Go Home Already: Shouts and Murmurs
Man Stops Traffic at 17th and K to Demand $200 Million
Compromise Uncertain on Same-Sex Marriage Law
Morning Roundup: Goodbye, Abe Edition
Judge Throws Out WTU Suit Over Teacher Layoffs
It was just last week that we pondered the usual post-Fourth of July question -- what should the District do about the annual DIY firework displays that help mark America's independence? Council member Jim Graham (D-Ward 1) may have an answer.
Today Graham is introducing legislation that would severely restrict the use of fireworks and prohibit their sale. According to a press release from Graham's office, "The bill requires a permit for the display of fireworks and provides a civil penalty for illegal possession or use...[it] also provides a civil penalty for the sale of fireworks." Graham and then-Ward 4 Council member Adrian Fenty introduced similar legislation in 2004, and Fire & EMS Chief Dennis Rubin recently advocated a ban of fireworks for personal use.
This is bound to provoke more of the debate we saw last time we mentioned the possibility of a ban. On the one hand, homeowners and some residents have expressed concern with the safety of the July 4th tradition, especially in a city where kids have been known to throw rocks at pedestrians and cyclists for a good time. On the other hand, for every one kid causing mayhem with a bottle-rocket, there are plenty running around innocently with sparklers. And as with any prohibition, many wonder how such a measure would be enforced. Of course, it would be precious to see a crowd of 10-year-olds march down to the Wilson Building to request permits to light a couple of fountains and sparklers.
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We love our bans!
Go to Valencia, Spain during their Fallas festival and you'll find kids and adults alike lighting off fireworks every two feet. The people there actually embrace it as part of the festival. Here? Ban it.
Just make it illeagal to sell them.
There was at least 6 different temp firework shacks in NE that I saw.
There would be a lot less fireworks out and about if you had a harder time buying them.
~Anonymous Idiot
Can we just ban Jim Graham from the city?
That would be the best reason ever for a fireworks show!!!
I say everybody gather up their unused fireworks and meet outside Graham's place one night.
WTF? I thought it was already illegal to buy any sort of fireworks, other than fountains or snakes.
Thank you, CM Graham, it's about time we end the 4th of July lunacy before someone gets seriously hurt or a whole row of houses burns down. We've gotten lucky the past 2 years with heavy rain wetting rooftops prior to the "show", but next year we might not be so lucky. I know there are spent rockets on my roof!
Yes, another ban is exactly what's needed. Haven't you seen how well the handgun ban has worked out?
I'm sure a fireworks ban would work just as well as the firearms ban does. No one ever gets shot in DC!
Is it possible to revoke the "D" that Graham claims? It is folks like him and Lieberman that give Democrats a bad rap.
Let make them even more illegal....that will do it!
Current law:
Specifically permitted
Toy paper caps containing not more than 0.25 grain of explosive composition per cap,sparklers less than 20”in length, torches, box fire, fountains, cones, dip sticks, non-poisonous snakes, novelties, and colored
lights.
Specifically prohibited
Firecrackers of any kind of description. Any fireworks that explode, (cherry bombs, salutes, roman candles, floral shells, artillery shells,) or intended to move after the piece is placed and fires (bottle rockets, parachutes, buzz bombs, pinwheels, helicopters, jumping jacks.) Sparklers more than 20” in length that contain dangerous chemicals, or any highly oxidizing agent. Fireworks having a side fuse,
or a fuse inserted at any point along the length of the firework, and any firework found by the Fire Chief to be dangerous to the safety of any person or property.
Do we really have to have this discussion again? Martin, honestly, did you have to write this sentence this way?
...especially in a city where kids have been known to throw rocks at pedestrians and cyclists for a good time.
It's not for a good time. It's because they are defending their neighborhoods. We can call it whatever else we want, but as long as we frame the discussion as Them Who Wants Fireworks and Those Who Want a Ban, we're going to suffer the same slings and arrows here.
Go to Valencia, Spain
True enough. I went to a wedding in Valencia once and the cousins of the bride--mostly young boys--seemed to think that there was no better tribute for a blushing young virgin than a near-endless chain of explosives strung from one end of town to the other. To cap it all off, they flung lit firecrackers into the crowd.
Guest 9 - Remove the (D) for advocating "nanny" government? That is all y'all got - steal tax payer money, waste it and give it to the lazy, tell people how to live their lives. Looks like Dem policy to me.
Geeeeesh, people!!! Are we talking about the one week a year when kids are supposedly launching fireworks or otherwise shooting them off?
