Scary clown sightings across the United States have become extensive and rampant that it is causing panic in schools and communities. As a result, authorities are now imposing a ban on clown costumes, especially with Halloween just around the corner. The White House has also expressed concern about the rising incidents of clown encounters, urging law enforcement agencies not to disregard the threats.
ABC reports that scary clown sightings have resulted in a number of arrests that the police are now asking the Department of Homeland Security's help. The White House, through the press secretary, asks authorities to be thorough and prudent in their investigations. President Barack Obama might have yet to be briefed about what is going on.
Majority of the clown cases are pranks, harassments and hoaxes but there have been instances where individuals in clown costumes have been linked to attempted murder, kidnapping or robbery. Some of these incidents happen around schools or among teenage kids, which worries parents, teachers and school authorities. At public schools in Connecticut, clown costumes including clown masks have been banned, while local enforcement in Philadelphia has issued a warning to the public, as revealed on Facebook.
"We are considering this to be nothing more than a prank and harassment fueled by social media and upcoming Halloween," school superintendent Garth Harries said, NBC Connecticut reports. Nonetheless, parents have been asked to work together with the school and the police for the safety of the community. To diminish scary clown sightings, authorities are asking parents not to buy clown costumes for Halloween or have their children come to school with clown attire or clown mask.
It is unclear how these scary clown sightings started but an expert points out that it could be a social media fad to perpetuate urban legends and folklore. Clown culture has always been around even before the internet age. Except that today, stories about it can spread faster than ever.
"It is custom-made to go viral," Benjamin Radford, who wrote the book "Bad Clowns," told CNN. Radford also rationalized that it's not the clown per se that's scaring people. Rather, it's the "sensationalized headlines" and overreaction from the social media regarding these scary clown sightings. Yet if people feel uncomfortable or threatened, or if they have had encounters or threats, they are urged to report the incident to the police.
