Mississippi county bans clown costumes as Internet meme comes to life

Leaders of a small Mississippi county have banned its roughly 10,000 residents from dressing in public as clowns, all in response to a wave of threats—online and public— in connection to the latest creepy clown meme.

The Kemper County ordinance, which lasts through November 1 (the day after Halloween), bars anybody of any age from wearing a clown costume, a clown mask, or clown makeup. Violators of the ordinance face a $150 fine.

The county's Board of Supervisors approved the measure last week at the request of James Moore, the county's sheriff. Johnny Whitsett, the board's president, said the clown meme "has really gotten out of hand." Whitsett said "it wouldn't be good" if people saw somebody dressed as a clown in their yard.

The American Civil Liberties Union said the ordinance was "a ridiculous use of government authority," as the First Amendment generally allows people to wear what they want.

The Kemper County ordinance aside, there have been reports across the country about arrests of people going online and threatening to commit crimes while dressed as clowns. Alabama police, for example, said a Facebook account using the "FLOMO KLOWN" handle made what the authorities described as "credible threats" to students at a local high school. That forced a lockdown and resulted in the September arrest of two juveniles and an adult. A 13-year-old Virginia girl has been arrested in connection to her allegedly soliciting a clown on social media to kill one of her middle school teachers. And Georgia police issued warrants to arrest four people accused of making terrorist threats to commit crimes at schools while donning clown costumes. The Tennessee Department of Safety & Homeland Security even issued a public warning about clowns last month.

Slate reported a few weeks ago that this latest creepy clown craze is not new and possibly dates back to 1981. The term coulrophobia is defined as the fear of clowns, and it appears people are taking advantage of that fear this year. Sales of clown masks are up 300 percent since last year in the run-up to Halloween.