What about the other 51 WEEKS OF THE YEAR when kids are:
(1) throwing rocks at cars and buses;
(2) mugging/assaulting people on the street;
(3) stealing cars for joyrides;
(4) dealing drugs on neighborhood corners;
(5) gunning down their adversaries; etc.
Yes, Mr. Graham. We should definitely do something about these troublesome fireworks. Lord knows the city will be safer without them!
That's the most sexually suggestive law ever!
"fire box"
"dip sticks"
"non-poisonous snakes"
"more than 20"in in length"
"salutes"
Some of the residents of two different Capitol Hill housing project have routinely shot explosive rockets at people walking their dogs, runners, and in one case, a couple pushing a baby stroller.
But I guess the victims of the attacks are just uptight, and it must be just "cultural expression" on the part of the residents.
Martin
What a loaded entry -- permissible sparklers and the like are not the problem, and no fireworks oppenents would even suggest that. It's the free-for-all mayhem of the already illegal variety which causes concern. Permits would be a useful step -- allow the neighborhood displays as long as they conform to some notion of public safety and avoid being a broader nuissance.
Another law is not needed, the laws on the books are fine, but they need to be enforced. That means a dedicated team of officers on "fireworks patrol" citywide during 4th of July week, real fines for possession (instead of just confiscation), and felony charges for the few people that fire rockets at people or property (again this is a small group, but the potential for damage is massive).
How about police arrest the people that are assaulting innocent passersby instead of banning all fireworks? Seems to make sense.
Everett!!! . Hello!!! . Where have you been living?
You wrote: "It's not for a good time. It's because they are defending their neighborhoods."
It's obvious you haven't had kids throw rocks at your car while driving down your own freaking street.
Well I have in Southwest DC! Get a grip.
I know, my left-leaning brain will explode at any moment, but would anyone like to think about how we're talking about "kids" here? The "kids" lighting off firecrackers are the same "kids" who are stealing people's cars? Does it not matter anymore that there are different children of all ages in the city who may engage in the Independence Day festivities by lighting up rockets but haven't broken any robbery or assault laws the other 51 weeks of the year?
Or is it that they all look alike? Is that what we're saying here?
Is "kids" the new black? Or is gray the new black? Or . . .
"It's not for a good time. It's because they are defending their neighborhoods. We can call it whatever else we want, but as long as we frame the discussion as Them Who Wants Fireworks and Those Who Want a Ban, we're going to suffer the same slings and arrows here."
This isn't Mogadishu or Revolutionary-era Paris, it's DC. Who are they defending against? The gay urban pioneers and the tight-pants'd sissy hipsters in overly tight t-shirts? Are they raging against the man and urban renewal? Will Borf be their Roberspierre?
I didn't think so.
"because they are defending their neighborhoods."
are you freaking kidding me??? these aren't oppressed palestinian children facing down soldiers and heavily armored tanks with nothing but the rocks lying at their feet! how are these kids threatened by a white guy on a schwinn? get a grip, holmes!!
"What about the other 51 WEEKS OF THE YEAR when kids are..."
I've said it before, and I'll say it again.
Place a ban on Children. Period.
Then we just solve all these problems! Tubals and V-Sectomies for everybody!
Place a ban on children? Then who will sew the American flags and assemble the fireworks in my basement sweatshop?
Can someone please run against Jim Graham next time around? He has apparently completely lost his mind.
I've had my car broken into twice over here in NE. By 20-something people. I've been mugged for my bicycle in New York by four 16- and 17-year-olds. I've also dealt with some crazy road rage asshole, and he was in his forties (at least he looked it).
Hopefully my "street cred" as a victim of crime is good enough for you.
And no, these aren't oppressed Palestinian children facing down tanks, but does it really need to get to that point before we'll admit that people FEEL like they're being driven out of their homes? Just read the comments on this one Web site in the past month, all of the "move to suburbia," "go to PG County," etc., and persuade me that there's no pressure on families (we're talking "kids" after all, right?) to get out of their homes and let the middle class professionals move in instead.
And I'm quite sure I've got a good grip here, but thanks for your concern.
"how are these kids threatened by a white guy on a schwinn?"
Well if that guy is going to call the cops on them for using fireworks, then I'd say there is a lot to be threatened by.
Bob - You missed the most sexually suggestive phrase in the whole article: "Dennis Ruben."
As in, "So last night, she gives me a Dennis Ruben and I wake up with rope burns down THERE and I haven't pooped straight in a week."
Great use of resources, having cops go around on July 4 telling kids to knock it off. It's not like anybody's going to get arrested. Next up: the DC ban on Easter Egg hunts because they might contain salmonella. Only then will we finally be safe from the big bad rabbit.
