Creepy Clown Sightings

[THERetroGamerNY]

Wikipedia has an entire page cataloging all the reported incidents... This is crazy! O_o

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/2016_clown_sightings

[rosethorne]

Please keep in mind two facts...no make that three...before I commence secondhand (because I wasn't there) clown sighting story.

1. I live in an open/conceal carry without needing a permit state

2. My state is also a "stand your ground" lethal defense state

3. In my neck of the woods we're a temperate rainforest, so there is A LOT of wildlife even in our "cities" which means many people take comfort in the previous two facts

 

Story:

Recently (like last night) a guy was walking down a wooded path, that winds behind one of our middles schools.

That's not as weird as it sounds, I promise, it's a well maintained heavily used path that is the easiest shortcut to the surrounding neighborhoods and side streets that don't require walking next to the big road.

About halfway down the path, a guy in a clown suit, wig and makeup stepped from behind a tree and started coming at him, with a "metal object" in his hand. Guy's first and automatic reaction was to pull out, aim and cock the safety pistol he had on his person. Said "clown" immediately turned and ran away. Guy called local police and gave a report to the dispatcher as he finished his walk home. Once he was home, he also got on our local Facebook community pages and put up his report, so the community at large would be more careful in that are.

Many in our community were skeptical, until at least three other reports were made by different individuals to the local police (they put out a brief statement) that a clown with a "metal object" was jumping out at people in various secluded places around town.

Even if it's just a dumbshit high-schooler trying to prank people, it's a deadly game that their playing. We're lucky that nothing tragic has (yet) occurred.

Edited for clarity

[LadyCrow1313]

I saw something posted on Facebook this morning that a friend was tagged on. I truly hope this is nonsense & not real; I can't remember the exact wording (& hopefully someone else here saw it, too), but a "Clown Lives Matter" or some such name group posted that clowns will be doing a Purge-like activity on 10/30/16.

People are tensed up enough nowadays, & shit like this doesn't help things.

Again, I hope that this is a joke.

(ETA: The correct name of the group the post originated from is "Clown Hunters", not "Clown Lives Matter; although there probably is a group with that name, too.)

[HarryPotterFan]

@LadyCrow1313 There is a group called Clown Lives Matter, unfortunately. There's a pro-clown rally on the 15th, I believe.

@rosethorne Wow. I can easily see one of these clown pranksters getting hurt, or worse, where you live.

[canbritam]

So Thursday night a week and a bit ago, the city in Ontario that I live had postings put on social media that evil clowns would attack students and teachers at each of the high schools in our city but one the following day.  So the following day, the police had extra patrols by the schools.  There was actually a car load of stupid teenagers going from high school to high school, jumping out and chasing people and then getting back in and driving away until they were caught.  However - this group of stupid ass teenagers (who were all 15/16) were not the ones that posted on social media.

The police were able to back trace the IP with help of whoever they had to do whatever with to do and traced it back to (as they put it in the paper) "youth that were charged with mischief, but who were not yet old enough to be in high school".  Under the Canadian Youth Criminal Justice Act, that would make them 12 or 13 (grade 7 or 8, as in Ontario we start high school in grade 9, usually age 14).  This would be the same age as my sons (who are 11 and 12).  My 12 year old is baffled about "why would people do something that stupid?  I mean..it's just STUPID!"  Turns out he has the same about of patience for utter stupidity his mother does

[FundieFarmer]

We had a conversation about this at work: if you saw the clown, would you kill it (wtf) or drive away.

One man was saying he'd beat the person straight up.

I said I'd be hightailing it out of there.

In retrospect calling the police is the most reasonable response, but I'm deathly afraid of clowns on a good day so running away seemed like the best answer [emoji79]

ETA: yesterday when I was on ebay, clown masks were the #3 searched item. NO.

[catlady]

I saw on the news this morning that Target is pulling clown costumes from most of its stores and reducing online inventory.

[kunoichi66]

On 13/10/2016 at 1:56 PM, LadyCrow1313 said:

I saw something posted on Facebook this morning that a friend was tagged on. I truly hope this is nonsense & not real; I can't remember the exact wording (& hopefully someone else here saw it, too), but a "Clown Lives Matter" or some such name group posted that clowns will be doing a Purge-like activity on 10/30/16.

People are tensed up enough nowadays, & shit like this doesn't help things.

Again, I hope that this is a joke.

(ETA: The correct name of the group the post originated from is "Clown Hunters", not "Clown Lives Matter; although there probably is a group with that name, too.)

oh FFS, because that'll calm everything right down....

[LadyCrow1313]

In addition to all the nonsense that's going on w/clowns lately, I saw a picture of a hunter that had "bagged" a clown. I think the caption was something along the lines of "the only hunting I approve of".

While that is vaguely humorous, it's also quite disturbing at the same time.

I don't know; people should get a harmless hobby instead of this sort of thing. A hobby like sharing tracts with complete strangers, perhaps. 

[kunoichi66]

8 hours ago, LadyCrow1313 said:

In addition to all the nonsense that's going on w/clowns lately, I saw a picture of a hunter that had "bagged" a clown. I think the caption was something along the lines of "the only hunting I approve of".

While that is vaguely humorous, it's also quite disturbing at the same time.

I don't know; people should get a harmless hobby instead of this sort of thing. A hobby like sharing tracts with complete strangers, perhaps. 

Yes....that is disturbing.

How long until something tragic happens?

