Why is it always the depressing, dystopian movies that seem to come true?

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Residents of Crowley, Louisiana got a surprise yesterday when they heard the iconic sound of The Purge siren being played at full volume by cops. If you’re already paranoid and frayed from a couple of weeks living through a pandemic, hearing a siren that indicates that twelve hours of murder and mayhem are about to begin is… Well, let’s just say not ideal.

Fortunately, this siren wasn’t an indication that Crowley was about to kick off the first annual Purge, but was instead intended by the Crowley Louisiana Police Department to indicate the beginning of a COVID-19 curfew. The town is currently under a strict curfew to limit social contact after hours, with citizens requested not to leave their houses between 9pm and 6am. The police are patrolling to cite people who break it, and they blared The Purge siren from their patrol cars to let folks know when 9pm rolled around.

The sound was captured by local resident Adam Jon Schexnayder, who posted a video to Facebook and captioned it with:

“Y’all if Shreveport plays this sound (if we get a curfew), my anxiety will not survive. These crazies will think it’s actually the Purge. Crowley is wilding out. I’m glad I moved lol.”

Recognizing their mistake, the local police have stated that they didn’t realize this particular siren was associated with a dystopian movie in which terrified citizens hide inside their homes. They’ve promised not to use it again, and will be replacing it with a pleasant little synth ditty a deputy found on YouTube.

There’s no doubt that we’re living through an interesting time in history and who knows what the world will look like once all this is over? But I think it’s safe to say that we’re not yet at a point where everyone is so stressed that they need a night where you can murder anyone you want. For now.

A new Purge sequel, intended to be the last in the series, is due for release on July 10, 2020. Though like all release dates, those plans are currently up in the air.