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Citizen complaint of the day: 52 straight nights of fireworks in South Boston
By adamg on Mon, 07/08/2019 - 9:23am
A fed-up citizen filed a 311 complaint on Sunday about fireworks along Columbia Road in South Boston:
Fireworks going off for the 52nd night in a row. Called 911, they said to call district C-6. District 6 gave me an ear full about how it was fourth of July and welcome to the city. If I don't like it move. Great job, real first class city. Every night from spring through fall, same location by Old harbor street and Bent court on the greenie. all night until sun up. Ridiculous.
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Comments
Everyone wants the city life...
...without the city.
"Me me me, I paid a lot for my studio and now this several hundred year old metropolis must abide by MY demands!!!".
I rarely say this but the cops were right,
time for that lame-o to move to the burbs.
How dare someone ask the cops
How dare someone ask the cops to do their job and enforce the law, right?!
Right because they don’t have
Right because they don’t have more important things to deal with like robberies and shootings.
Generally agree when it comes
Generally agree when it comes to normal city noises, but the accepted fireworks on the Fourth has become fireworks every day in late June and all of July it seems in most of Boston. There's a limit to what is ok to subject people and especially pets to. Said by a multi-generational Bostonian.
Why is it acceptable to blow
Why is it acceptable to blow off M-80s at 3am in the city but not in the suburbs? Does one’s consideration for other people stop once you cross over the city line? Would it be ok if I stood outside your window and blew up fireworks in the middle of the night if you lived in Waltham as opposed to Back Bay? If not, why not?
Fireworks in the ‘burbs too
Have been going off steadily this week in West Newton. Neighbors on my street are annoyed by it, but as someone who lived in the city for 22 years and dealt with fireworks from May until August almost all my life, I’m used to it. Thank goodness my toddlers stay asleep through it.
Meanwhile in Dorchester
I dont know what's worse. 52 nights in a row (but looks like it's in the park, not right next to someone's house) or one night of terror from the house next door.
From July 4th. https://311.boston.gov/reports/101002952769
I am not the house next door, but a few houses away. This was a loud dangerous fireworks party from dusk to around 10 pm. I called 911, was put on hold, was cut off, called back, was put on hold again, and finally they answered. I don't know if the police showed up but the fireworks stopped around 1 hour later.
Fireworks are dangerous, as the residents of Mt. Everett street are well aware.
https://boston.cbslocal.com/2019/07/06/fireworks-determined-cause-dorche...
lol until 10pm?I wish. Down
lol until 10pm?I wish. Down here in Roxbury I'm still hearing fireworks at 2am
To be clear
Only this one source of fireworks, a back yard party, stopped their fireworks at 10. Fireworks continued in Dorchester all friggin night long. The last ones I heard were at 4:45am.
If that's true, then she's got a real beef
For the two weeks around July 4th, that is to be expected and tolerated. But if this really DOES happen 52 nights running, then the cops should take her seriously.
Why should we expect and tolerate it?
I disagree with the "expected and tolerated" part. We have an amazing and free professional fireworks display every year (dare I say "world class" quality?) Surrounding cities have even more. There's no need for DIY noise at all hours.
Not to mention how dangerous it is in addition to the annoyance: https://www.universalhub.com/2019/morons-fireworks-burned-20-people-out-...
Firecracker Mystery
In my East Boston neighborhood there are people who set off firecrackers at all hours of the night starting at around midnight. I don't know when they sleep. On July 4 they set them off from about 10 PM straight through until 4:30 AM or so. It was daylight when they stopped. My comment isn't even about the gross inconsideration and ignorance of this practice in a densely populated neighborhood. I live in the city, after all. My question is, WHAT could possibly be the fascination with these ridiculous items that someone could set them off nonstop for over six hours and not be bored? I'm talking plain old firecrackers, not something that sets off a colored display.
Ah, tolerated, much like
Ah, tolerated, much like space savers.
Cultural Norm
I’m so tired of yuppies trying to alter the cultural norms of the area. It’s sickening really. Yea it’s unsafe and annoying but gah damn. Mind your business, realize you live in a city, and SHUT UP. It’s what people do in Boston idk about professionals or surrounding cities. You moved here, you know what it is. Goodbye.
When someone wakes you up at
When someone wakes you up at 3am it is their business. When someone burns your house down with their stupid fireworks it is their business. When these slobs leave burnt fireworks all over parks and sidewalks it is their business. Arrest these losers.
Yuppies
How quaint.
help me understand your point
Setting off fireworks, graffitti, breaking into cars, defecating on people's lawns, and burglary are all things that we, acting through our democratically elected government, have chosen to make illegal. Arguably they are all also "cultural norms" in that people do them anyhow.
So help me understand the position that one of them ought to be treated differently than the others?
But, but
The overtime scandal!!!!!!
