It all started as a marketing stunt promoting a short movie being filmed in Green Bay, WI with Gags the Clown. He would wander around the city between midnight and 2 am, carrying black balloons and just scaring people with his presence. Now, clown sightings have escalated to at least one a day,and many times more. This is happening all over the world. And, they aren't just standing in a dark area, doing nothing. They are wielding weapons and chasing people. It has become truly terrorizing.

The first question we must ask is: why clowns? Well, the answer is obvious. Clowns are one of the most common fears. Turn those supposedly happy characters that people are already afraid of into something truly terrifying, you have mass hysteria. The second question is: Why? Why must we prey on people's fears for a few laughs? Clowns are chasing people, and both parties are getting hurt. Most people no longer find this to be funny. People are carrying weapons and many have stated they are willing to shoot if they feel they are in danger.

The idea of safety is coming into question. There have been some reports of clowns being hurt or killed. There have also been other reports of clowns hurting or killing others. None of these murder claims have been proven to be true yet, but how long until it happens? Not only have clowns been stalking the streets at night, they are now making threats towards schools and children. "For example, a clown account in Mesa, Arizona under the name ‘Ain’t Clowning Around’ threatened to go to high schools on Friday, September 30, to kidnap students and kill teachers. Some pupils even got sent text messages asking if they were ‘ready to play’, before threatening to kill them." Read more: http://metro.co.uk/2016/10/04/people-randomly-attacked-by-creepy-clowns-across-the-us-6169775/#ixzz4N6BzLVWR Clowns have also been following people home, or attempting to lure children into woods, according to reports.

Thankfully, law enforcement is no longer seeing these clowns as harmless fun and is cracking down on them. Multiple arrests have been made, but that hasn't stopped the clowns from coming out to terrorize. So, is this all just a large preparation for Halloween, and going to stop on November 1st? Is it a promotion for the new adaptation of Stephen King's "It"? Probably not, but anything is possible. Either way, this has gotten out of hand. In Alabama alone, 9 clowns have been arrested and 7 are facing felony charges. More arrests have been made around the world. Complaints of threats and assaults are rising each day. Death threats are being made by people online who are using clown personas. Even McDonalds has put away Ronald McDonald until the fear dies down.

To those who are walking outside at night, remember to stay safe. And to those who are thinking about going out and "clowning around" this year, please don't. For your safety and the safety of others, put the clown away.