Communities Create Safe Halloween Spaces Nationwide

Hospitals and children’s wards brought Halloween to patients who couldn’t trick-or-treat, with Blythedale Children’s Hospital and ECU Health’s James and Connie Maynard Children’s Hospital hosting parades, costumed staff and decorated booths to comfort families. Schools and neighborhoods marked the holiday with parades and safety campaigns, including McCarter Elementary’s drumline parade and Wichita’s College Hill temporarily closing streets to protect trick-or-treaters. In Chicago, community leaders organized indoor events, closed blocks and set up volunteer patrols to create safe trick-or-treat spaces after intensified federal immigration enforcement disrupted local Halloween activities and raised fears. Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker asked federal authorities to pause immigration enforcement over Halloween, but Homeland Security officials declined. Separately, the Berry Hill Police Department asked the public for help identifying a suspect who reportedly stole a handgun from an unlocked truck earlier this month.