As anticipation to celebrate the Fourth of July festivities in New York are under way, some residents in certain neighborhoods, particularly in Manhattan, worry about the darker side of the Independence Day: unsanctioned fireworks competitions.
The New York Times said that the state of New York has since banned the sale of fireworks since 1909. The legislation was warranted to curb the number of firework-related incidents. According to the Fire Department, over a thousand structural fires had ripped through the city of New York on Independence day in 1989. The law certainly helped reduce the number of structural fires. As of last year, the number of structural fires on July 4 dropped to 121. The Times said that as of this year, law enforcement agencies in New York have seized about $40,000 worth of fireworks and have made dozens of related arrests.
However, the 34th Police Precinct is reportedly having difficulty curbing the unsanctioned fireworks competitions around Dyckman Street.
Deputy Inspector Chris Morello, the precinct's commanding officer, promised that there would be a change this year. He said, "We've rescheduled people who are going to work the night, we're bringing in people on overtime and we're bringing people from other precincts. If they see fireworks, they're going to make the seizure, they're going to make the arrests."
However, some of the residents in Dyckman Street, which is formerly known as a crack haven and has now turned into an economically mobile working-class community, have a different take about the illegal fireworks despite the danger it would pose should it go awry. According to the residents, the competition was integral to the identity of the neighborhood. The area, which houses Dominican inhabitants, are celebrating Fourth of July for a different cause, the Times said.
The paper described how the fireworks spectacle is contributed without computers or synchronized music. "Each block has a 10- or 20-person explosives team, but anyone is free to join. First, the firecracker chains go down - two long ones can stretch the length of a block and light the pavement in a polychromatic blaze for 15 minutes or more. Soon, they pull out the smaller rockets, handing the Roman candles to the children."
"We're not really celebrating Independence Day. We're really celebrating our 'hood," said 30 year-old Hugo Joel Collado.
However, the minority like 69 year-old Hocasta Manzueta is not liking the fireworks spectacle in Dyckman. She said, "This is a danger; there is no supervision. They just use this day to stir up anger."
