Mischief Night Causes Angry Kids To Go Wild

Each year the night before Halloween is known as "mischief night" or a day of rebellion for the cities youth. Up in my part of the woods I sat perched on my front porch trying to defend my property from the roaming gangs of kids skulking around my development.

This year was especially more destructive than usual. Normally the neighborhood kids just throw eggs, and decorate trees with toilet paper, some even like to steal a pumpkin and smash it in the street, but some "rotten apples" crossed the line when their pranks became outright destruction of personal property.

My personal development suffered a spray painted gazebo, destroyed mailboxes, and the brand new fence at the developments entrance was severely damaged resulting in substantial repair costs.

The front of my house bears the scars of tire treads burned into the asphalt in a circular motion and a black jeep was driving recklessly through stop signs while assaulting anyone they could find on the street with eggs.

The police eventually arrived, and what they were able to accomplish was certainly questionable. Usually when a clearly marked police car enters anywhere, all it does is causes the gangs of wild youths to scamper off into the shadows of parentless houses only to re-emerge after the cops are gone.

When I was in High School, I personally defended my neighborhood. If we saw "hoodlooms" pulling up in a car and damaging our property the car they got out of would have had rocks thrown through its windows. The bigger kids would have kicked dents in the doors and if we are able to catch one of the vandals he would have become a victim instead of a victimizer.

Part of what I am wondering is wether or not the kids in the neighborhood are doing this damage to their own community or defending it? I would also like to know if there is any high school kid upset enough to do their own investigation and find out who hit Lexington Green?

This night certainly must have been riddled with complaints. Petty crime statistics are high and it is my guess that the police on this night could not have possibly made it to every call in a timely fashion.

While personally I encourage healthy fun, and kids being out and off their Xboxes, and Playstations, this sort of behavior is not what comes to mind. Hopefully parents, next year, will know better than to let their problematic kids even leave their homes on the eve of Halloween.

Next year I also plan to help the local Police by organizing a neighborhood watch to make sure that these rowdy youth are deterred from doing more damage to our peaceful community. Anyone with information, or is interested in becoming part of the solution in my neighborhood please feel free to e-mail me at: frank@mycomputerfox.com

(Above Photo shows total destruction of an $8,000.00 Fence)