With the Fourth of July, or Independence Day, just around the corner, it appears tensions are running high in several American cities, not the least of which is Brockton, Massachusetts. Brockton’s Mayor, Moises Rodrigues, has recently announced that there will be no Fourth of July fireworks display, breaking his earlier promise to the city. The announcement has led to backlash from a certain heckler who was dissatisfied that the 4th of July in her city is nothing but an ice cream and flag-raising event.
The announcement took place on July 2 in a press conference in front of Brockton City Hall in Massachusetts. Mayor Rodrigues stated that, along with the World Cup-related curfew, there would also be no fireworks for the 4th of July. “The purpose of this curfew is to protect public safety, reduce criminal activity associated with post-match celebrations, and enable police, fire, and emergency personnel to effectively maintain order and respond to emergencies,” explained Mayor Rodrigues.
Immediately after his proclamation, however, an angry woman in the crowd spoke out against the mayor. “I have something to say! You lied to us!” screamed the woman. She added, “You told us we were gonna have a big celebration on July 4th! Here at City Hall! Fireworks and everything! And now, we are down to a one-hour social ice cream thing – flag raising! Unbelievable! 250 years!”
Mayor Rodrigues interrupted the woman, further explaining that he failed to secure a fireworks company in time for the celebration. Moreover, “We don’t want to do anything illegal in this community so we are gonna do the best that we can to celebrate the Fourth of July in this plaza tomorrow afternoon,” according to Rodrigues. Sadly, his explanation failed to placate the angry woman in the crowd.
People online are raising eyebrows at the fireworks cancellations
It’s worth noting that Brockton isn’t the only city to cancel 4th of July fireworks this year. Buffalo City in New York also went viral recently for doing the same and also celebrating Somalia’s Independence Day just a day after canceling 4th of July fireworks. Brockton’s case is somewhat different since it’s still reeling from violence and crime that was possibly caused by World Cup celebrations in the area, hence the included curfew.
That didn’t stop certain social media users from joining the discussion and slinging out their harsh criticisms towards the mayor. “So every year did they put on a firework show and NOW only this year they can’t find any persons willing to put on their show. Yeah right. This would have never been allowed or excused in 1976! Just saying,” rants one X user.
Others have mocked the replacement for the fireworks, commenting, “I know it’s America’s 250th birthday, but the best we can do is an ice cream social.” Still, some people defended Brockton City officials’ failure to find a fireworks company, with one commenter saying, “If he couldn’t get a company, it is what it is. Not his fault,” while another is more pessimistic, “Personally, with the way this country is swirling down the toilet, I don’t really see anything to celebrate!!”
