[sidewndr46]

Given American policing culture, I really don't buy that the police can't show up and start arresting you for public endangerment. They may not want to, but that is different

[ChrisMarshallNY]

I was talking to someone that hosts commercial-grade fireworks, every year, in his backyard.

He said the trick is to invite a couple of cops.

[chainingsolid]

The "trick" I've seen is just doing it with enough space to be safe and with property owner permission. The cops are likely caring about safety not the letter of culturally unenforceable law on July 4th. Problem is this don't work in the suburbs and cities, it's just to dense.

[ChrisMarshallNY]

We are very much in the suburbs. It can get crazy.

If you have a cop or two at the party, and, often, a volly firefighter running the sparks, it seems to be OK.

A few years ago, one of our neighbors was running one, and a mortar fired into his second story. It was a 5-alarm fire.

[Supermancho]

I remember this from the 80s. There were city-sponsored shows, or you had a cop "supervising" your neighborhood show.

[lwansbrough]

If they did this people like me would start setting off fireworks in protest.

[inigyou]

If you set off a firework in front of a cop to protest fireworks being illegal, that would be illegal and you'd go to jail

[quailfarmer]

But if you arrest him, I’m going to set off fireworks in protest. The market of stubbornness can remain solvent for a long time.

[IAmBroom]

Classic Internet Tough Guy boast. Imagine thinking that, when the police come to fine you, your neighbors will break the law in front of the police "to show them!". Your neighbors may be just smart enough to not invite the police to fine them, too.

The "market of stubbornness" is about one deep at any given moment.

[inigyou]

Cops have arrest quotas to meet - they don't mind arresting you too.

[lwansbrough]

They actually do mind, which is why they don’t do it. Did you forget the reality of the situation?

They mind because they are completely outnumbered. Policing only works if you can point out a small minority and say “these people are causing harm to the majority of us”. With something like fireworks (or cannabis protests in many places) the police are severely outnumbered and they don’t have enough room in their jails anyway.

[JCharante]

you don't have to arrest everyone, just make the likelyhood of being arrested non-zero to deter people

[inigyou]

Are you really planning to stage a riot over fireworks being banned? And you have enough co-conspirators to outpower the police?

[klaff]

LOL, 25 years ago my neighbors and I were setting off fireworks over a yet-undeveloped part of our neighborhood. We saw police pull into the neighborhood. My family were the cowards who went inside. Our neighbors had to pay a fine. If we'd hung around we'd have paid a fine too.