Cultural Norms?
Sounds like you have lived here for about 5 years.
This was NOT a cultural norm outside of July 4 (and the nearest weekend) until very very recently.
Why do I get the impression that you are one of those asshole suburbanites who thinks the city is a place for your kids to get in fights, vandalize things and be loud?
I was born here
I was born here and have lived in HP Mattapan Roslindale Roxbury and Dorchester the entirety of my life.
Fireworks have always rung out throughout the entirety of the summer there, I dunno about the rest of the city.
They don’t enforce fireworks laws, never have. Let it go guys. They don’t wake me up at 3am because I’ve always expected them and i get it. I’m
I live at Arborway Gardens at
I live at Arborway Gardens at Forest Hills near Franklin Park. I'm feeling your frustration.
fireworks
We are fed up too in Lower Mills. Sorry you got that stupid reply from the police. They should be doing something about preventing private use of fireworks to stop fires, burns and unnecessary noise. Forward your complaint to the mayor.
Murica!
This goes down in every city in America. Suck it up. Close your windows. Buy a white noise machine. Move back to the rural suburb you came from. 911 is for gunshots not fireworks!
Have you tried to get anywhere near the esplanade on the 4th. Large crowds sketch me out, and there’s always the thought in the back of my mind of the havoc one lunatic could cause.
The boys in the neighborhood put on a way better show. You always get a good spot, no pushing and crowding, and if I miss it one night I know they’ll be back tomorrow. Streets battle against each other, and it’s just good harmless fun.
You are not a smart person. A
You are not a smart person. "Rural suburb" is an oxymoron. A white noise machine will do nothing. Burned down buildings are not "harmless". You are a pathetic baby who is afraid of crowds so who are you to tell people to suck it up? And these punks obviously do not put on a better show. The only good part is that so many of these dummies burn their hands and blow off fingers.
*rural/suburban community you
*rural/suburban community you came from
happy big boy?
untrue
it does not "go down in every city in america". even for the 4th, even in my fireworks loving 'Murica midwest hometown, there are rules that people follow.
outside of the 3rd and the 4th, if you set off fireworks, you're at the very least getting a ticket, and everyone knows it.
you tell people "if you want to live in the city, put up with it"
I say "if you want to live in the city, learn to coexist with others, your need for noise isn't paramount"
the "boys" burnt down 20 people's homes last week.
You can't act like a tough city dude and tell me to move to the suburbs and then complain about crowds. Also, the esplanade fireworks didn't burn down anybody's house. Your boys made 20 people homeless.
Good luck enforcing it...
Possession of fireworks is not an arrestable offense in MA, just hours of paperwork for a court summons that will probably never see the light of day under Rollins. Then notification of the bomb squad to carefully label and safely store the evidence. With cell cameras everywhere, the days of police seizing the fireworks (their right) and "making them disappear" (policy violation) are over so essentially there is no realistic solution. Much like drugs, "the war on fireworks" is long over, we lost. It might be best to strengthen the law by legalizing fireworks and setting reasonable times and distances from buildings with violations arrestable.
Just a reminder ...
Rollins is only district attorney in Suffolk County.
Re: Just a reminder ...
Exactly. The complaint is from South Boston, Suffolk County, MA. Hence the reference to the Suffolk County DA.
And the fireworks were no doubt lit
By roofdeck open flame grills..
Has anyone asked the fireworks user IN PERSON...
...to be more considerate? If anyone near me was keeping me up all night with fireworks I’d walk right over there in my slippers and politely ask them to cool it down. I’ve lived in the city for a long time and Have found this to approach to work 9/10 times. The tenth time you are dealing with inconsiderate @-holes.
This doesn’t work when the fireworks are blocks away or blown off anonymously. But in that case the cops will be equally ineffective at preventing the disturbance.
the 10th time
OK, so 9 out of 10 times it works without incident, but that other 10% of the time you could end up being one of the recent stabbing or shooting statistics. Just not really worth the risk, that's what the police SHOULD be for, to enforce all of our laws.
You would be up all night
You would be up all night going all over the neighborhood if you tried to do this. Which is the cops' job.
Summer Time
I love the Fire Works... Leave my window open all night! Florida St! Keep up the Good work!
Unfortunately
It is city tradition. That’s just the way it is. The cops will probably not ever enforce anything because it has been happening forever. Even my mom said since she was a kid in the 70s that what happened for the weeks leading up to and following the holidays. I experienced the same as a child. It has never bothered me personally (I used to have to wake up at 4:45am for work). I can understand the frustration, especially now since I have babies who need their sleep at night, but that is the city for you.
52 nights in a row is ridiculous, But
Waiting until Fourth of July weekend to complain is the dumbest thing I've ever heard. "Why would that matter??" -It just does, as the cops told you. No complaints on day 30? 40? Timing in this life is everything.