‘Angel’s Night’ Coalition Douses Fire of Detroit Halloween Arson Spree

DETROIT, MI — City officials are declaring a victory over the “devils” who brought national attention to Detroit with pre-Halloween arson sprees that destroyed hundreds of buildings in the 1980s. During this year’s three-day “Angel’s Night” campaign that ended Halloween night, suspicious fires were at an all-time low, officials said Tuesday.

In a news conference, city officials said that 2016 was the second consecutive year for fewer than 60 fires during the three-day period — down significantly since 1995, when the Angel’s Night program was established to send a zero-tolerance message to Halloween arsonists. The highest number of Halloween arson fires ever recorded in Detroit was in 1984, when there were 810 fires during the three-day period.

This year, firefighters responded to 59 fires, 39 of them in structures, authorities said at the news conference. The fires also included six car fires, nine trash fires and five garage fires. The number was up slightly, from 52 fires in 2014.

The precipitous decline in fires is due to a combination of factors, from the coordinated efforts of police, firefighters and about 6,000 volunteers this year, to a city demolition program that has reduced the number of arson targets.

“The simple fact is we have 10,000 fewer potential targets for arsonists today than we did three years ago and our arson investigators have been taking more known arsonists off the streets,” Fire Commissioner Eric Jones said. “As a result, our hardworking firefighters now are responding to 30 percent fewer structure fires than they were just two years ago. That means better safety for the public and for firefighters.”

Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan said the coalition of volunteers working with emergency officials “has brought to an effective end a difficult chapter in Detroit’s history.”

“What started out as a negative for our city has evolved into an annual community celebration that shows the very best of Detroit,” Duggan said in a statement. “We plan to keep it that way.”

Pop Culture References

The notorious Devil’s Night arson and mayhem spree made its way into popular culture. It was a central theme in the 1994 film “The Crow,” in which the central villain, Top Dollar (Michael Wincott), claimed others emulated him after he started the first Halloween fires himself. In the 1997 film “Grosse Pointe Blank,” which takes place in the Detroit suburb of Grosse Pointe, Debi Newberry (Minnie Driver) points out that her apartment was burned in a Devil’s Night fire. Eminem’s 2002 “8 Mile” includes a scene where the characters torch an abandoned house to destroy a crime scene.

“Devil’s Night” is also the title of recordings by rapper Esham in 1993; Detroit hip-hop group D12's 2001, which titled its debut album “Devil's Night” and included a song by the same title; and a 2011 recording by Detroit rap artist Sonny! depicting inner-city living on the night of Oct. 30.

Metro Detroit horror-core duo Insane Clown Posse referenced Devil’s Night in “Dead Pumpkins,” a song on the 1998 “Forgotten Freshness” album, and Detroit metal band The Black Dahlia Murder mentioned Devil’s Night in “A Shrine to Madness,” which includes the line: “Devil’s Night, ‘twas a scorcher, but on this eve we bring Hell.”

The CBS crime drama“Criminal Minds” titled an episode in its sixth season “Devil’s Night.” It’s also the name of a fifth-season episode of “American Horror Story: Hotel,” which originally aired on Oct.28, 2015. The arson spree was also mentioned in journalist Ze'ev Chafets' 1990 nonfiction book “Devil's Night and Other True Tales of Detroit.”

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