Devil's Night Detroit
The Detroit Halloween fires are a cultural phenomenon that manifests itself partly in severe vandalism , but mainly in arson .
The fires are usually started during the Devil’s or Hell Night (devil or hell night). This is how the night before Halloween (from October 30th to 31st) is called in the USA . The number of fires reported annually increased steadily from the 1970s to the mid-1990s.
background
The Detroit tradition of the Devil's or Hell's Nights has existed since the 1930s. Back then, urban youth only played more or less harmless pranks on their fellow citizens. Houses were pelted with eggs or rotten fruit or vegetables, manure-filled paper bags were placed on verandas or in front gardens and set on fire, trees, lanterns and power poles were hung with toilet paper. There was little or no damage to property.
The first arson attacks occurred in the 1970s, initially mainly in the inner-city area, later also in the outskirts. In addition, homeowners, whose property was rapidly losing value in the then declining real estate market, took advantage of the opportunity to burn down their houses, complain about arson and collect insurance money. The destruction caused by fire reached a temporary peak in the mid-1980s: in 1984 over 800 fires were counted.
Increase in arson
After the particularly dramatic night in 1994 with again over 800 fires, the then Detroit Mayor Dennis Archer organized a so-called Angel's Night , in which up to 50,000 Detroit citizens took part in the following years to prevent arson by night patrols. In addition, were curfews imposed on teenagers. The number of arson attacks fell significantly. In 2008, 136 fires were counted.
Another increase in 2010
More than 80 fires were reported on September 8, 2010, most of which were caused by accidents in the ailing power supply network during a severe storm. On Devil's Night , the number of fires rose again, despite the relatively high number of 12,000 Detroit citizens participating in the patrols of Angel's Night, by 42% over the previous year (162 against 119 fires in 2009).
Detroit Fire Department
The Detroit Fire Department is regularly pushed to the limits of its capabilities during the Devil's Nights. It therefore enjoys a certain special status within the community of US fire services . The Detroit Fire Department markets videos, photos and calendars with scenes and motifs from the operations during the Devil's Nights on its website. A t-shirt design, published in 2008, achieved cult status. Other T-shirt designs are regularly produced by commercial providers.
Individual evidence
- ↑ see article on Wikipedia: Devil's Night
- ↑ http://www.firerescue1.com/fire-attack/articles/903147-Detroit-Halloween-fires-increase-42-percent/ (in English, accessed January 21, 2011)
- Jump up ↑ Dozen of Detroit Fires. In: nzz.ch. September 8, 2010, accessed October 14, 2018 .
- ↑ http://www.mlive.com/news/detroit/index.ssf/2010/11/12000_detroiters_volunteered_f.html (accessed January 26, 2011)
- ↑ http://www.deweyfromdetroit.com/2009/11/burn-baby-burn.html
- ↑ http://detroitfirefighters.net/
- ↑ http://www.deweyfromdetroit.com/2009/11/burn-baby-burn.html
- ↑ http://cgi.ebay.com/DETROIT-FIRE-DEPARTMENT-T-SHIRT-DEVILS-NIGHT-FIREMAN-/280382997161