Given that the cops don’t enforce fireworks regulations now, or any other law broken by anyone under the age of 18 that doesn’t involve guns, banning them outright seems unlikely to do anything other than send a little sales-tax revenue to Maryland.
On the face of this, it makes little sense. Fireworks are already illegal.
Unless the whole point is to open up a dialog about whether they should or should not be illegal, or demonstrate that support for the enforcement of existing laws is something the public wants.
Rather than a knee-jerk reaction, it might behoove lawmakers to survey the restrictions regarding fireworks in other cities, as well as methods of enforcement, and success rates.
But gathering this information would require some effort, as well as thought, and might actually make too much sense to be done.
Another ban is not necessary. Enforcement of the current ban is necessary, however.
I live in Anacostia, SE DC and the fireworks display is not restricted to one day or even one week a year. 7days a week, 24 hours a day, anytime anyone feels the need to shoot one off they do.
Will the police enforce the current ban, probably not. However, a serious problem in my neighborhood is the use of fireworks to cover up the sound of gunshots.
Case in point: 5/23/07, 11:30pm a stray bullet came plowing through my living room window, just moments after a string of fireworks had been shot off. When I called 911 they questioned whether I had mistaken the sound for fireworks, as there had been complaints earlier in the evening. Confidently I was able to say no, as I was surrounded by shards of glass and a shotgun round.
For all of you that think the enforcement of this ban is not necessary, it may seem like that in your neighborhood. You may like the sound of them, or even the display of pretty lights, but the presence of fireworks in other neighborhoods is a serious problem that needs to be corrected.
White people celebrate their nation's independence like THIS, black people celebrate their nation's independence like THAT!
I agree with the ban, or at least SOME sort of police enforcement. Maybe they could consider shooting fireworks at cars or other people assault? I shot off my share of illegal fireworks when I was a kid, and it was illegal in Virginia of course, BUT
1) We were always supervised by parents, who would have smacked us silly if we shot them at each other, at a house, or at a car.
2) We shot them in an open area.
3) We knew the cops could write us a ticket, which made us more careful.
My husband took a video this July 4th of a policeman directing traffic around a group shooting off fireworks directly at cars and over 7th street onto peoples' roofs. We also witnessed kids under the age of 10 throwing firecrackers at each other.
There has GOT to be a better way of enforcing safety. If there is no middle ground, then I am truly sorry for those that won't get to enjoy fireworks like I did, but frankly, they just need to GET OVER IT. For Christ's sake, just take a cheap bus ride downtown to see one of the best fireworks show's in the country. Heck, and then maybe I could go too, since I won't feel like I need to stay home to make sure my house doesn't catch on fire.
What a waste of energy trying to ban fireworks. I would much prefer the cops shut down the open air drug market on the 1800 block of Monroe St NW in the heart of Jim Graham's Ward 1. The neighbors have been trying for years to no avail. I would much rather see crack, weed, boat and whatever else they are selling to the kids off of the street.
Oh for the love of...
...are we sure Jim Graham isn't really Helen Lovejoy in disguise?
In the District..
Fireworks are illegal.
You can't buy alcohol after 10pm in stores.
and you don't mess around with Jim.
everett, mad props on your victim cred. sucks all that stuff happened to you, but what do you expect when you go around oppressing peeps like you do. of course there's going to be payback, right?? i've got a better explanation for why your freedom fighter buddies are out there using bicyclists for rock throwing target practice - they're a bunch of degenerates that do that crap for fun.
don't give us this biz about them defending their neighborhoods. that's total bs, playa. maybe you can help these che guevaras out by explaining a better "defense" would be to attend school, go to college, do well and get a good paying job so they can afford the property taxes on grandma's pad once she moves on. now that's keepin' it real.
What's wrong with throwing rocks at the obnoxious dillweeds that ride bikes in DC? Sounds like a good idea to me... where do I sign up?
The BS from Everett about the kids/teens throwing rocks and shooting fireworks at passers-by "defending their neighborhoods" is so ridiculous there must be some sort of deep-seated self-loathing going on here. He must be living in Bizarro DC where everything is backwards, and the efficient and omnipresent police brutally suppress angelic groups of kids or shall we call them "freedom fighters" who are doing nothing more than trying to stop the yuppie's bulldozers from destroying their homes.
And no, these aren't oppressed Palestinian children facing down tanks, but does it really need to get to that point before we'll admit that people FEEL like they're being driven out of their homes?
Everett, I totally agree. DC residents who have their feelings hurt by new neighbors moving in down the block are completely justified in throwing rocks at any and all passerby on the street.
Wow. If that "defending their neighborhood" line wasn't meant in an ironic sense, it's easily the most asinine thing I've read all year.
