17-Year-Old Tattoo Artist Arrested For Practicing Trade

All she was missing was a sign (ShamrockTattoo)

Does anyone care about small businesses anymore? Or have we completely transformed into a Socialist state precisely as Brother Beck warned? First they took away the ingenious MetroCard innovator. Now, CBS reports that a 17-year-old Suffolk County girl was arrested for running a tattoo and piercing parlor out of her bedroom. Authorities are claiming that Carisma Thompson-Pike advertised her skills on Facebook, and charged $5 to $200 for her services.

Suffolk County police found tools of the trade like tattoo guns and ink in Thompson-Pike's Central Islip home, and were tipped off to her business model by a concerned parent. She's being charged with two counts of endangering the welfare of a child and two counts of unlawfully dealing with a minor because she allegedly gave two 15-year-olds tattoos. Presumably, her most popular designs were "Every Day is Pizza Day" written in gothic script, and a scene of a dolphin jumping over a sunset that means "rainbow" in Kanji.

Thompson-Pike has been released on bail, but if she wants to keep tattooing folks, she should head down to D.C., where tattoo parlors (for now) are essentially an unregulated business.

Contact the author of this article or email tips@gothamist.com with further questions, comments or tips.

By Christopher Robbins in News on November 20, 2011 12:40 PM

Comments [rss]

CKing13

Small business?? This has nothing to do with small business. It was/is an illegal establishment. She isn't paying taxes. Who know how sanitary it actually is? Who even knows if she used the same needles? Health Violations, Lack of Permits, Shut her down!

Rachel Styles

People have to think about a tattoo before they get it because it is permanent. They are always wondering how tattoos are permanent, this article gives a great explanation on why tattoos are permanent.

http://explainlikeakid.blogspo...

Snapperhead77

This girl was shut down for many reasons. Health code issues, no permit to do business out of your house, Parents of minors who want to protect their kids from getting Hep C or worse.
Granted, if the kid wants to run a tattoo parlor all she has to do is get a permit and follow the same business codes every other tattoo parlor has to follow. Now regarding Socialism IT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH THIS ARTICLE. Guys lets get real, the Metro Card guy also was STEALING with his scam. Why do you paint it as a Legal business?
The Police in both cases have followed their responsibility. They ENFORCED THE LAW.
MTA might be a bloated, ill run, bureaucratic pit of abuse, but that does not give anyone the right to steal back. If the Law is broken, AKA Wallstreet and the banks using it to screw us all over, THEN PROTEST CONGRESS and get the law changed.