I’m Tired of My Nice Neighborhood Being Abused on Halloween. But I Have a Plan.

BY NICOLE CHUNG

My cul-de-sac is in one of the “good” Halloween neighborhoods and usually goes all-out every year, but during the pandemic a lot of my closest neighbors were hit hard—medically or financially or emotionally—so many now choose not to personally hand out candy, but leave bowls out with a “take a few” sign. This past year, several greedy brats decided to empty all the bowls and later trick-or-treaters tossed garbage bins in the streets, smashed pumpkins, tore down decorations, and smashed the window of a car. There was Ring footage, but the cops told us not to hold our breath about finding the perpetrators. I posted on our local social media that we should stop having Halloween and instead move our local celebration to a different day so the families that actually live here can celebrate in peace—either a trunk-or-treat at the local park or a Halloween block party. I got a lot of positive feedback and several naysayers accusing me of being a classist bigot (which is hilarious since my wife and I are not white). My wife thinks I should back off from the idea, but I would rather spearhead it. The neighbor who had her car window broken is a widow on an oxygen tank. She was left in tears after seeing the destruction. I am tired of this shit. Thoughts?

—Halloween Hell

https://slate.com/human-interest/2024/03/halloween-destruction-plan-care-and-feeding.html