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Teens can't trick-or-treat in this Illinois town
A few weeks ago, Jennifer asked the question: How old is too old for trick-or-treating? Most of the commenters on that post thought that kids should be able to trick-or-treat as long as they want, even well into their high school years.But in Belleville, Illinois, kids in high school might want to find other plans for the night. The town recently passed an ordinance that bans kids from ninth grade and up from trick-or-treating, unless they're escorting younger siblings. Parents of children who break the rule will be fined $25.
At first glance, this seems heavy-handed. After all, I'd rather see kids out grubbing for candy than partying on Halloween. It doesn't bother me to give a teenager a piece of candy any more than it does to give one to an adult who's trick-or-treating with a baby who's far too young to eat it. But Belleville's mayor says the ordinance was passed to stop teens from ringing doorbells past nine o'clock, a practice that scared local senior citizens.
So teens, take notice. If you want to keep your trick-or-treating rights, follow the rules: If the porch light is off, walk on by and resist the urge to "trick" someone who doesn't want to give you a treat.












ReaderComments (Page 5 of 5)
11-06-2008 @ 9:04AM
miah said...oh for cryin' out loud...whatever happened to soaping the windows of the ole biddy who yells at kids retrieving their ball from her yard or the boyfriend who just broke up with your best friend. Hell's bells, in my mom's time, the kids were out tipping cows and disassembling and then reassembling elsewhere the family outhouse. damn government wants to regulate every damn thing....vote for McCain. Just for the record, I am an almost 62 year old middle class woman living in a fairly rural area alone and not afraid of a bunch of kids out having some harmless fun. Oh and when I was a kid, the boys would take the signs that told the street name...NOT the traffic signs, and switch them all around...gave the cops something to do the next day.
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10-27-2008 @ 11:56PM
Bob Cape said...Come on folks, in the 70's I lived in the suburbs of Detroit and I was blown away when the night before Haloween came, and teenagers, general punks and vandals ran all over my neighborhood painting, egging and throwing rocks at windows. It was called "Devil's Night" and it was supposedly perfectly acceptable for little idiots-in-training to tear up people's property (no treats asked or accepted) in celebration of a holiday that didn't exist! The next night, little kids, and some of the night-before's punks came around for "treats"!
The next year, I sat on my front doorstep with a shotgun on "Devil's Night", and I fully intended to use it! Where did you bored, brainless twits get the idea that vandalism is a "game" and great fun?
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10-28-2008 @ 12:04AM
mike said...I remember in Chicago in the 50's and 60's you could roam the streets till curfew. And we did not waste time on dark houses. The candy was where the lights were on. The object was to collect a huge pile of candy till curfew. Now the town I live in has halloween from 4 till 7. Hardly seems worth the effort.
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10-28-2008 @ 12:06AM
Pat said...What!? We now have trick or treat police!? lol I'd like to see how they will enforce this ordinance.
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10-28-2008 @ 2:54AM
Joyce said...Trick or treating is a bunch of nonsense and should be banned EVERYWHERE. It is not safe for kids and most people do not want to be bothered. I turn off my light and they knock on the door anyway, even teenagers! some of the kids can be rude and do mean things. It should all be stopped. Let them dress up and go to schools to do their Halloween thing.
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10-28-2008 @ 6:21AM
bill said...I agree completely!!!
10-28-2008 @ 1:10AM
chloe said...In my neighborhood & county, if you run out of candy or it gets late (after 9), or if you just dont want to give out candy, you just turn your porch light off and no one will ring your doorbell and thats the accepted practice and everyone respects it.
The problem with this country is TOO much government... (putting age limits which will be hard to enforce)... The democrats are ruining this country!
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10-31-2008 @ 5:59PM
onan said...Teenagers should dress up as sex offenders, since they are now being treated as such.
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10-28-2008 @ 2:04AM
DopeyChad said...The one thing that I find ironic about Halloween is all year long we teach kids not to take candy from strangers, but one night out of the year we let them loose to get as much candy from strangers as possible. It's just funny to me!
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10-28-2008 @ 2:31AM
SuZSoPiSceS88 said...I get what they're doing, but I guess it's a little over board. The no trick or treating after 9pm would be good. I agree with the age thing though.1 yrs up until 8th grade is far enough. If the teenagers want candy so much go buy a huge bag all for themselves and it'll be all good. Leave the Halloween things for the little kids.
*Coming from a 20 year old*
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10-28-2008 @ 3:44PM
Simzee said...What a silly law
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10-31-2008 @ 3:18AM
Elliander said...This raises a constitutional issue with me. I mean, how can any government tell people you may or may not ask someone for candy. When cities claim the right to tell me who I may or may not give candy to, candy of all things, there is something seriously wrong with this country. When a city can tell me I may not knock on someone's door asking for candy, or cannot participate in cultural festivities, just because of my age, it raises all kinds of questions of what else they can do.
I can understand closing parks at night, but this is Private Property we are talking about. I don't like the city telling me what I can do on my Private Property.
The only right the city should have to dictating the use of private property is when the use violates the public welfare. Such as telling me if a building is structurally sound, etc. Not telling me who I may or may not answer the door to, who I may or may not give gifts to, etc.
What's next. Laws to criminalize flower beds? Or Driveways forbidden by people who drive a motorcycle?
This isn't drugs we are talking about, it's candy. And more than that, it's people's right to do with their property as they please.
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