Fireworks- at what cost?
How is the situation with fireworks in your community?
Does your municipality organize official shows or has opted not to for diverse reasons (protection of wildlife, sensitivity to war refugees, sensitivity to domestic animals, environmental damage etc)?
Are consumer fireworks permitted or banned in your community?
If banned, is the ban enforced (and how)?
I have heard so many stories since I just started posting on this topic.
People who have lost homes due to fireworks.
Domestic animals terrified and traumatized by fireworks.
The flood of people injured by fireworks in hospitals- loss of body parts, eye injuries. Emergency services in the city attacked by people throwing fireworks at them.
And of course all the untold stories of wildlife disoriented, traumatized and sometimes killed due to the senseless revelry of fireworks.
I myself rang in New Years 2024 in a peaceful fireworks-free environment. Some of the videos I saw of the so-called revelry in diverse cities looked terrifying.
Thank you to everyone who has taken time to share info with me. It is disturbing to learn that the situation is worsening year by year in many places, but some hope is provided to learn that many cities are leading the way with complete bans (and strict enforcement).
As of January 2024, we are looking to connect with diverse advocates, municipal leaders and stakeholders who have campaigned for fireworks bans in their city (whether successful or not) as well as those who initiate and advocate for diverse methods of enforcing the ban.
We are looking to connect with municipal leaders in cities that have enforced bans or are seeking to do so as well as advocates for bans.
We also welcome dialogue with anyone who is working with this topic.
We believe we will see more bans in the coming years and am happy to do what I can to contribute to that.
Please write us if you are involved with fireworks ban initiatives or have tips: info@pedestrianspace.org
-Annika, founder at Pedestrian Space
