by Bella Garcia
The 4th of July in LA proper, historically is an obscene and disruptive event, and I mean that in the most pleasant way possible. Normally, for a week or even a month before, neighborhoods in the central and eastern parts of Los Angeles light up with the sounds of explosive blasts from illegal fireworks shuttled up from outside the California border, usually Arizona or Mexico.
It is illegal to set off fireworks in the City of Los Angeles and has been for decades, with the exception of things like sparklers—long sticks that when set alight spew shards of sparkles (shards of fire) which in their current iteration are far less dangerous and not as much fun as their 1980s cousins.
The running joke is that although setting off your own fireworks in Los Angeles is illegal, every year the city—and skies—become ablaze with all versions of illegal explosives. In fact, it is known among Angelenos that driving on the 110 and 105 interchanges (the ones multiple stories off the ground) during 4th of July evening, you get the best fireworks display this side of the Mississippi.
From this high vantage point deep in the center of the city, there’s a 360 degree view of every neighborhood and every large illegal arsenal constructed to celebrate the US’s day of independence from cruel King George.
It is miraculous but also terrifying for dogs and anyone who suffers from PTSD from warzones, loud car crashes, and many other circumstances where powerful noises begin and then end abruptly.
This past 4th of July, however, the city of Los Angeles was uncharacteristically silent.
That’s not to say there weren’t sanctioned or illegal offerings here and there—but relative to what it normally is— sleepless nights due to the non-stop cacophony of bomb blasts running for at least a week—Los Angeles was eerily and noticeably not that.
Why? Could it be that the communities which would normally have celebrated Independence Day are terrified of being deported by ICE? Or is it simply, that the majority of people who would normally celebrate the independence of our nation find that there is nothing to celebrate when the liberties fought so hard for are seemingly being dismantled one by one by the current administration.
Fireworks set off by people celebrating a national holiday are like a canary in the coal mine. It just died. I am not sure even the end of this administration will bring it back.