Firework Chaos Shuts Down Some Minneapolis Streets For 3rd Year

For the third year in a row, juveniles and or young adults ran parts of downtown Minneapolis until large numbers of officers could clear the streets. From various online videos, it appears that there weren't as many instances of fireworks being shot at bystanders, but there were various reports of fireworks being shot off at officers.

You can see in the video above that last night the University of Minnesota campus in Dinkytown was shut down and walked clear by members of various law enforcement agencies.

When the streets were cleared, the Dinkytown area seemed to quiet down after 2am.

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In previous years that part of Minneapolis has seen Roman candles and fireworks being shot at bystanders, from vehicles driving through.

Earlier this week members of the Minneapolis Police Department, along with members of the Hennepin County Sheriff's Office shared parts of their plan to keep Minneapolis safe this 4th of July.

The Minnesota House of Representatives put out this handy graphic explaining the penalties behind having illegal mortar-style fireworks.

Personal use of consumer-grade fireworks in Minnesota is illegal. (Minn. Stat. §§ 624.20–624.25) “Fireworks” in Minnesota include firecrackers, bottle rockets, roman candles, and similar items. The definition does not include novelty items like sparklers, snakes, or smoke devices. Novelty items can only be sold to adults, and a local government unit can impose a license fee on their sale. Most violations are misdemeanors for which a court can impose a sentence of 90 days in jail, a $1,000 fine, or both.

Violations involving a large amount of fireworks (35 pounds gross container weight or more) can be punished as a gross misdemeanor with a maximum sentence of one year in jail, a $3,000 fine, or both.

I guess there's always next year...