Officer Unfriendly

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Hardworking Teen Harassed, Threatened By Cops For The Audacity Of Shoveling Snow From Grandma’s Driveway Without A Permit

Police Chief Michael Jannone noted that “We don’t make the laws but we have to uphold them.”

By Matt Agorist
Activist Post (1/23/19)

Normandy, MO — Residents in Normandy, Missouri are questioning a new ordinance they are calling ridiculous which requires anyone who wishes to shovel snow for money—to have a permit. To be clear, this is not just for adults running businesses, but as the following case illustrates, it’s being enforced against children trying to earn some extra money.

Charles Shelton and his foster son Keyshawn Anderson learned about the police state bureaucracy the hard was last week when Anderson tried to raise some extra cash by shoveling snow.

Shelton dropped the boy off at his grandma’s home in Pasadena Hills last week to shovel snow and once he started, the police quickly rolled in to check if Anderson had a permit. He did not, so he was shut down.

“I feel like there are other ordinances that are more important that should be addressed verses some young man shoveling snow,” said Shelton.

According to Anderson, he was approached by police twice for shoveling his grandma’s driveway without a permit.

“I felt like that was unfair, I felt like I wasn’t doing anything wrong,” said Anderson.

When the officer came back the second time, Anderson was issued a warning, noting that if he attempted to shovel snow without scribbling on government paper again, he’d be extorted via a citation.

Shoveling up fear & loathing

Naturally, police are claiming that the permits are there for public safety. They claim a video of two black youths ringing a doorbell with shovels in their hands is proof this town needs to be permitted.

Sgt. Tameika Sanders said residents allegedly called in over the weekend to report teens knocking on doors carrying shovels. She says—without any evidence of crime, mind you—that these teens were “casing” the homes by “pretending” to offer shoveling services.

Exactly how she knows they were pretending, when none of the residents actually hired them, remains a mystery. However, it is good enough to force aspiring entrepreneurs to fill out government paperwork before trying to earn an honest dollar.