Within the past few weeks, an outbreak of clowns terrorizing innocent children and adults has been growing rapidly across the country. Some instances have been hitting people very close to home. The videos are horrifying, but it is even more frightening to know that it could be happening right in your own neighborhood.

The idea of people dressing up in clown costumes while trying to lure children into the woods or scare people, while holding weapons in their hands, is any person’s worst nightmare. I always wondered how clowns were viewed at as a fun character, because quite honestly, I’ve always seen them as being creepy.

Many people are catching onto this new sensation by going out and buying clown costumes (which are not very difficult to find because Halloween is just a few weeks away). Because this is becoming a huge issue throughout the country, the people that think they are being funny by going along with it are out of their minds. Don’t get me wrong; a little prank is funny, but when there is a situation this severe going on, I advise you not to play along. Keep the clown costumes in the Halloween store.

The act of violence among these clowns is not something to play around with. Holding a knife while chasing somebody down because they think it is ‘funny’ is clearly not. This is actually considered a crime. Don’t be fooled just because many of these clowns have not been caught. Because of the growth of this situation, law enforcement will be able to devote more of their time to catching those who deserve it. I will not feel sorry for these clowns if people begin to retaliate against them. Something has to be done to prove that we will not continue to live in fear.

I understand that many people are joining in on this scenario because they believe it is a good joke. It has now become more than just a prank. Planting absolute fear in people is not something to be taken lightly. For those who are petrified of clowns, this is their worst nightmare coming to life. Being afraid to leave your own house is not something people should have to worry about. The point of the ‘joke’ has been made. The clowns have made their minute of fame. It is now time to move onto something more productive than scaring innocent people. It was never seen as funny. These clowns need to retire their costumes and call it quits. It reached national media attention, so now it is time for them to go back to their day jobs. Enough is enough.