Bob CollinsA spokesperson for the U.S. Park Police says the story of kids being handcuffed for selling water on the National Mall has gotten blown way out of proportion.
The images spread across the Internet today after Tim Krepp posted photographs on Twitter of what he said was an undercover operation against people selling water.
“My kids sell water and everyone smiles at them. These kids do it and get arrested. It IS racist,” Krepp tweeted.
Sgt. Anna Rose, however, tells US News and World Report that the kids were breaking the law.
The kids weren’t arrested, she says. They were “detained” until their parents could pick them up.
“Vending on the National Mall is illegal without a permit,” Rose says. “The National Park Service has a whole office dedicated to permitting.”
Why they had to be handcuffed is unclear.
