GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – Fireworks are colorful blasts that light up the night sky.
And while they are a popular tradition on the 4th of July, not everyone is a fan because some are lighting them off late into the night, and leaving trash all over the place.
“It’s just all over,” says Marie Cimochowicz, a Grand Rapids resident. “There are boxes from it all over the place. The wrappers and all the exploded little pieces of junk.”
But a lot of neighbors in Grand Rapids say people are not sticking to that schedule and just being rude, lighting them off at all hours of the night.
According to the Michigan fireworks safety act, which went into effect in 2012, fireworks can be used the day before, day of and the day after a holiday.
More than 27, 000 people have signed a petition calling for a repeal to the law, which many argue increases the risk of injuries each year.
“I was driving down the road and they were lighting off fireworks right in the middle of the street where cars were driving,” says Thomas Schwander, upset of excessive use of fireworks. “And they had to move their kids out of the way so I could drive over their fireworks.”
But whether or not there is a change to the law, residents are hoping there’s at least a change in common sense manners going forward.
