Scary Overcriminalization

What to Know: It’s not just those Virginia towns that have been in the news; an Illinois news agency look at that state’s law and found even more anti-fun Halloween laws.

“Belleville appears to be home to the strictest such laws in the state. In the Metro East city, it’s illegal to trick-or-treat beyond the eighth grade,” the Illinois News Network reports. “Violation of that rule is punishable by a fine of up to $1,000. That’s a lot to pay for a little candy. And that’s not all. If you’re a Belleville resident over the age of 12 and would like to wear a mask in public on any day other than Halloween, you need to secure permission from the mayor or the chief of police. Without approval from one of the head pumpkins, you’re as guilty as the criminal high-school freshmen asking neighbors for a Payday candy bar. Forsyth, outside Decatur, has one of the most unique and harsh restrictions in the state. Those trick-or-treating in the Macon County village should beware: Police can slap you with a fine of up to $750 if you approach a house that doesn’t have its porch light on.”

The TPPF Take: Oh come on.

“Who is made safer by a 13-year-old jailed or fined for dressing as a superhero?” says TPPF’s Katie Greer, who wrote on the topic in the Washington Post. “Jail and fines should be used to further public safety. It is otherwise a waste of taxpayer resources and an unnecessary assault on individual liberty.”

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