Mischief Night

October 30. Some know it as the day before Halloween. Others know it as Mischief Night. This idea first emerged around 1790 when a headmaster promoted his students performing mischievous acts the night before Halloween. Mischief Night contains many enjoyable tricks for the people performing these acts but can be a nuisance for the victims. Common activities found on this night before Halloween include the following: toilet papering, egging of houses and cars, sticking forks in the ground, and smashing pumpkins and jack-o-lanterns. This all occurs when it is pitch black, so the people committing the acts are less likely to be recognized. The darkness also allows those same people a better opportunity to escape from the people living in the home or sometimes the police. There are more police cars out on Mischief Night over any other night because they know teens will be out having a good time and possibly making bad choices.  However, the opposite occurs on this day in Detroit. There had been incidents involving firearms and vandalism in the 1980’s, so the residents wanted to avoid any violence possible. Therefore, many people would walk around the streets with candles. So many people are out on the streets that nobody would think to commit a crime or hurt someone and escape. This is instead called Angel’s Night where they to promote peace and nonviolence. The purpose of October 30 is to lead up and promote all of the scares associated with Halloween.

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