Well in the Detroit area, they have finally gotten the the devil's night tradition of arson in Detroit down to only 65 fires of suspicious origin this year. In years past it was above 150. Now this doesn't include the normal fires in a large city. For years there were travel agencies that would book trips for the week from England, Europe and Japan which was by far the largest group coming over here to participate if what was called a Fire Buffs Heavenly nights in Hell, with action round the clock non stop for days.
They had buses, vans and radio scanners for the people use. Some even where chartering airplanes for night flights over the city. Some said it looked like footage of the aftermath of the night bombing raids on London in WWII. They would have the adverts in the Fire Buff magazines and one national general magazine called firehouse. They had the fire companies, staged and would take fresh crews to rotate if they couldn't get back for a break. There is a book written on the subject I used to have the scanners and shortwave radios pre computer and listened to them there were times that the dispatch would have so many waiting fires that they stared to send out crews in the refuse tricks filled with water type fire extinguishers and any other city vehicle that would roll to put out trash fires,dumpster fires.
Then they figured they could adjust the number of fires by calling all but the major fires trash dumpster fires. When they were called on it one answer was well the vacant trash filled house is just like a dumpster!
The last couple of years the number of kids coming around and through my neighbor in an small out lying town has been almost zero. With the food and candy tampering, they recommend taking the candy to your local area that run metal detectors over it looking for razor blades and straight pins.
I can't forget the bad acting parents walking around with the little kids, asking for a beer for him and a couple were stumbling drunk. I called the police one year because the child wasn't over 5 trying to deal with daddy.
They had over 3,500 volunteers out this years from the Thursday before to the Sunday night after. dawn to dusk.
I quit years ago giving candy and decorating the house, I use to do FX and build props, we now put the car and truck in behind the 6 foot stockade fence and its lite up like a floating Chinese restaurant.
I will say that we have had more vandalism done on just any night during the year.
Not being a stick and ball sports person, I could never understand the fights in your matches or Europe's . Or for that matter the need for people to destroy anything in the area if the team wins. You probably remember the picture of the brain dead guy standing on the police car after some team won something years ago in Detroit.
It goes to the whole culture of bad acting people and attitude the TV movies and internet foster on us.
From the US's remakes of bad British reality shows, to the Americanizing of such classics, as life on mars, and so many others.
Then you add the with out a clue people bring kids into the word that think they can look out for them selves.
And I speak from 34 years in the Detroit school system as non instructional personal, as I was a Stationary Engineer/facilities manger. And have seen it all and then some.
They followed Alice down the rabbit hole! You wait, we have some regional holidays that the confectioners thought up years ago. Like sweetest day in September since there was no day to push candy This is in addition to the dreaded day in Feb:D
In the US Halloween is now a multi billion dollar sales time, but mostly for adults, parties and trying to outdo the neighbors in decorating the house and yard. And not for the kids.
So lets all move on and prepare for the next sales extravaganza!
Christmas which they have started pushing in September around Here :'(