If you’ve ever been fortunate to spend 4th of July on the Eastside (or in the vicinity thereof) you’ll know that shit gets crazy as soon as the sun sets. Of course people bring in the always popular “safe and sane” fireworks that are available in some of the neighboring cities (like Alhambra) but there seems to be a preference for those very illegal fireworks, the type that fly and explode into a rainbow of colors. You know, the fun ones.
Some people complain about illegal fireworks and get all worked up about it, but it doesn’t matter: I’ve yet to see a 4th without these illegal fireworks. The video above is quite terrible in capturing this holiday and you can’t really hear the non-stop rumble of endless explosions, but it’s a sorta glimpse, via the bad-but-works video feature on my camera.
Click ahead for some after the fact pics from Lincoln Heights.
Last night as I drove back into LH at around 10pm the place was still going crazy. Somebody had some massive explosives around the 5 points area and I don’t mean M80’s, this was big. I went by today to see if I could find evidence of these huge explosions but had no luck. I did happen to walk by the Lincoln Heights Fire Station and took a picture. It had a sign that reads “all fireworks are illegal” which I only just noticed when I put this pic on my computer. Trust me, there were firecracker remains right around station #1.
The shell for a desert blitz. I would boycott this item solely for it’s war reference. Since when has gun powder been used for such evil things like wars?
A used Roman Candle.
Detritus of the flame.
A phone book gets tasked for holding up bottle rockets. Err, I think.
Fireworks mess. Oddly, the streets were cleaner than I expected and much of the clues to last night’s activities had been swept up. I guess that’s good.
Some burn marks. Trails of a fiery night.
I didn’t get a chance to light this stupid looking cuete that’s actually called L.O.L. but I will soon enough. I’ll certainly take a video clip of it when I do!
When I lived in Rosemead over the 4th of July a few years back I was walking to a liquor store on San Gabriel blvd and noticed bottle rockets being shot from the back yard of a rest home.
actually i thought it was a really mild 4th! it was like the cloverfield monster ate everyone! not nearly enuf “illegal” fireworks!
I sat in my backyard on the 4th where I have a view of the high up Silver Lake hills where all the million $$$ homes are. I was surprised to actually see a few illegal “cuetes” being fired from up in those hills. Wow!
Of course, when “they” do it, it’s because the laws suck and they’re just being “rebels”. When the rest of us do it it’s because we’re typical gang-bangers and criminals.
One thing that wasn’t mentioned was that on the Eastside the Farce of July begins weeks before and ends weeks after–meaning that the illegal “fuegos artificiales” aka cuetes go on and on for weeks and months on end. It isn’t an anomaly to hear and see fireworks year round here in City Terrace. Guess we residents in the CT are just very patriotic. (Disclaimer: I do mean literally fireworks, not firearms and/or any other form of urban violent sparks).
We noticed a total lack of illegal fireworks in our neighborhood this year. Usually the whole month of July is one big roman candle/bottle rocket shootout that carries on for weeks after, but either someone cracked down on sales, or the economy has really hit the dirt.
boyle heights didn’t disappoint this year. tons of fireworks around our house. here’s a video of last years festivities complete with palm tree fire.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8cCdZ63FxAw
The fireworks action on the northern end of south l.a. really wasn’t happening at all. worse than even the ssg suburb, which, I guess is making a comeback these days. i mean, there were a few families with legal and illegal fireworks, but it was only one or two per block, if that! we were feeling sad and drove out to east l.a. to see fireworks. the eastside did not disappoint, and at 11pm or so, people were shooting off their finales. it looked like a lot of families had called it quits early though. it was a lean year… but it was still pretty amazing how many home style fireworks extravaganzas people put on. some streets are probably like baghdad 2003.
it’s pretty cool, all these families trying to out-do each other with their expensive fireworks displays. it’s a good competition that everyone can enjoy, and i regret not shooting some off this year. i must be getting old, because i like the sparkly showers more than the “booms” now. the japanese word for fireworks is “hana-bi” which literally translates to “flower fire”. that’s so pretty.
of course, the name for the atomic bomb was “pika-don”, which is a combination of the alliterative words “flash” and “boom”. what pretty understatement.
“gunpowder for art, not war”
Here’s a cool video. In Santa Cruz, I guess people take their stuff to the beach and have some collective flower fire power.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xlxw8PVVPw0
Some Boyle Heights fireworks:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x4ii_lbpobU
This is a good one:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4MUBsl8XqIQ&NR=1
Oh shit, in Indiana, people buy their fireworks in shopping carts:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J8zSHFKV1y8
I think folks who ran out of fireworks switched to straight out dynamite in Lincoln Heights. They rocked the house, literally!