The Fireworks Next Time (And The Next Time ...)

Still of Quvenzhane Wallis as Hushpuppy in Ben Zeitlin's 2012 picture Beasts of the Southern Wild. 
Photo from Indiewire. 


Yesterday afternoon, I was on my way back home in Philadelphia after relaxing in a nearby park when I heard faint explosions off in the distance. There were about 3 to 4 that I remember hearing consecutively go off although they seemed too far away to be able to find their source. I had been hearing what sounds like fireworks for the past few nights while trying to go to sleep, but this was during daylight hours.

By now, across major cities, most of us who reside have been hearing fireworks on a consistent basis for the past several days. Whether hearing the distinct sound of explosions off in the distance, or actually witnessing full on professional-grade explosives going off in residential neighborhoods, add meager mainstream reporting on this phenomena, several people taking to social media to express their frustration and fear, and that the targeted neighborhoods are Black and Brown, we've got ourselves one cluster-fuck of a summer to get through.

If you are someone who is still uncertain as to what the root cause may be and just how abusive it is to the senses, consider this: residents in New York City especially have seen suspicious vans pull up in their neighborhoods, leaving boxes of explosives, some reporting that it goes on for 8-hour periods until 3:00 or 4:00 in the morning. As of the 19th of June, 1,737 cases have been reported, especially in the neighborhood of Flatbush in Brooklyn. While the response from residents in Philly is more staunchly opposed to these explosives, naming these instances as celebratory from the uprisings and quarantine, offering some New Yorkers--especially in Black and Brown working-class communities-- does not paint the full picture.

Firefighters have been caught setting them off nearby stations, while other residents have reportedly seen large fireworks being given out to youth to set off themselves in their own communities. Whether as an early show of patriotism, these incidences are not isolated. For those of us who have the privilege of sleeping more soundly, we should be listening to our peers who are not. These fireworks have been causing anxiety, sleep deprivation, and desensitization to loud noises. These complaints from Black and Brown residents should be taken seriously; this is a form of psychological warfare, meant to stir confusion and paranoia.

Mayor DiBlasio has announced the formation of a task force to investigate these occurrences, which has been ignited by an incident where two men were reported to have thrown lit fireworks at a homeless man, which consequently led to his hospitalization. This task force of course will be formed under Pig Central, aka NYPD. As of how these 'crackdowns' will be carried out as a means to further criminalize Black and Brown folks, who have been using fireworks as a sense of release rather than with intent to deprive their communities of much needed rest, we will have to wait and see.

Talk to friends and neighbors, and corroborate stories, reach out to investigative journalists, like P.E. Moskowitz (or @_pem_pem)  who are seeking to hear and share others' stories. Do not remain silent about this! This is just as much systemic violence as police brutality is. Keep your eyes and ears open.