Thursday, October 30, 2008

Devil's Night Incubates Juvenile Pranks and Misdemeanors


Tis the night before Halloween, commonly referred to as "Devil's Night." Who among us will be surprised to wake up tomorrow morning to find smashed pumpkins, toilet paper on trees or broken eggs on your property? Some call it Mischief Night. Others just call it hell. The night before Halloween incubates mischief and misdemeanors unlike any other night of the year. So are they just pranks of rambunctious youths or are they crime attributable to punks and thugs?


Devils Night or Mischief Night is more common in the northeastern United States, Ireland, Canada and the United Kingdom. Keep in mind that it is not always kids. Who can forget Orson Welles' broadcast of "War of the Worlds." broadcast over the airwaves on the eve before Halloween? While Orson Welles prank may have been entertaining, such acts can get carried away. In the 1970s, Devil's Night escalated into a night of arson and mayhem in Detroit. It got so bad that the name was changed in 1995 to Angel's Night to discourage violence. In the Midwest, fires are rare. Corning cars not so rare.


Parents beware. Keep your teen age ghouls and goblins home on the night before Halloween and juvenile court will have a lighter load then usual on Monday.

12 comments:

Anonymous said...

Good reminder

Anonymous said...

Always worried about crime...

Anonymous said...

Cool pumpkin! :) Let me know where it is so that I can smash it tonight!

Anonymous said...

Obama Pizza has its own trick or treat suprise.

If you order Obama pizza, they'll take the meat from a McCain pizza and put it on yours.

Jester

Anonymous said...

Hey, great references listed. You guys keep getting more and more credibility each month. :) Keep up the great work.


Joseph

Anonymous said...

My kids are locked up in a closet during the day on Halloween and the day before. But of course, at night they are free to fly...


Belegosi

Anonymous said...

How childLESS.

Anonymous said...

I am dressing up as a killer cell phone! a passenger on a French high speed TGV train, apparently dropped his phone into the toilet. When he tried to get it back, the bowl's suction system latched onto his arm and left him unable to free it. Emergency services cut the toilet free of the train, delaying the other passengers for two hours, and removed the man on a stretcher with the toilet still stuck to his arm. [Source: BBC via Textually.org]

Anonymous said...

Well, I am a killer pumpkin. Go a head and try to smash me....

Ms Calabaza said...

what ever happened to trick or treating?

Secrets said...

Its Devil's Night every night in Detroit.

There would be a serious misunderstanding if my kid went on a crime spree in the name of Halloween.

We're all about the candy!!

Anonymous said...

Tonight, Pirate Jack (dressed as a puppy) and I made a real killing...

we hauled in 4 bags of loot each.

Candy that is. Ahye Mate.