On the Fourth of July, someone threw a large firecracker through the bedroom window of a home near 22nd and Florida streets, one of the residents told Mission Local.
Elizabeth Creely, who was at a friend’s house when the incident occurred around 9:30 p.m., said that her husband and elderly mother-in-law were in the back of the house when they heard a boom and breaking glass. Part of the bedroom window was completely shattered, and the force was strong enough to throw objects off the desk and send glass flying six feet into the room. Creely said the explosion was comparable to that from an M-80.
“If I had been sitting there, like I usually do, it would have blown into my face,” Creely said, referring to her desk, which faces the window.
When police were called that night, they confirmed that an explosive caused the damage, not a bullet or rock, but couldn’t find any evidence at the scene, Creely said. She filed a formal police report the following day.
“This is just one of the reasons fireworks are inappropriate — because they can be used as incendiary devices,” she said.
In San Francisco, possession of these dangerous fireworks is a misdemeanor and is punishable by fines of $1,000 and up to a year in county jail.
“I don’t understand why SFPD doesn’t have a better plan for getting rid of them,” Creely said.
Amateur firework displays could be seen and heard throughout the Mission late into the night both Wednesday and Thursday.
Yeah. Foot patrols would be effective. But so would people giving a damn about their neighborhood, you know? Ask your neighbors to stop. Tell them why it’s a hazard. It’s actually an act of community to communicate with your neighbors. It also tends to separate those people who do care, from those who don’t.
A better plan for getting rid of them? Good luck with that.
How about patrols stopping & citing folks with a big fat, pre-made citation of $500 – that would be a great deterrent! I think beyond vandalism, the idea of fireworks in the city is beyond stupid and it’s amazing no places have been torched…the city is like an overstocked forest – it won’t take much to create a really bad fire. URgh.