Tell you what: is kids really believe they'r defending their neighborhood, it seems like we owe them some sort of organized offensive. Seeing as their going to all the trouble to, you know...MOUNT THE BARRICADES.
I do believe that the mention of kids throwing rocks at cyclists is by far the most mentioned thing on DCist.
Everett:
At first I thought you were joking with the 'oppressed children' line.
Seriously, now.
Kids in DC have been throwing rocks at residents for as long as I can remember. Way before the current wave of gentrification. We had a whole group of kids on the Hill throwing stuff at residents nearly a dozen years ago, back when people were fleeing the neighborhood and there was certainly no talk of 'displacement'.
And I seriously doubt these kids are thinking deep thoughts about displacement and their role in society.
No. They are little shits whose parents let them wander the streets at will. And they think it's fun to fuck with people. And there's often (but probably not always) a racial element as well. Again, encouraged by their parents.
Little Rosa Parks' they ain't.
It is odd, though, how much we comment on this kids throwing rocks topic. Maybe because it's such a convenient metaphor / summary for how things often happen in DC, and how it seems the police are totally uninterested, and how a lot of residents seem to think this is just 'how kids are'.
I'd have a good laugh if I saw one of you biking morons get hit with a rock. Serves you sanctimonious, sidewalk-hogging jergoffs right. Why ban fireworks? BAN BIKES. That'd really effect the quality of life for many more DC residents.
Using one's own fireworks is part of our American tradition just as is having a beer at a Nat's game or riding a bike on the Mall. All of these activities can produce injuries, especially the drinking and bike riding. Let's not just single out fireworks.
Additionally, the fireworks which are legal in our city do not rise into the air or explode. The exploding and aerial items are the problem and not the sparklers and fountains. Banning the fountains and sparklers to stop the exploders and aerials makes as much sense as hoping to stop the sale of crack cocaine by banning asparin.
Finally, would the public interest not be better served if the police concentrated their efforts on the dangerous fireworks that cause all the major problems and left legal fountains and sparklers alone?
Guest:
It's not just cyclists that get pelted with rocks in DC. It's also just people walking down the sidewalk. Sometimes it's people in cars.
So it'd possibly get you as well. But, then, I guess you deserve it, since you'd be a sanctimonious, road or sidewalk hogging jerk-off, right?
The kid was injured with a firework that's already illegal. All firecrackers are already illegal, so it makes no sense to ban all other fireworks. It'd be like banning pepper spray because someone got shot with an illegal gun.
This is nothing more than an unjustified knee-jerk reaction.
I ride my bike past Cardozo every day and I've never had a rock thrown at me. Can't help but think some of you newcoming yuppies must be doing something to provoke this. There's a gated community in Fairfax just waiting for you.
There's a gated community in Fairfax just waiting for you.
Dude. Update your scorn. This ain't 1985. Fairfax is ghetto. Manassas is a dump. The real country club scene is in Fredericksburg, now.
Urban_Architect:
Good point re the use of firecrackers to cover gunshots. Even if it's not deliberate, it has that effect in the most lawless neighborhoods.
'Banning' fireworks is not going to end reckless firework behavior just as limiting alcohol sales to 60% of restaurant revenue won't stop Adams Morgan, or stopping drivers from talking on cell phones will stop them. The need is for more civil communication between neighbors who have different preferences.
Kids are always doing stupid things. Sure they should be disciplined if they cause harm, but making petty criminals out of them doesn't seem a very good policy. Personally, I'm no fan of fireworks in the streets, but I don't want to legislate my preferences on my neighbors.
"I ride my bike past Cardozo every day and I've never had a rock thrown at me. Can't help but think some of you newcoming yuppies must be doing something to provoke this."
What kind of nonsense is this? Yeah, I was biking home from work uphill on 11th Street, and I saw some kids, and stopped to throw rocks at them firt. Only them did the pint-sized freedom fighters return the barrage. Or, that time my sister was walking home and had a bottle thrown at her, I'm sure she was randomly shouting out the N-word and giving kids the finger. Or, maybe the victims were wearing their KKK robes...(insert eye roll here)
I don't think Everett was saying the rock-throwers shouldn't be held accountable, but it does look like the only time anyone mentions kids is to say what hoodlums they are. I did see a lot of little kids with sparklers on July 4th. Maybe there's a point to pulling apart people who commit crimes and people who just live in DC and are trying to have a good time.
Enforcing a fireworks ban would take up police officers time. Time that could be better spent enforcing the laws against violent crime.
Do we really want the police wasting their time chasing down the little girls with sparklers?
