From scaring early morning runners, to threats of luring children into woods, the clown epidemic is causing fear that is sweeping the nation. With over 100 threats and sightings across the country since August, this outbreak is getting ridiculous.
The trend has created many issues for residence of the towns where these clowns have been spotted. Many schools from the elementary level to high school have been put on lockdown due to reports of nearby clowns. One elementary school in Kentucky was in lockdown for 4 hours as police tried to locate a clown that reportedly attempted to lure two children into the wooded area next to the school’s playground.
(Google Images)
Now there is no denying that there certainly are clowns out there trying to scare people, as there is proof of it all over social media. However more than three fourths of the reported clown sightings have been hoaxes and have led to no actual clowns. But let’s think about the legitimate reports for just a minute; there are actually people who are taking time out of their day, dressing up as a clown, and simply standing around in the woods and on street corners just to freak people out. What happened to regular hobbies? Why can’t people join book clubs? Or for an adrenaline rush, join a paintball team or laser tag? Just nothing with fake red noses or very large shoes!
The issue becomes even more complicated and confusing when you have actually seen one of these clowns in person. Although your first instinct would be to run and call 911, many police stations have issued public notices asking residences to think about the sighting and if the clown is putting anyone in danger, or if there even is a clown. In fact, a new report says that police reaction time has slowed down since clown sightings have started.
Now in an extreme case, let’s suppose a clown does attack you. Using pepper spray gets complicated because they are most likely wearing a mask and you may not exactly be in a calm enough state to aim for an eyeball! And it can get confusing to throw a punch for self-defense when they have so many layers of baggy clothes and so much colorful, striped material to even find the actual human underneath!
In all seriousness however, it is always safe to take precautions especially around Halloween when many pranks and spooks can get out of hand. When going out at night make sure to go in a group of at least three and always have a phone to contact either the police or a ride in case of an emergency. If a clown does appear and seems to be a threat or problem in anyway, either report it to campus safety if you are on school campus, or report it to the police.
(Pinterest)
Be safe and for the love of candy, don’t be a clown for Halloween!