Clown sightings are everywhere. They harass neighborhoods for no other reason than to cause trouble. The worst thing is, some people believe that it is funny and want to join in.
Many people are taking the threats these clowns make as serious, including the police, which is understandable. However, many teenagers in the United States are not taking this seriously and think it is a laughing matter.
These clown antics did not start out as a joke. Their real intent is to harm you. There are people being chased, terrorized, and worse by these clowns. If you find this funny, you need some help because this is not funny. This is a serious epidemic that's happening in the United States.
For all those teenagers who have been dressing up like clowns lately, you are endangering yourself. Someone could stab, shoot, and run you over because you appear to be a threat. You could also be arrested by the police and charged with terrorism. Do you know what happens when you have a criminal record? You will not be accepted in any college. The work opportunities you have now will drop dramatically. Or, you could be stuck in jail for the rest of your life. Bad things happen in jails, like rape. Do you want to go in jail with the possibility of being raped because you are new in the system and have no gang protection? People die all the time in prison because they were jumped and got stabbed, or they are really old and have been there a long time. Do you want that to be your potential future?
Look at these examples.
These teenagers, Steven Goddard Jr., Zaria Dallas, and Tristan Bonner, were charged with making terrorist threats. They ruined their own lives because now they have criminal records. In the end, they probably thought they were just "clowning around."
Take a long hard look at them. They have just lost everything because they were being dumb. Do you want to be like them? Do you want a criminal record? Do you want to lose all hope of going to college or getting a decent paying job?
There are people who have it worse then them. A 16 year old was stabbed by a clown; that teenager is now dead. He was a sophomore in high school. Now, do you believe that the clowns intent is to harm you? Now, do you understand why you shouldn't imitate these clowns?
Two teenagers were arrested for dressing up as clowns and chasing children. Kevin Marquis Craddock II, 18 was arrested with an unidentified male at the age of 17. The got away in a vehicle, but once the police had gotten the description of it, they were arrested for wearing a mask in public and assault. Just last week, Dearborn police arrested three scary clowns for threats and harassment.
The harassment is also happening on social media. There are clown profiles on Facebook, and they are harassing people. Authorities in Idaho have received reports from people about clowns on Facebook. In New Jersey,a 13-year-old girl and a 14-year-old boy have been charged with cyber harassment stemming from separate social media clown threats. Both of them confessed to making clown threats towards students and staff at their schools. Of course, these two people were making false claims, so they will be charged with false public alarm for making similar threats against students and school staff. Some schools went on lock-out because of threats made by clowns on social media. Two Long Island school districts placed schools on lockout because of clown-related threats. 
You may think you will be able to hide on social media and make threats, but the police, school officials, and parents are taking them seriously. It is not right to cause panic among people. Therefore, you should not be doing these activities.
There have been reports of clown sightings that are fake. If you are making claims like these, that is also breaking the law. If you don't see a clown, please do not call the police and waste their time. They are already fed up with all the clown shenanigans, so do not make it worse.
Teenagers should not be dressing up as clowns, even if its the day of Halloween because someone may find you to be a threat. The threats clowns are making are real, and you should take them seriously. This is no "laughing matter."
