Cops Called On Lemonade Stand Ran By Autistic Boy For Charity

Cops called on a lemonade stand were responding to a Toronto-area woman’s 911 emergency call.

It gets better: Turns out the lemonade stand was being run by a nine-year-old autistic boy and his two sisters, trying to raise money for charity. The money would have gone to SickKids hospital.

Apparently a cranky lady living in the neighborhood thought this was worthy of an emergency response from police.

Instead of showing up and scalding the woman for hassling children, the cops insisted the family stop selling the drinks. Failing to provide a vendor’s permit, the children apparently would not be allowed to continue running the stand.

The nine-year-old autistic boy, Corbin, was bawling his eyes out after the encounter with the police his mother, Dawn Potter, told the Toronto Sun. He was convinced his lemonade stand was getting his mom arrested after cops were called on the lemonade stand.

Potter said that Corbin and his sisters have sold lemonade from their stand on July 1, Canada Day, for the last several years. This is the first year they had any legal problems.

Apparently the unidentified woman first became agitated with the children’s lemonade stand when Corbin began holding up a sign and calling to people to buy some cool lemonade.

The woman approached Corbin and told him to stop, adding that they couldn’t run the stand.

When that failed, the woman offered the autistic boy five dollars. Corbin refused it and explained that it wouldn’t be enough for the SickKids charity.

Police came next, after the woman placed her emergency call. They left after telling the family the stand had to close.

Refusing to comply, Corbin’s mother went out to join her son on the sidewalk to hold signs promoting the lemonade stand and shout at passersby.

Despite the sour woman’s choice to have cops called on a lemonade stand being run by a brave nine-year-old autistic boy, the family managed to raise $135 for the hospital charity.

[Image via ShutterStock]