"Angel's Night aka Devil's Night" Detroit Local Custom Tip by mdchachi

October 30, the night before Halloween is Angel's Night. When I was growing up in this area, this night was called Devil's Night because much mischief -- mostly in the form of arson of (usually) empty houses and dumpsters -- was taking place. It was only after I reached adulthood that I realized that this kind of mayhem was a uniquely Detroit phenomenon. In the 1980's there was an average of 500 to 800 fires reported during the days around Halloween. Finally somebody in the city administration decided that this might be a problem and instituted city wide patrols and youth curfews to curb the problem. I'm not sure what the latest figures are but I believe the incidents still number over 100 so some community-minded citizens are keeping this venerable tradition alive.