A Damper On The Holiday

To the Editor:

I also would like to write in agreement with Laurie Borst [Letter Hive, “The Trappings Of Hate,” 11/7/08]. All the children that came to our door were very polite and thanked us for the yard and the candy with one exception. The same group of young people visited our house on Halloween night. In fact, they were the last group of children to visit our yard. My husband had gone inside briefly, and we were all inside the house, with the front door open so that we could see through the glass storm door to look out for latecomers. I heard loud banging on the glass of the door, and saw the young man in the KKK robe pressing his face against the glass. My daughter ran to the door ahead of me to respond to the trick-or-treaters. When she opened the door she saw that the basket of candy which was sitting on the doorstep was strewn across the grass, and also noticed the face of one of our jack-o-lanterns was smashed. The visitors had already begun to retreat from the yard. She made a comment to him about his “nice costume,” and said she was tempted at the time to run after them and take back the candy. The young man put his fist up in the air and yelled out “White Power” as he left our yard.

I cannot prove if they were the young people that vandalized the pumpkins and candy, nor if they could have also been the thieves that took my husband’s masks and our sword, but they certainly were not a good example of our youth. The parents that let that young man leave the house in that costume should think about the values they are instilling in him. I can tell you no one dressed like that will be given candy from our house next year. It is sad that one person, or group of persons, can put such a damper on a holiday that we all look forward to every year in our neighborhood.

Cheryl Moulthrop

36 Buttonball Drive, Sandy Hook                        November 12, 2008