The 4th of July is my least favorite holiday. It's a hellish day and I'm always happy when I get through it. This year, our neighbors were setting off big loud fireworks in our street. They were so loud it shook the house. Several of us asked them to stop. They said “Whoosh.” Several of us called 911. It was loud, the fireworks were set off so close to our house and some of the people exploding the fireworks were kids who looked to be under 10 years old.
Eventually a police car showed up and the officers asked the neighbors to stop lighting the fireworks. No one said “stop.” They were polite and told the officers they were done. After the officers left, they started lighting the fireworks again, so we called 911 again.
Although fireworks are illegal in Minnesota (it is illegal for the public to use fireworks that explode or shoot into the air in Minnesota), there doesn't appear to be any penalties for people playing with fireworks in St. Paul other than for injuries. There are generally penalties for breaking the law. The penalty for exploding fireworks in the city is at least a $1,000 fine, which must be doubled if the firework is exploded within 20 feet of a home or building. If the person who lit the firework is under 18, the fine must be tripled, and if under 10, it must be quadrupled.
Repeat offenders should be fined and required to do community service such as going around the city picking up fireworks debris and Fourth of July trash.
In Minneapolis, people were arrested for exploding illegal fireworks. It will be interesting to see how it ends.
One hellish day is over, but there are still a few nights left where illegal fireworks will be set off in the streets, and the situation is getting worse every year.
Shoot a fireball
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