[Carm_88]

I have seen a clown as I was driving, it was really odd. I mean the police were chasing him away from a major highway but it is serious mass hysteria. We have a local haunted house that raises money for local charities and many of those who dressed up are teens getting their volunteer time in. (We're required to do so much hours of community involvement/volunteering to graduate). A teenaged boy was dressed up as a clown because there are always creepy clowns in a haunted house and a guy cam up to him and started threatening him. so no clowns in this haunted house anymore. 

[WhatWouldJohnCrichtonDo?]

I was just at a store buying a costume for my younger one for this year and I noticed that they had a few larger sized scary clown costumes. It would be nice if more stores would join Target in pulling clown costumes from their stores this year. I realize idiots who want to frighten people can make their own outfits, but why make it easy for them? If we need to make 2016 the year without clowns until this stupid mass stupidity passes, well...

[canbritam]

There was a confrontation between two clowns and a store owner in my city yesterday.  The police had to get involved.  The clowns were upset because the owner moved a joke sign she had had in the store into the windows that was a no clowns allowed sign.  The clown said that the sign was racist.  I had to laugh because all I could think to myself was "can I give him a dictionary, because he obviously does not understand what the word "racist" means."

ETA - there was also a business that came under fire when people complained because they put up "Clown Lives Matter" on their roadside sign.  People have lost their ever loving minds over this.

[FundieFarmer]

USA in Fall 2016, everyone- This Week Edition: clown lives matter, nasty women, and total millennial emotional collapse due to the DDoS. What is happening to us?

[HarryPotterFan]

2 minutes ago, FundieFarmer said:

USA in Fall 2016, everyone- This Week Edition: clown lives matter, nasty women, and total millennial emotional collapse due to the DDoS. What is happening to us?

Is Netflix back yet?

But what's scary about the attack is how far reaching it was and how it was able to shut down so many websites. I haven't heard of any security threats (like passwords, SSN, etc being stolen), which is good. But this type of things an affect business operations and such. Then the news is all, "How will this affect the election??"

A clown apocalypse sounds so much less scary than their supreme leader being elected president due to hacking. Maybe the orange clown and his killer clown posse are behind it all. *conspiracy theory*

 

[FundieFarmer]

You can use a VPN if it's not. I had to today as Twitter was down and so was our corporate website but...but....both of those things are my job. *waves from Florida Netherlands*

[HarryPotterFan]

The Netflix app is working fine. I still blame the clowns though.

Also I gotta love how the news organizations are like, "what implications does this have for the election?" And then give no answer and are basically fear mongering people into thinking the end is near. 

[smittykins]

8 hours ago, FundieFarmer said:

USA in Fall 2016, everyone- This Week Edition: clown lives matter, nasty women, and total millennial emotional collapse due to the DDoS. What is happening to us?

Don't forget the bad hombres!

[Gobbles]

We have a few Clowns in Germany too! Was just a matter of time, wasn't it? 

German news article: http://www.spiegel.de/panorama/justiz/horror-clowns-in-deutschland-vorfaelle-in-mehreren-staedten-a-1117676.html

[paulypepper]

On 10/10/2016 at 8:09 AM, LadyCrow1313 said:

*** Thread highjack ***

On a side note, I met David Byrne once after at a NIN concert in NYC at the Hammerstein Ballroom (about 8 years ago). He was friendly & shook my hand; surprisingly, he wasn't as tall as I thought he'd be (same height as me, actually), but I was still quite stoked to meet him. 

*** returning the thread back to it's regularly scheduled topic ***

Dammit! You get to do the coolest stuff! I'm soooo jelly!

[StepMonsterInLA]

StepMonsterInLA     508

Members

119 posts

Posted October 10 · 

Clown Sighting:

on the way home my sons (6&8) were talking about the serial clown killer. I told them there is no such thing. Well when stopped at a 4  way stop A CLOWN WAS HANGING HIS HEAD OUT THE WINDOW!  Kid said see!  I told you they are real!  I followed them into our neighborhood but they went down another street. When I turned into my street I saw that car. I told the boys that I was going to go check out what was going on, they chose to come with me.  3 masked clowns were attempting to get into a house down the street. I rolled down the window and asked if they were obeying he law or should I call the cops? They lifted their masks and one said his parents live there. I said ok but stop scaring little kids. He gave me the finger. My intention was to confront them to show my kids that they are jerks in a clown mask. And they proved themselves to be jerks in clown masks.  I hate that my kids have fuckface clowns to worry about.  

I posted this a few weeks ago. Glad to report the clown hysteria in my neighborhood is gone.  

 

[WhiteRun]

My best friends high school was put on lock down because of a clown scare 2 weeks ago. 
There was some Facebook page going around with lists of suburbs in Victoria, Australia that would be inundated with clowns on a set of dates. A few of those suburbs were very close to me, which was terrible because I take the train home late at night. Thankfully no clown sightings. 

One of the craziest rumors I've heard is all these clown problems is due to a publicity stunt for a movie called 31 which is about evil clowns. I don't believe it, there are creepy clown sightings all the time. It's like on foggy nights, there are always reports of people seeing Silent Hill characters. 

[bashfulpixie]

I saw a person in full creepy clown makeup yesterday sitting in the parking lot at the grocery store.  I did a double take and shuddered.  I do have to admit- the makeup was amazingly well done.

[LadyCrow1313]

I suppose this would be a bad time for a remake of "Send In The Clowns", right?

[Incognito22]

I maintain that a fear of clowns is not irrational!  What is rational about an adult covered in white makeup and color accents with big floppy shoes headed towards kids?!! Oh hell no!  Stranger flipping danger!