The father of a little girl who was excessively fined for running a lemonade stand is speaking out to encourage other kids to embrace the entrepreneurial spirit and “make a stand” of their own after scores of people spoke out in support of the family.
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It all started when Andre Spicer’s 5-year-old daughter set out to make a lemonade stand in London, England, and was subsequently fined $195 by authorities. Frustrated by what unfolded, Spicer, a professor of organizational behavior at City University London’s Cass Business School, took to social media to criticize his local government.
“Took 5 year old daughter to end of our road to run lemonade stand,” he tweeted on July 15. “Fined £180. She’s now sobbing, ‘I did a bad thing’. Thx.”
Took 5 year old daughter to end of our road to run lemonade stand. Fined £180. She's now sobbing, 'I did a bad thing'. Thx @TowerHamletsNow
— André Spicer (@andre_spicer) July 15, 2017
At first, government officials reportedly didn’t respond to his tweet. But Spicer wasn’t done there.
He took his grievances and formulated them into an op-ed that was published by the Telegraph, in which he explained his daughter’s initial idea to sell items at a stand — something she was inspired to do after observing other kids at her school.
Then, Spicer explained what happened on the day his daughter started selling her lemonade:
The lemonade quickly disappeared and her little money tin filled up. A happy scene. And then, after about 30 minutes, four local council enforcement officers stormed up to her little table.
“Excuse me”, one office said as he switched on a portable camera attached to his vest. He then read a lengthy legal statement – the gist of which was that because my daughter didn’t have a trading permit, she would be fined £150. “But don’t worry, it is only £90 if it’s paid quickly”, the officer added.
My daughter burst into tears, repeating again and again “have I done a bad thing”?
Spicer said his daughter sobbed the entire way home. And when he suggested that perhaps they should simply get a license so that she could sell lemonade again, the little girl refused, saying the experience was too scary.
The entire ordeal left Spicer wondering if parents — and society — are supervising “the joy out of childhood.”
“Many of the things which actually help our children thrive are disappearing. Councils have closed youth clubs and young people’s services,” he wrote. “Teachers spend more time ticking bureaucratic boxes than teaching kids. Parents are more interested in monitoring their social media feed than playing with their kids.”
Spicer continued, “Meanwhile, the number of children being prescribed anti-depressants has gone up 50pc in five years.”
The op-ed apparently made an impact, as Tower Hamlets, the local government, responded by publicly apologizing and forgiving the fine in a positive conclusion to a scenario that has come to be known as “Lemonadegate.”
So, about the lemonade standard incident… we are very sorry that this has happened. (1/3)
— Tower Hamlets Council (@TowerHamletsNow) July 21, 2017
We expect our enforcement officers to show common sense, and to use their powers sensibly. This clearly did not happen. (2/3)
— Tower Hamlets Council (@TowerHamletsNow) July 21, 2017
The fine will be cancelled immediately and we have contacted Mr Spicer and his daughter to apologise. 3/3
— Tower Hamlets Council (@TowerHamletsNow) July 21, 2017
“So, about the lemonade standard incident…we are very sorry that this has happened. We expect our enforcement officers to show common sense, and to use their powers sensibly. This clearly did not happen,” the government said in a series of tweets. “The fine will be cancelled immediately and we have contacted Mr Spicer and his daughter to apologise.”
The community has also reached out to Spicer and his family, with people inviting the little girl to sell lemonade at festivals and other events. Meanwhile, Spicer is encouraging other kids to “make a stand” this summer.
This summer, we want kids to make a stand. Our response to kind offers following lemonade fine. Spread the word! #MakeAStand pic.twitter.com/ItwyhNMHTn
— André Spicer (@andre_spicer) July 22, 2017
“We learn through doing,” he tweeted on July 22. “Making a stand is a great opportunity for kids to share their interests, build confidence and contribute to our communities.”
As Faithwire previously reported, this is hardly the first debate to rage this year over crackdowns or attempted crackdowns on kids’ lemonade stands.