By Kate Callen
Just before midnight on December 31, my sister, Brae, and I were toasting the new year with champagne when the house was filled with a flash of blinding white light followed by a window-rattling boom. A minute later, it happened again.
My North Park street has been plagued by fireworks on July Fourth and New Year’s Eve for as long as I’ve lived here. But these weren’t sparklers or ground spinners. These were commercial-grade fireworks that should never be set off in residential neighborhoods.
What the hell is going on? Why does a handful of morons (an estimated 99 percent of whom carry the Y chromosome) need to set off explosives to celebrate holidays? And why do the rest of us tolerate lawless behavior that terrifies small children, scares pets into hiding or running away from home, triggers military veterans with PTSD, and poses a public safety risk?
It’s not hard to find the perpetrators. While I searched for my cats, Brae marched down the street to the place where the sound came from. She confronted three men standing on the sidewalk (we’re from Philadelphia, it’s what we do), and they denied any involvement.
Then the snarky one started arguing. Hey, what’s the harm? People just want to have a little fun. And it’s only one night a year.
Except that it isn’t just one or two nights a year. The scourge of neighborhood fireworks has become a year-round problem, and in some areas, lowlifes set them off during daylight hours.
A City Heights resident named Teri (given that this is criminal conduct, she doesn’t want us to print her last name) has begun a campaign to stop this madness. She is tracking incidents of illegal fireworks and working with San Diego Police community relations officers in affected areas.
“It’s totally out of control,” Teri said. “It’s happening all year long, especially on Saturday nights, and all over the county. And these are commercial fireworks that are illegal in California. We’ve heard reports that people bring them in from Arizona and Mexico.”
Every time Teri has posted about neighborhood fireworks on Next Door, she has received hundreds of comments from people with their own horror stories about screaming infants and trembling dogs. She is now ready to take action.
“I’m putting together a group of people who want to get involved in stopping this,” she said. “This isn’t a problem with teenagers in empty lots. We need to stop the serial offenders, and we need to stop the sale of illegal fireworks.”
One repeat offender was arrested last year after extensive surveillance from neighbors – photos, videos, license plates, street addresses. But law enforcement doesn’t have the resources to pursue this on a wide scale, especially since the offense is only a misdemeanor, so prosecutors won’t want to be bothered.
Illegal neighborhood fireworks are primarily a social problem. Which means this is really a political problem.
“Ultimately, we need to bring this to the attention of the City Council and the County Board of Supervisors,” Teri said. “We think it’s time for elected officials to take this seriously.”
Teri needs help organizing her group. She can be reached at: midcityfireworkswatch@gmail.com
Thank you for bringing attention to this issue that we have been working on. People are largely unaware that setting off these fireworks are not just disturbing to people, pets and the environment, but also very dangerous. They are illegal for a reason. We need more public awareness, community participation and tougher laws to stop this from happening throughout the year.
Thank you for addressing the growing illegal fireworks issue. I am happy to be working with Teri to stop these. With community, and SDPD help, we have stopped 2 major offenders. There is a lot to be done. Teri has great ideas for working with City Officials to get laws changed. There needs to be bigger fines and penalties, and the Police need to have more authority, to go after the offenders. Not only are they traumatic for Veterans and pets, it is completely unnerving to have these huge explosions going off in residential neighborhoods. Help us stop them. Midcityfireworkswatch@gmail.com
Thanks for bringing up this problem. Although illegal fireworks have been exploded in my neighborhood for years, even during drought years when fire worries prevailed, this year they were exploding on Christmas Eve day and all day Christmas, in addition to the usual July 4/New Year’s Eve. It is impossible to imagine going out and looking for/confronting the culprits all night long. The only solution for most people is to call SDPD non-emergency, but that will get nothing. We need active hot lines on holidays when this happens that will bring law enforcement into an area.
And please help to stop Sea World from blasting the shit out of neighborhoods all damn summer long. I’m sick of that shit.
Kate, this won’t solve neighborhood fireworks directly, but it is related. Council President LaCava had publicly stated that he is in favor of greatly limiting the nightly Sea World fireworks and that it will be addressed this year when the council reviews Sea World’s GDP. As you are regularly monitoring council agendas, when you see this come up, please spread the word.
Thanks, Chaz, great idea. It will take persistence to stop neighborhood fireworks, but I think people are furious enough to ride herd on this. We’ll watch for the Sea World agenda item, flag it in “This Week at City Hall,” and urge people to show up and speak up. Nightly fireworks at Sea World and illegal fireworks in residential neighborhoods harass a lot of people for the “enjoyment” of a few. Both are equally indefensible.
Agree, we should get rid of all sirens on the police and ambulances. We should also get rid of all planes in the sky and those military vehicles off of Coronado. All motorized boats, they are so loud. Lets get rid of all the mexicans that do your lawns and blow those blowers. Lets get rid of all the dogs that bark. Lets get rid of all the babies that cry. And most of all, lets get rid of all land rights so everyone can live anywhere in harmony. Only crystals and yoga for Karen! Your utopia was built on bombs and murder. Fireworks symbolize the freedom you now have. Fireworks are a recognition of only your freedom apparently.
Over the top and defensive reply don’t ya think?
Thank you Kate, this reminds me of my old house in the El Cerrito (aka College area) where firework and ammunition blasted every July 4th, Memorial Day, and New Year’s Eve. Yes, one day I found a bullet hole in my wall just opposite my couch. But all the letters to City Council offices and the San Diego Police Department failed to correct the problem. That was, back when Jerry Sanders (former Police Chief) was mayor and letters to him has the same effect as letters to Todd Gloria today. but you who would solve the problem? I am one of those people that remember that Donna Frye actually won the mayoral election handed to Jerry Sanders by a corrupt Registrar of Voters who refused to count the vote boxes not completely blacked out on the ballots. I know Donna Frye would have answered your question about fireworks.