Halloween is coming up super fast, and we all know that the majority of us have big plans for the evening! I mean come on, it's Halloween, and it's on a Saturday night! That being said, I wanted to remind everyone to be extra careful that night.
First, if any of you plan on partaking in the trick or treat tradition or plan to take your kids or younger siblings, always watch out for the candy and goodies given to them. You never know what surprise you might find inside.
Secondly, if you plan to attend the festivities in downtown Santa Cruz, please be aware of your surroundings, as there were multiple incidents concerning public health and safety. If you plan to drink, please drink responsibly, as per the drinking fines that are tripled that night for open containers and public intoxication.
Many of you are going to go out, drink, and having a good time with all your friends—which you should. However, you should all know to be careful when it comes to drinking in unfamiliar places as well as performing any action that you would not do if sober. Halloween night is one of the nights where people try to take advantage of others more than usual—especially when intoxicated. What I am trying to get at is the importance of consent even while intoxicated. Without consent, it is rape. No one should spoil their Halloween fun by doing something so hurtful to themselves and others.
Another issue is to be aware of the Halloween parade, your surroundings, and the community members. Personally, I have seen a lot of violent crimes happen in downtown that night. A lot of people are seen intoxicated, throwing up all over the place, getting into fights with others, and not respecting the fact that there are people of all ages there and sometimes even kids.
On multiple occasions, there have even been incidents such as stabbings. Once again, being under the influence in any way causes you to do and commit acts you would not normally do if you were sober, so drink responsibly. Your choices should not hurt you or others around you.
I am stating the obvious for the reasons listed above. We hear the same warnings about drinking and having a "good" time, but it never hurts to send out a precautionary tale for those who might not be aware of the events that have happened in Santa Cruz. Halloween night is kind of a big deal here in downtown because of the huge crowd and parade. However fun it may be, it also gets very dangerous like all other huge events; there are always people looking to get into trouble, and I just want to say be careful, stay safe, drink responsibly, and stay shwifty, Santa Cruz.
