The Fourth of July Independence Day holiday celebrations proved the futility of prohibition in Whittier and all across Los Angeles as low income revellers defied county and municipal laws prohibiting all fireworks.
The Whittier Area was lit up with fireworks on street after street in the lower income areas of Whittier Area cities including the City of Whittier. Residents in Whittier's lower income neighborhoods braved threats of being reported to celebrate Independence Day with fireworks.
Those who defied prohibition ran the gamut from Hispanic to Blacks to Whites. Natives and Immigrants intermixed in the crowds as community after community Whittier set off their own fire works on Independence evening. Tens of thousands of people across LA County, not just the Whittier Area defied firework bans. The one thing they appeared to have in common was their economic/social class. Many of the neighborhoods setting off fireworks in defiance of the law were low income working class areas of Whittier where people don't have the money that Whittier's higher income residents have to just leave the city to see fire works and many low income communities were left out when the city advertised this years event at Yorkfield with residents in the neighborhoods around Yorkfield complaining they were not informed that tickets were on sale until after the tickets were already sold out. And there were rumors that tickets were only being sold online which would unusual and irregular if true.
In many cases, law enforcement's hands were tied up in part of the city while fire works were set off in other areas of local cities and unincorporated communities.
While some have asserted the debate over the ban was one of native vs immigrant that appears to be an inaccurate assumption as a closer look this evening reveals that the debate is more along socioeconomic class lines rather racial or immigrant status.
Whittier 360's owners have come out against prohibition and have begun pushing for an alternative that would instead involve licensing and insurance requirements.
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