Story Archive

When Clowns Can’t Take a Joke

Employees at the City Lights Bookshop in London, Ont., Canada, noticed a man in clown makeup scribbling on the store’s window with a marker. The clown, accompanied by a similarly dressed friend, was trying to deface a “No Clowns Allowed” sign, which has been displayed in the store for years, and recently moved to the window. When Teresa Tarasewicz went out to confront them, one of the clowns said that “I asked your owner to take down this racist sign.” Tarasewicz knew that was a lie: she is the owner. “It’s not racist,” she replied. “It’s a joke,” and she refuses to take it down. The clown — Buttons Blammo (Brian Currie) — claims the sign is “profiling” — that “all clowns are the same, all clowns are fear clowns, all of us are scary clowns. That’s not true.” Police moved the clowns along, but Currie says he’ll be back to protest again. (RC/London Free Press) ...Which puts him right into the “scary” category.