Homeowner From Rich Neighborhood Gets Accused Of Ruining Halloween After She Urged The Community To Screen Trick Or Treaters From The Other Town

Halloween is supposed to be all candy, costumes, and excited kids, but one neighborhood’s big night turned into a traffic jam instead. In a wealthy area with only about 90 homes, one Redditor says the crowds have grown so large that the streets are packed with visitors from a nearby town.

That became a real problem when her daughter broke her arm on Halloween and the family could not get out for emergency care. What started as frustration over overflowing trick-or-treat crowds quickly turned into a debate about safety, fairness, and whether she crossed a line by speaking up.

Now the neighborhood is split, and the comments are not making it any simpler. Read on.

They had to wait until 1 AM after the merry trick-or-treaters had left before they could go to the ER.

OP's daughter was in pain for hours, but they couldn't really do anything about it. This was the straw that broke the camel's back.

OP got in touch with the neighborhood community and managed to get the guards on board. They will stand at the gate with a pre-approved list of names, family, and friends of people living inside the subdivision, whom they will allow inside the neighborhood.

That year, there were only about 300 kids who managed to trick-or-treat. This was great for OP, as there was not much litter left afterward.

They will be doing the screening again this year. OP didn't think she did a bad thing until she talked to her sister about it.

OP's sister reminded her that when they were young, they had to trick-or-treat in the nicer neighborhood because they used to live in a trailer park. She said OP is a horrible person for ruining Halloween for thousands of kids.

Despite her sister being upset, OP doesn't feel bad about what she did. OP said that if there was a fire or other emergency, then first responders wouldn't be able to get through due to the people and haphazardly parked vehicles.

throwawaynotherr432

OP doesn't believe she was wrong, but her sister's outburst made her doubt her actions. Do you think OP is the a**hole? You can read her original post below:

throwawaynotherr432

"I was annoyed."

throwawaynotherr432

"I was done."

throwawaynotherr432

"Honestly, I'm not too broken up."

throwawaynotherr432

Oh gosh.

throwawaynotherr432

At first, plenty of people thought OP was just being unfair to kids from outside her neighborhood.

Initially, people assumed that OP was discriminating against poor kids and using the emergency as a reasonable excuse.

pictogasm

They even said she was selfish and masking her hatred for "those people."

pictogasm

OP pushed back and explained why the situation had become such a mess.

OP said that wasn't the case at all and explained where she was coming from.

throwawaynotherr432

Surely the city government can intervene if the problem is this bad?

Dontthinkaboutshrimp

Apparently, it's not a city but a financially struggling small town.

throwawaynotherr432

One commenter wanted more context, and OP’s answer did not help her look better.

This is similar to the neighbor who kept leaving her dog and got backlash when OP set limits.

A commenter asked OP for clarification.

zootnotdingo

While they are not poor, OP says they're also not drowning in money. Well, you can read the rest of her comment below, which doesn't help her case.

throwawaynotherr432

It does sound like there are other biases at play here, but OP didn't bother to answer or refute the comment.

Slammogram

The emergency question came up next, and OP said the crowd had blocked the road completely.

Did OP call an ambulance at least?

Mean_Mathematician70

OP said that there were so many people and vehicles that an ambulance wouldn't have been able to get through.

throwawaynotherr432

Then the replies started to swing back in her favor.

After some time, comments supporting OP's actions began gaining traction.

goestoeswoes

They pointed out that if it was a life-threatening emergency, the number of people and cars in OP's neighborhood would have caused a significant problem.

Kathrynlena

The parents could have made sure they were treating the neighborhood and, by extension, the residents nicely.

JuiceEdawg

If they cause obstruction, then it's a problem.

roman1969

If others can maintain proper decorum and not destroy other neighborhoods, then this could be done in OP's town as well.

Elaan21

That is, if the parents and children make an effort not to destroy people's property.

Flahdagal

It seems OP acted just soon enough before things escalated to this level.

teresajs

The happy times stopped because the parents weren't responsible adults.

shadow-sage

It's easy to see why OP was rightfully worried...

MistressChantal

... but she shouldn't go around telling people about her involvement with the pre-approved list.

carlocarlow

This is a big blow for the children who only want candy, but OP was right to raise concerns.

southparkslaps

OP just wanted the annual tradition to be safe for everyone involved.

apromessadevida

At first, I thought OP was just discriminating against others from outside her social standing. Reading and reflecting on what she posted, my opinion changed.

OP could have easily been labeled the witch who ruined Halloween, but if you really think about it, she just wanted the fun times to be safe. Had the visitors been responsible and respected the properties, then this wouldn't have happened.

And if that “pre-approved list” drama has you thinking about boundaries, read what a neighbor asked for after dumping dog-walking duties.