I am responding to your Huntington Beach City Council fireworks debate article in last week's edition of the Independent ("Council ignites fireworks debate," Dec. 22).
Our family has lived downtown on 14th Street for 11 years, and I am appalled that Mayor Don Hansen wants to legalize fireworks for the Fourth of July. His comments and actions reflect a lack of knowledge of what occurs downtown on the Fourth. The fireworks are already out of control. Connie Boardman's quote that it is a war zone is correct. I will give you an example of how bad it is:
Several years ago, there was a police shooting on the corner of 14th and Orange Avenue on July 3. My husband was napping in a room in the front of the house and he didn't realize the shots were from a gun; he thought they were more fireworks! All hours of the day and night, the fireworks go off several days before the holiday and throughout the night. We take extra precautions to water our lawn and rooftops to prevent a fire. There are so many parties with excessive alcohol served in the neighborhood, I don't know how people can use fireworks responsibly.
