Devil's Night - A Uniquely Detroit "Celebration"

"Devil's Night" in Detroit "officially" happens every October 30th, the night before Halloween. Unofficially, Devil's Night is more likely to last for three days, starting on October 29th to Halloween night.

Unlike Halloween, Devil's Night gives no "treat"; there's only "trick." At best, Devil's Night activities could amount to standard teenager pranks like egging or toilet-papering a neighbor's house. At worst, entire inner city residential blocks have gone up in flames that usually originate from one of the many abandoned homes and commercial buildings in this long-decaying rust-belt city.

Some say that the Devil's Night "tradition" began in the early seventies as "aftershocks" from Detroit's devastating 1967 Riots. And, while street gangs have usually been blamed for the rampant arson and vandalism, there have also been many cases of deliberate insurance fraud-based arson and vandalism that has been perpetuated on October 30th by business owners setting their own buildings and automobiles on fire.

1984 was the peak year for Devil's Night damages, when 810 fires were set within a three day period. Although the number of fires has decreased since the 1984 peak, the Detroit firefighters union has stated that official statistics reflect much higher numbers.

Some local political pundits have said that Devil's Night has become a symbol of the city's decline to the rest of America. As the news media has spotlighted these acts of vandalism, it has also drawn visitors from the outlying suburbs. The Detroit News quoted one suburbanite as follows: "Some people like the Fourth of July. I like Devil's Night."

In 1995, Detroit Mayor Dennis Archer's office created "Angel's Night", a program to specifically counter Devil's Night vandalism. As of 2006 and several city administrations later, the program has continued to bring together up to 50,000 Detroit resident volunteers to patrol neighborhoods at risk from October 29th to Halloween night.

The city of Detroit has also imposed a curfew from 6 pm October 30th to 6 am October 31st for juveniles under 18 unaccompanied by a parent or guardian. And the City of Detroit Recreation Department has sponsored Halloween parties to help curb Halloween night vandalism. And the city has set up hotlines for residents to report arsonist, illegal trash dumping, and dangerous abandoned buildings.

Also, elementary, middle school, and high school students can enter Angel's Night-themed Poster Art and Oratorical Contests. According to the Angel's Night website, these contests give students an "opportunity to express their feelings about Detroit and to share their pride in helping to keep Detroit's neighborhoods safe at Halloween."

SOURCES:

http://detroit.about.com/od/uniquelydetroit/a/devilsnight.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Devil's_Night

"Three-day arson spree hurt city's image", Cameron McWhirter, Detroit News, URL: (http://detnews.com/specialreports/2001/elmhurst/weddevil/weddevil.htm)