Halloween is the one night where teenage kids get to be five years old again and eat mounds of candy collected by ringing a stranger’s doorbell and saying three simple words; Trick-or-Treat.
Unfortunately, most kids over the age of ten tend to spend All Hallows Eve pulling scare-tactic pranks and causing chaos through the streets. In retrospect it’s not that bad because part of Halloween is all about getting scared and scaring others. The question at hand is where and when are the lines drawn between harmless scaring and downright cruel pranks.
Egging- the act of throwing raw, rotten, or hard boiled eggs at unsuspecting trick-or-treaters or inanimate objects- is one of those pranks that crosses the imaginary line between harmless and cruel. Many that live in the Thousand Oaks/Jones Maltsberger area have heard about the group of teenagers who were going around ‘egging’ people last year. They literally walked around the area with a carton of eggs, throwing them at the innocent trick-or-treaters that just wanted candy?
Having a hard shell egg filled with slimy, salmonella infested yolk is the last thing you want hurtling towards your head and encrusting itself on your hair and costume as the night goes on.
For those who think they can bend the rules and throw eggs at houses, mailboxes, or other inanimate objects, don’t even try. It’s disrespectful and a violation of law.
No matter who or what you are throwing the egg at, it is considered a federal offense. You will be fined for vandalism and the destruction of private property. And if you are lucky enough to throw the egg hard enough to hurt the unsuspecting civilian’s feelings you can be charged with assault.
So to avoid the trouble and possible jail time just don’t do it. Have some common decency when it comes to respecting people and their property and deviate from throwing the eggs. Instead look through ‘Google’ and find some more creative and harmless ways to scare people, but let’s leave the eggs for Sunday morning breakfast.
I remember the egging last year. My Dad’s car got egged last year. I really hope that group of kids don’t do that again this year.