Volunteers Battle ‘Devil’s Night’ Arson

An army of 35,000 volunteers took to the streets for the third straight night Wednesday in a final Halloween stand against the “Devil’s Night” arsonists whose fires have become an unwanted tradition in the Motor City.

“We feel that we will make a dent,” said block-club leader Lillian Miller. “We hope we’ll bury Devil’s Night tonight.”

Miller is among a wave of volunteers, including members of 3,500 block clubs, who patrolled the streets of Detroit in efforts to keep arsonists in check.

Mayor Coleman A. Young, who has been battling the orgy of arson that makes the city unique during the three days that surround Halloween, said figures on the numbers of fires Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday nights would not be available until today or Friday.

But, Young said, “on the surface, it is very, very clear we are still having Devil’s Night problems. But they are much more controlled today than they were and the chief new ingredient is the wholesale introduction of the participation of community groups and individuals.”

The mayor also blamed “media hype” for part of the phenomenon.

“This Devil’s Night got more publicity and national TV programs dedicated to the subject. The hype is unprecedented,” he said, “so we can expect reaction. But I think we did well.”

The city has taken unprecedented measures to control the violence and blazes, including the massive block-by-block patrols by volunteers; a 6 p.m.-to-6 a.m. curfew for youths under 18; a $1,500 reward for anyone turning in an arsonist; beefing up of police and fire fighters on duty, and the establishment of seven fire department command posts to coordinate and monitor both fires and responses to them.

On Monday night, 154 youths were arrested for curfew violations--down from 165 in 1989--and 91 were arrested Tuesday night, or Devil’s Night, compared to 155 for the same day last year.

In addition to the efforts by the city and private individuals, 11 pay television networks unscrambled their signals so residents could watch premium stations free on in an apparent attempt to entice teen-agers to stay at home.

Since the Devil’s Night mobilization began five years ago, fires have dropped 72% from the peak in 1984, when a record 810 blazes burned during the two days before Halloween and on the holiday. Last year, there were 223 fires during the period.