New Year’s Eve fireworks tragedy
There are many innocent victims in the New Year’s Eve fireworks tragedy on Oahu. People who lived across the street, next door, two and three houses away had windows blown out and shattered. They did nothing, and their children did nothing. Nothing on the news has been mentioned of all the pets who suffered like wounded soldiers with PTSD.
Fireworks should be enjoyed in a controlled environment detonated by professionals, not in neighborhoods where people and pets live like sardines in overcrowded conditions.
People are afraid to rat on their neighbors for fear of retaliation if the neighbor finds out who filed the complaint. They say calls are confidential but the coconut wireless works in mysterious ways.
Also, the cops don’t like to issue tickets or follow through on these complaints because many are part of this pyrotechnics culture and many officers are friends or related to those detonating the fireworks.
With all said, we all know something has to be done, but next year, the year after that, and the following years, nothing will be done.
How much longer can we tolerate the “good ole boys” in our local government?
James “Kimo” Rosen, Kapaa
Need more police intervention next year
Last night was pretty much a normal New Years’ Eve, with people expressing their traditional celebrations with fireworks and all. One thing was different, though. At about 7:15 p.m., somebody’s aerial firework exploded just yards from our home, at the same elevation. I thought it was going to blow out our windows.
Apparently it was fired from somewhere downhill from our location. I guess they didn’t want to shoot it over the coffee fields further down the hill. A bit later, about 10 p.m., another similar aerial exploded a few doors away, also at the same elevation.
I didn’t bother to call the Kauai Police, as they typically will not respond or the response is half-hearted.
How about this Idea: Increase on-duty staff at KPD on New Years’ Eve, and station them in outlying neighborhoods for the sole purpose of enforcement of laws against aerial fireworks. It shouldn’t be too hard to do.
Steve Hansen, Kalaheo
Weaning Hawaii from illegal fireworks will not be an easy task. There are thousands of people whose “fix” have been going on for years. Community displays such as Concert In The Sky, PMRF, South Side Hotels, Kekaha Community Association, Hanalei Bay and all other entities that gather for sheer pleasure possibly at county parks……..a possible solution
I absolutely concur that we need more police intervention when it comes to illegal fireworks OR we need a designated location like our public parks for them to be ignited.
We did have one loss of life on the East side of Kaua’i several years ago and nothing changed.
If you contact the police here about mortars being ignited they want the exact address or car license plates which is next to impossible to know.
We are tired of speaking to deaf ears and being held captive in our homes trying to protect our animals and making sure our homes don’t catch on fire with these explosives going off twice a year for extended periods of time since it’s never just that one night i.e. NY Eve or the 4th of July. This has gotten increasingly out of hand year after year.