WHEN IS TOO MUCH TOO DAMN MUCH?
One has to wonder if it is by design? I mean frankly, and oddly enough it happens more times late at night when people are asleep or have retired to a peaceful night doing their thing. Then here it comes . . BOOM!!!! BOOM!!! BOOM!!! Over and over again. It rests for a minute and you think you will try to get back to what you were doing before the shock of this loud earthquake-shattering noise appeared from nowhere. Your chain of thought is disrupted, and so is your sleep, and your peace. You wonder if this is gunshots. Some may lay down on the floor, to avoid being struck by a stray bullet. Your heart now begins to race. Your palms sweat, as your body conditions itself for a fight or flight experience. Some experience extreme anxiety and shout “PLEASE MAKE IT STOP”! Then it starts again. BOOM!!! BOOM!! BOOM!!! The pattern above repeats itself again. The sound of extremely loud and repetitious Fireworks; that are explosive and sounds like gunshots. One has to ask, “When is enough, too damn much?”
Oftimes I would sit back and think about laws that make no sense. After hearing what sounds like bombs bursting in air, and gunshots well before and after July 4th; I can understand why laws have to be put into place. I guess that old saying, “one apple can spoil a whole bunch” is true. Fast forward. Now we need strictly enforced laws, followed by strong penalties; one of which should be that they have to move from the community. I mean if you don’t care about your neighbors — who wants you around.
On the flip side of this is the total lack of respect for Veterans and residents alike. Not to mention those that may be dealing with issues associated with their time spent defending a country. Not to mention others who have been diagnosed with PTSD, and any other anxiety disorder. Not to mention anyone else that needs to sleep to heal to help their immune system battle a disease. Every time they shoot off these fireworks, especially late at night, it possibly triggers some negative response. Our bodies go into shock, unable to repair itself. Not to mention the harm it does to the pets. “For some pets, especially dogs and cats with particularly noise-sensitive ears, the sound of fireworks can cause intense fear responses. Some pets will go to extremes to hide, others get startled and run away, and general anxiety caused by unexpected loud sounds can have long-lasting effects on animals.” Written by Josie Fischels on NPR.org
Can you imagine the turmoil that our communities/residents experience ALL SPRING, SUMMER AND FALL LONG?
What about the PTSD and/or other anxieties that our children and seniors may develop for listening to this over and over again over an extended period of time. Unexpectedly over and over again, especially at night with no stopping. What about the hearing loss that residents may encounter as a result of this?
Sadly enough, this is why some of the mental health conditions people develop in the hood are possibly the result of living amongst certain people in the HOOD. In other words, these negative psychological factors along with our surrounding social environment may actually predispose community residents to develop mental health issues. These are conditions that could be avoided if we remove the source. Some people, don’t have sense enough to stop and have to be stopped. It is that simple.
Ironically, on INDEPENDENCE Day, Blacks were slaves. So go freaking figure. I said all of that to say this. Perhaps the block clubs and residents should get in touch with their respective Councilperson to ban fireworks in the community before or after July 4th. The fireworks should not be done all season long, from Spring to Labor Day. There should be a noise hotline, where communities can report the address of the residents who think nothing of disrupting the mental health of its residents. Then after the police respond and it is in fact the reported residents, and not someone making false reports, then after three strikes; you are out of the community, or rather the district.
Garyians, we need to start taking a stand against the BS in our community. We need to embrace and appreciate the nosey neighbors who report and see everything, We need to become more aware, proactive, and speak up. We truly need to drain our own swamp and get back to what worked best in our communities. We need to go back to standards of what is allowed and not allowed. We need those barriers of what we will and won’t accept back, instead of conforming!
Listen, more and more people are confined to staying home for longer periods of time due to COVID-19. Why should we have to continue to deal with this?
