The Internet Has Plenty to Say About Those About Those Fireworks Keeping People Up in Places Across the Nation
There has been a boom in fireworks-related grievances across the nation. While people are fairly used to early Fourth of July celebrations, this year, there has been an explosion in pyrotechnic complaints from residents (and their dogs) across the United States as fireworks light up the sky night after night.
Residents in Hartford, Minneapolis, Chicago, Charlottesville, Las Vegas, Los Angeles have been plagued with nightly displays. In New York City, fireworks-related complaints have boomed 236 times higher this month compared to the same time period last year, according to Gothamist while over in California, the City of Pasadena reports that their fireworks calls are up 400% this month. Police in the Boston suburb of Salem, saw complaints increase by 2,000%, CBS Boston reports.
Naturally people are complaining about them on Twitter:
Me waking up at 1 am to damn fireworks for the 3rd week in a row #nycfireworks pic.twitter.com/7o4dBEubEA
— Hotpotatocoldspaghetti🥟 (@dumplingthings) June 22, 2020
dear whoever is setting these fireworks off every waking second................i just want to talk babe
— abolition in this lifetime (@Muna_Mire) June 15, 2020
The constant daily fireworks 2 weeks before 4th of July ... pic.twitter.com/DUA6vlY4by
— Kaylin (@ClassyKV) June 22, 2020
Can firework be the next industry millenials kill?
— Dom Noble (@Dominic__Noble) June 22, 2020
And there are jokes.
We need to have a family meeting about these fireworks. I’m trying to understand.
— Francheska (@HeyFranHey) June 14, 2020
The more offensive thing than setting off fireworks until 2 am is the neighbor BLASTING Firework by Katy Perry rn
— kyle | BLM (@kyle_deleted) June 23, 2020
The fireworks even made an appearance on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon:
NYC’s firework announcement gets interrupted by some distracting noises… https://t.co/LsWbTLAuJA #FallonAtHome pic.twitter.com/0Ec4jQ4zjE
— The Tonight Show (@FallonTonight) June 23, 2020
Dogs that are terrified of fireworks are also suffering—as are the people they live with as their pup hides under a table or tries to scratch their way through a wall.
personally. i don’t think you should set off fireworks. for any reason ever
— Thoughts of Dog® (@dog_feelings) June 23, 2020
There is some colloquial evidence to support the idea that sales of fireworks have risen considerably since lockdown. “Usually there’s one week before July 4th where it’s like a mad rush,” Anthony LoBianco, who runs Pennsylvania-based Intergalactic Fireworks, told TIME. “But that level of activity is happening now. Everyone is buying radically: they’re bored, and they have nothing to do at night. Fireworks fill in that little void instead of sitting at home and watching TV.”
So what else is behind this spike in fireworks? The New York Times attributes the rise to, “a release after months of boredom and seclusion in cramped apartments,” as well as “a celebration of hard-fought strides made during the demonstrations, and a show of defiance toward the police.”
Another theory is that there are simply more fireworks around than usual since many Fourth of July events have been cancelled due to the coronavirus, and prices may have dropped.
When you hear on the radio they having a fireworks sale..”buy 1 get 2 free” 🤬🤬 pic.twitter.com/ij0rOzQhNO
— HoopsandStyle (@HoopsandStyle) June 22, 2020
There has to have been the best sale ever on fireworks in Southern California.
— Rachel Nichols (@Rachel__Nichols) June 20, 2020
Random thought: what happens when all the cities cancel their July 4 fireworks shows? The unused fireworks gotta go somewhere. Seems to me that many someones are having an illicit down-low clearance sale to clear excess stock.
— C. Scott Ananian (@cscottnet) June 21, 2020
And some believe that it’s not just people blowing off steam after months of staying inside or marking the protests or celebrating Juneteenth, but something more nefarious. Users on social media are speculating that the fireworks are part of an organized effort to destabilize or punish communities of color by depriving them of sleep as a response to the calls to defund the police department and denounce police brutality after the killing of George Floyd.
re: the fireworks pic.twitter.com/AdVMKAXDc3
— Steadman™ (@AsteadWesley) June 22, 2020
The media is reporting this as though it's just Black and Brown kids blowing off steam, but I don't believe that's the case.
— Son of Baldwin (Robert Jones, Jr.) (@SonofBaldwin) June 20, 2020
My neighbors and I believe that this is part of a coordinated attack on Black and Brown communities by government forces; an attack meant to disorient and destabilize the #BlackLivesMatter movement.
— Son of Baldwin (Robert Jones, Jr.) (@SonofBaldwin) June 20, 2020
In response to the many sleepless nights, there was a protest outside of the residence of New York City Mayor Bill De Blasio on Monday night. Frustrated by what they view as the mayor’s lack of action over the fireworks, people reportedly decided that if they can’t sleep due to the fireworks, he can’t either so crowds yelled and cars honked.
New Yorkers fed up with fireworks honk horns near Gracie Mansion to wake up de Blasio https://t.co/37KVoQwBex pic.twitter.com/gDiCWIBWRD
— New York Post (@nypost) June 23, 2020
The protest apparently caught the attention of the mayor who has since launched a taskforce to investigate where the fireworks are coming from and cut off the source.
BREAKING: @NYCMayor announces an illegal fireworks task force.
“Illegal fireworks are both dangerous and a public nuisance. We’re cracking down on this activity at the source to ensure the safety of all New Yorkers & the ability of our neighbors to get some sleep.”
– @NYCMayor https://t.co/gHSl84C1d5— NYC Mayor's Office (@NYCMayorsOffice) June 23, 2020
He also announced that the city will hold its Fourth of July celebrations over the course of four nights. Meaning that a city exhausted by nightly fireworks will get more fireworks.
The Macy's fireworks show will begin June 29 and run through July 1 at locations in the 5 boroughs. They will be "brief bursts" of fireworks and then "pulled together" for July 4th on TV.
That finale will be live from the top of the Empire State Building on July 4. https://t.co/K6YCPOCxCq— katie honan (@katie_honan) June 23, 2020