A 7-year-old boy in Georgia gave police and child protective services all they could handle.
His crime? Riding his bike around and getting free cookies.
Reason reports Jackson Widner, the youngest of Beth and Glenn Widner’s four children caught the attention of authorities in Canton, a suburb of Atlanta, in August 2018.
One day, while walking home from swim practice with his siblings about two blocks from his family’s home, Jackson lagged behind and stopped at a grocery store for a free cookie.
Store employees thought it was odd to see a 7-year-old alone and called the police. While Jackson refused to tell the police where he lived as his parents taught him not to disclose that information to strangers, they were able to find out by other means he was swimming at the local YMCA.
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After discovering where Jackson lived, the police told his father, Glenn, that it wasn’t safe to let Jackson be out alone. Child Protective Services was called, and a case worker questioned the family about the four children’s whereabouts during the day.
Later, Beth let Jackson go for a ride on his new bike on Jan. 2. After an older woman at the park told him he shouldn’t be riding alone, Jackson rode to the grocery store for another free cookie.
The police arrived again after being informed Jackson was unsupervised. Jackson called Beth on his watch phone to tell her the police wanted a word. When she arrived, Jackson was sitting in the back of a squad car as if he’d just attempted a robbery.
Beth later learned Child Services was notified.
Were these parents out of line to let their child ride his bike and go to the store by himself?
After yet another cookie bike riding spree on Jan. 18th, the police took Jackson home themselves. The senior office accused Glenn of “contributing to delinquency of the minor,” stating he could face jail time and felony charges. When Glenn asked what law he broke, one officer said, “You can Google it.”
After visits from more case workers, the Widners had enough.
They decided to move out of city limits rather than face more harassment.
What’s the moral of the story? There is absolutely nothing government bureaucrats and meddling government do-gooders won’t try to control. Nothing.
We would be having a different conversation if Jackson stole a car, robbed the grocery store, or was discovered to have been underage drinking. But, a free cookie and riding his bike?
While this story took place in 2018 – 2019, it should still serve as a warning: Government considers nothing off-limits. Parents don’t know best, the government does.
Appearing to have our best interests in mind, they will not hesitate to meddle in our private lives even in the most innocuous circumstances.
C.S. Lewis put it best.
“Of all tyrannies, a tyranny sincerely exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive. It would be better to live under robber barons than under omnipotent moral busybodies. The robber baron’s cruelty may sometimes sleep, his cupidity may at some point be satiated; but those who torment us for our own good will torment us without end for they do so with the approval of their own conscience.”
