Small Town to Big City

“How about Devil’s Night? Is that a big problem here?” I imagined it would be because of the size of this city, but figured I’d ask for conversation; after all, it was a few days before Halloween, and I was curious what my surroundings would be like on its eve. 

My co-workers laughed, as they had absolutely no idea what I had just asked. I entered a state of mild shock, as I looked around the table. One came from Tennessee, another from D.C., one grew up in Illinois, and the last moved from France (yes, this thrilled me). None of them had ever heard of Devil’s Night, or Angel’s Night as we’re now supposed to call it, and I had always thought people nationally knew they would have to deal with troublemakers on this night each year.

For the first time since my move to the big city, I had the chance to explain to some Chicagoans about crazy things that happen in my hometown. As soon as dark hits on October 30, helpless targets become victim to toilet paper in the trees, eggs on the porch, saran wrap around the car, ripped up newspapers in the yard and maybe some soap on the windows, depending on how rough things get. Sometimes you even hear about people staying up all night to watch their yard. Boys in high school would stay up on their roofs, waiting with paintball guns and eggs for any visitors who had the nerve. 

Although, Devil’s Night almost exists as a joke in our town, it can provide serious safety threats to people in certain parts of Michigan, especially in Detroit. Fires and serious crimes beat out our toilet paper and eggs. (In fact, the video clip below provides an example of a really bad Devil’s Night in Detroit.) This is why our community leaders changed the name to Angel’s Night, and we’re supposed to call it such. 

 My co-workers’ laughter should have brought me a sense of relief, as it calmed my concern for safety on Devil’s Night in the big city; however, it actually encouraged a small sense of panic. For years upon years, I believed something consistently occurred on a national level, and then one day I learned it had only occurred within my bubble.

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