A neighbor, writing on the Wallingford/Fremont Community Facebook page, posted the following:
During our walk around Green Lake tonight saw one of these scary clowns. I am not okay with it and don’t get it. Just a heads up if you are taking your kids in the next few days – had blood all over and some kind of choking device around his neck.
Much has been written about the unexplained rash of creepy clown sightings all over the country and in our area, but this is the first time I’ve heard of one close by.
It is unclear if the creepy clown epidemic is a joke, or some sort of elaborate scheme designed to evoke terror and ruin the reputation of clowns forever. Regardless, Seattle Public Schools are taking the threat seriously. An email went out to parents yesterday asking them to report any suspicious activity.
The Seattle School District has been contacted by a number of individuals concerned about an ongoing national social media trend related to “Scary Clowns.” There have been a few local news stories related to this and some of our students have received pictures of clowns. We are communicating to families to remind you and your student that if they see suspicious individuals while at school, please have them inform their teacher or principal immediately. We also ask you to report any threatening social media activity that involves Seattle Public Schools or our students to your school or the district’s Safety and Security Office at (206) 252-0707. This office is open 24 hours a day and 7 days a week.
We take safety seriously, and the security of our students is a top priority. We are working closely with Seattle Police Department to investigate all concerns related to this social media trend.
If you see something, say something!
Haunted houses are best confined to houses. I don’t want my whole life to be a haunted house. yikes.
SPS is taking a nicely measured stance. All they are saying is (a) there are clown rumors and (b) report any suspicious individuals. They are wisely not directly saying anything about Scary Clowns, but are addressing safety in general.
Most clown sightings in odd locations are probably people building on the rumor for a joke-scare. Or, they could be actual clowns going to parties. Don’t call out the mob.
Odds of a kidnapper calling attention to themselves by dressing as a clown? Near zero.
Here’s a Snopes twofer:
http://www.snopes.com/killer-clown-warning-note/
http://www.snopes.com/scary-clowns-kill-23-people-in-canada/
I have a t-shirt that says “Must not sleep. Clowns will eat me.” That pretty much says it all. (I’ve lost count of the people who see it, stop me and emphatically agree with the sentiment, lol…).
It is no joke and no laughing matter. I won’t name the bar but I was at a bar on N 45th St and ordered one drink. A man walks in dressed as a clown. This was over the summer and there was no festival or legit reason a person would be dressed as a creepy clown. I had never heard of this clown thing. Well, turned out my drink got drugged. I had one drink and felt like I had ten. I go to walk home and collapsed on some ones lawn unable to move my muscles for three hours. It was about midnight and no one noticed me. Later I told my friends what happened and they said the drink was obviously drugged. Never happened to me before. I didn’t see him do it but I thought later it was likely the clown since I knew everyone else there and someone in clown makeup is immune from being identified on surveillance video. Just a word of warning if you find yourself in a similar circumstance.
The world needs more strangeness and creativity, I love this.