and they damaged property more than once.

There are no excuses to brake the first two rules of fireworks fightclub.

i lol'd

/roffle

SharkTrager: But I most certainly would think 5-year old kids going door to door unsupervised is not in their best interests. Kids that young should not be wandering the neighborhood alone because it is not safe.

There were 4 kids, 3 of whom were 5-yo. We don't know how old the 4th kid was. Regardless, what do you mean 4 kids "wandering the neighborhood" in broad daylight alone aren't safe? We should all wrap our kids up in foam rubber if we let them outside the house? Would you call the cops if they were riding their bikes or playing kickball in the street?

This is a suburb and I assume everybody on the street has at least seen these kids. I used to have neighborhood kids come to my door all the time, asking to play w/my dog (she was a huge German Shepherd who LOVED kids & could catch frisbees, so she was a big hit). Sometimes they were as old as 12, sometimes as young as 5-6. I knew all the kids and where they lived. Their parents weren't being irresponsible--they were just NOT being overprotective helicopter parents.

/I grew up in Jersey City--you went outside to play & came home when the street lights came on.
//None of us were ever harmed in any way, shape, or form
///None of that has really changed. Only the media's coverage of unfortunate incidents has

William Nickerson your a giant azzhole

"William Nickerson called to complain ... "I'm not being Scrooge," said Scrooge."

At least they named him in the article.

LadyHawke: That neighbor is a douche, calling the cops on kids selling lemonade... if he didn't want to be a "scrooge" as he claims, he would have confronted the parents about the kids not being supervised, not called the farking cops!

I know somebody whose house is going to be egged this Halloween

erupt2001: Weaver95: welcome to my lovely home state - where we call the cops on the corner lemonade stand.

This is the kind of place that would have gladly turned over Anne Frank to the cops, then written long rants in the local paper about why vigilance against moral corruption was a civic virtue.

Easy with the melodrama there Shakespeare.

In my hometown in PA we had cops going house to house verifying that your trash cans were up to code. Our bin was just a bit too tall and we had to have it removed or be fined.

My car was illegally towed several times. Still had to pay the impound fees even after I took it to court and won.

It's like a homeowners association from hell, and we aren't even in a homeowners association.

This is the first I've ever heard of kids going door to door to sell lemonade. We have lemonade STANDS (which I've bought from) but door to door?

That shiat's just annoying.

It's bad enough when older kids do it.

/not that I'd call the cops on them, I just won't answer the door

geekasaurus: TheMarchHare: holy cheesecake: We have to call on the kids who congregate at the park across the street after dark because they'll do so in groups of 40 to 50, set off fireworks, get into fights, and they damaged property more than once.

There are no excuses to brake the first two rules of fireworks fightclub.

i lol'd

/roffle


Apparently if TheMarchHare hates fireworks, then TheMarchHare hates America.

/I'm just saying!

Ha! My mom used to BEG my friends and me to go play outside sometimes. Hard to get an accurate read on a d20 roll on the grass, though.

Juvenile crime?

You gotta nip it in the bud.

King Something: Weaver95: This is the kind of place that would have gladly turned over Anne Frank to the cops,

Thread over. Weaver95 wins.

/or loses, depending on what the rulebook says about Godwin's Law.

Godwins law is pretty much dead, butchered by idiots lacking an understanding of the law and it's meaning