Then why put more unenforceable laws on the books?
Maybe it's time some of you shouting "if you don't like young'uns having a little fireworks fun, move to Fairfax!" realize that not everyone who has lived in "the 'hood" since 1982 feels that their neighborhood is fine just as it is and the little rascals are just expressing their rage at encroaching gentrification. A lot of people who live in poor neighborhoods would LOVE to live in safer, cleaner areas, with plenty of retail shopping (let's start with a decent grocery store) among parents who believe in raising their children with morals and manners rather than letting them be taught by the streets.
All this "it's just their way" smacks of racism of a different shade: all those who live in poor neighborhoods think and act the same. They don't. Why do you think some keep their kids indoors all the time to protect them and do everything they can to get them into better schools? Maybe they dislike the mess on the streets as much as anyone else, but feel powerless to change it.
LOL...you guys are funny...in my whole 21 years living in DC, I have not hear of " a whole row of houses getting burned down". Come on STOP being so dramatic.
Plus, sparklers and snakes are for kids to have fun with, along with proper supervision.
Urban Architech,
I wonder, where do these kids get fireworks from all year round? I have only witnessed fireworks being sold around the fourth..so how are they getting these fireworks you speak about?
Plus what stupid person can shoot a gun and light fireworks at the same time???
Can't they just stick the parents with a big fat freaking fine and leave it at that, say a couple hundred dollars? That way, the kids will still shoot off their fireworks, the parents will get the bill, they'll beat the crap out of their kids, the gummint gets some money, everyone declares victory and goes home. It's win-win-win!
Hear that? It's the sound of all the DC cops' eyes rolling when they heard about Graham's legislation.
On a side note, I'm fairly sure Graham regularly got his butt kicked in high school. I mean, look at the guy now - it must have been exponentially worse when he was young.
Two thoughts:
1) The covering up of gunfire. Clearly Urban Architect, the guest doesn't realize how similar gunfire and certain fireworks sound. After coming off of 10 or so days in a row where there was somebody shooting a gun within a 4 block radius of our house, we certainly questioned ALOT of sounds that could have just been fireworks. Or maybe not. You don't have 'do both at the same time'. In fact, I guarantee you that 311/911 gets so overwhelmed with false alarms (fireworks), that they are unable to respond to all of them. So I say that the fireworks is already very distracting to the police, and it doesn't surprise me that criminals have figured this out.
2) Peoples' homes have caught on fire. No, an entire row hasn't burned down. But I don't want my deck to burn either, or for there to be any other 'minor' damage. So no, I don't think I'm being overly dramatic.
Can DCist get somebody (Police, Government, whoever) to explain WHY they don't enforce the current laws? I don't think the fireworks that are currently legal would be a problem for many.
Who are you people asking about the kids' parents?... what Parents?... most of the "kids" shooting off m-80's from Potomac Gardens and Hopkins are:
A) no longer kids
B) haven't had a parent since they fell out of her crack addled womb...
C) have parents who resent anyone who has something they don't... or haven't stolen yet...
D) have been shooting m-80s since April and get new supplies from South of the Border every week or so...
E) being raised by grand or great grand parents...
Hegnauea:
The proposed fireworks ban will make enforcing the existing ban on the sale of illegal fireworks easier by:
1) Clarifying to the general public that *no* fireworks are legal. This will a) Encourage people to report all fireworks and b) clear up real and long-standing misconceptions about what is legal and illegal.
2) Make all firework stands illegal. This will a) remove a main source of illegal fireworks from the streets- those illegally sold by stands operating under the cover of selling legal fireworks, and so b) help dry up the supply. Of course, not all illegal fireworks are sold by vendors who also sell legal ones. Some are sold out of houses, or the backs of cars, or iced-cream trucks... You get the idea. To help address this, fines have been added and increased.
These actions are being taken because such a large number of people use illegal fireworks in the city that the city cannot hope to catch and penalize them all. Anyone who viewed the innumerable neighborhood demonstrations visible from Cardoza will have an idea of how widespread the problem is. Given this, the best hope is to try to dry up the supply. Banning all fireworks is the best available tool to do just that. This bold move is an aggressive response- not a knee-jerk response. It's also not a perfect move but, then again, it's not a perfect world either. I think people who are concerned about safety should support it.
Guest68: M80s and M100s (also known as quarter-sticks of dynamite) are illegal virtually everywhere in the US. Including MD, PA, NC, and all local states. I'm told by a well-placed source that most of the local supply is home-made and therefor, in addition to the obvious danger they present, quality control may be suspect.
M100s (also known as quarter-sticks of dynamite)
Back in the day we used to call those "pineapples" . . .