A group of Girl Scouts from Cecil County, Maryland, decided to get involved in local politics earlier this year after seeing reports that their local animal control unit had overcrowding issues. The Girl Scouts attended the organization’s open meeting, armed with homemade signs that decried the abuse they felt the animals were facing — little did they know that they were opening themselves up to racist remarks from some adult members of the community, reported ABC 2 News.

Arianna Spurlock, 13, recalled the scene opening in front of her and the other members of her Girl Scout troop.

“They were saying, ‘Go back to Baltimore, where you belong,’ and they started pointing out me and my sisters… They were calling us, like animals and stuff. And I didn’t really know why because if they are calling us animals, aren’t they supposed to be helping animals?’ “

In the video, an unidentified group of community members — who the girls say are associated with animal control vendor A Buddy For Life — insult the group of Girl Scouts upon approaching them outside of the meeting hall. After comments turned racist, a co-leader of the girls’ troop steps forward to defend the young women.

“You guys, no racial comments, okay? Saying that they belong in Baltimore because they’re black, that is wrong. Please don’t say that okay?”

Jen Callahan, co-director of A Buddy for Life, denies that any of her employers were involved in the confrontation with the Girl Scouts after the meeting. During the meeting, however, Jen called out the girls for being coached to speak out that day by their troop leader, Jayne Mitchell-Werbrich, who has been a vocal critic of the community’s animal control unit.

“A Buddy for Life, Inc. cannot control the words or actions of citizens that attended that meeting. A Buddy for Life, Inc. does not condone the behavior that was on display after the meeting.”

Cecil County Executive Tari Moore has already issued an official apology to the Girl Scout troop, as well as conducted her own private investigation into the incident. Neither her or police have enough evidence to mount a case against the adults who uttered the racist comments at the Girl Scouts.

Lily Talley, 11, said simply that the group of adults should have followed the Golden Rule when addressing the her troop.

“We, as kids, we always were taught, if you didn’t have anything nice to say don’t say it at all. They should have done that.”

[Image via John Moore / Getty Images]