Fireworks complaints to Boston police are up 2,300% this year, the mayor said.
The explosion of fireworks has been become the soundtrack the night in many Boston neighborhoods for the last few weeks, and some residents are fed up with it.
Hundreds more people have called police with fireworks complaints this year than last year, when there were hardly any, Mayor Marty Walsh said Wednesday. Plenty of people have complained on social media as well, wondering what's caused the number of illegal and largely unwelcome fireworks shows to skyrocket.
That's not yet clear -- though a huge cache of them was seized Tuesday in Malden -- but the proliferation of fireworks detonations comes with many people stuck at home during the coronavirus pandemic, which also claimed the city's famed July 4 Boston Pops Fireworks Spectacular.
In Cambridge Wednesday night, police sized a backpack full of fireworks, marijuana and cash after they received numerous calls about illegal fireworks in the area.
It also comes amid unrest over the death of George Floyd. Some people who've tweeted about the fireworks said they were hesitant to call police about it, not wanting to expose the troublemakers to a potentially dangerous interaction with officers.
Others joked about the situation, more expressed anger and concern with the issue after losing sleep.
This issue has reached the attention of Boston city officials. In a news conference at City Hall Wednesday, Walsh addressed the firework issue, calling the scale of complaints shocking.
"The data is eye-opening. The fireworks calls to the Boston Police Department this year were up by 2,300%. When I saw that number I thought it was a misprint," he said.
Walsh said that, last May, there were 27 calls regarding fireworks complaints, while this May the number has spiked to over 650 calls. He called for the people shooting the fireworks to think of their neighbors and stop.
"People are frightened, people are losing sleep, babies and kids are woken up, pets are terrified, our veterans and others with PTSD are experiencing real harm and it's a real fire hazard in our city," Walsh said.
It's illegal to have fireworks in Massachusetts or to bring them back into the state. A woman at the home in Malden where federal officers seized the fireworks said there were $1,200 worth of them, purchased in New Hampshire for a Fourth of July party she and her family have at Franklin Park every year.
She said she's been setting off some of the fireworks to the delight of her children and some neighbors, though an officer at the scene said she was reported. She wasn't set to face charges.
Boston City Councilor-at-large Julia Mejia will hold a town hall meeting on her Facebook Thursday at 6 p.m. to address the social, emotional and physical impact of the fireworks.
