Late Monday night, an angry mob assembled on the streets of Pennsylvania State University.
There was outrage. Bedlam. Pandemonium. Students carried baseball bats and lacrosse sticks. They wanted vengeance. With numerous violent encounters between minority communities and police officers in 2016, mass protests have become commonplace, springing up from Charlotte, North Carolina, to Tulsa, Oklahoma, to Los Angeles.
On the surface, this might have looked like an instance of racial tensions boiling over again.
But it wasn’t.
The students at Penn State weren’t seeking social justice. They were after something else: clowns.
Yes, you read that correctly.
Apparently, reports spread online about someone dressed like a clown on campus at night. One thing led to another. Mass hysteria ensued.
While the reaction of the students was both sudden and somewhat surprisingly vitriolic, this clown sighting wasn’t an isolated occurrence.
There has been a recent wave of creepy clown sightings across the country. Not in their natural habitat like the fair, the circus or kids’ birthday parties, but in places no clowns should venture.
It all began in South Carolina in August, when a person dressed as a clown was hanging around an apartment complex and trying to lure children into the woods.
Harmless, right?
Just some guy dressed like a Stephen King character taking a stroll and corrupting the youth. No problem.
But the rash of incidents was just beginning.
A week later, police in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, received a call about another clown trying to entice children into the forest.
Before I continue, let me say this: I don’t have anything against clowns. Many people fear them, and did even before these weird sightings began. But I don’t.
Now if, for whatever reason, the clowns were lifesize, potentially pedophiliac spiders running around trying to lure kids into the woods like in "Harry Potter," I would currently be exercising my Second Amendment rights instead of writing this column.
But I digress.
I also follow the “live-and-let-live” philosophy. If someone has an odd clown fetish: Hey, good for them. I don’t care; it’s well within their personal liberties.
I don’t ask for much, but please don’t meander around at dusk trying to cajole children into the forest. A line has to be drawn somewhere.
Yet the incidences keep escalating.
On Sept. 15, two high schools in Alabama were placed on lockdown after clowns threatened students, posted gun emojis on Facebook and were seen on campus.
Three people, including two minors, have been arrested in this case.
Several occurrences have also been reported of clowns chasing and harassing civilians. The New York Times reported last week that 12 arrests spanning 10 states have been made.
It’s difficult to predict how much longer these incidents will endure.
With Halloween just around the corner, it’s likely that sightings will increase before subsiding.
So with that in mind, it is wise to stock up on essential supplies. Conveniently, Hurricane Matthew might make that a necessity.
Batteries, canned food, semi-automatic weaponry, precious metals and all 11 seasons of “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia,” are good to have on hand.
And pray that the clowns haven’t begun to organize.
It’s only a matter of time.
Brian Lee is a UF English senior. His column appears on Thursdays.
