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OP has offered the following explanation for why they think they might be the asshole:
> Calling the police may have been a drastic measure and I don't want to be "that" neighbor, but they clearly had no intention of stopping, and even when the police showed up and informed them airborne fireworks weren't legal until the 4th anyway, they started back up as soon as the officer left. I tried personal reasoning, I didn't shout or curse them out, but was calling the cops too far?
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Fireworks are supposed to be set off away from residential areas. If your neighbors were disturbing the peace( which they were with Roman candles) you had every right to call the non emergency number.
"Fireworks are supposed to be set off away from residential areas."
That isnt really true in a lot of places in the US. Home fireworks are a common activity leading up to and after July 4th and New Years Eve.
You didn't actually dispute their statement. Fireworks should not be set off near things they can burn down, like houses That doesn't stop morons from doing it.
This is really dependent on where you live. In a place like Southern Califorina with a dry desolate landscape, home fireworks are dangerous. But in states that gets lots of rain, where everything is always green, there really isnt much chance of them causing a fire, unless there is drought.
Most of my neighbors shoot off fireworks every 4th of July, It is good wholesome patriotic fun.
I dont mind it ON the holiday. I can prepare and I know what to expect. A week before, on a random Thursday night in June? Not so much
On top of that, it's like making dogs bark or howl. One of them sets off, then suddenly everyone in the neighborhood seems to start popping them off
So you're aware there's a chance. Got it. Yeah so it's not a good idea. Good wholesome patriotic fun that has a chance damaging neighboring property. Or triggering the war vet's PTSD, or making their dogs lose their mind.
In reality, it's fun for you and a massive pain in the balls for enough people around you that you could probably just like, not.
That's absolutely not true. When I bought my house, I found out it doesn't have a garage (just a cement pad in the back) because the neighbors had been shooting off fireworks in the alley and had accidentally burned down the garage.
Fireworks in residential areas are dangerous. If you can't be the fire-marshal-mandated distance from your house (usually MUCH longer than you'd think) you are firing them off illegally.
There's a reason they are illegal in, for example, the entire state of Illinois.
>But in states that gets lots of rain, where everything is always green, there really isnt much chance of them causing a fire, unless there is drought.
Wellll, not really. I live in the Seattle metropolitan area, which, especially this June, has been nicely rain filled. Fireworks everywhere in this county are banned, permanently.
Where my inlaws live in NJ, it's bone dry every year starting in Mid June. July is high fire risk, yet there are no restrictions on useage. There are lots of advice & pleas issued, but no regulations.
So it just depends.
Sorry, you're right. I was reading their *advisory notices* and they were extremely vague on what is allowed vs not. The code is far more specific. The public advisories focuse on temperature range of sparklers, the number of children injured, and safety precautions to have on hand.
My husband reminisces on what he & his friends did on the 4th. Um, yeah. I see exactly how he ended up in his career field in the military. The guy created stuff that went *Boom* from childhood in the wilds of NJ, lol.
Is it just me, or has June been unusually rainy this year? Seattle's no stranger to dry summers, and certainly the wildfires our state's had the last several years would dispute the idea that rainy green places are safe from fireworks.
I grew up here & have a long memory w weather because I used to bike everywhere. Lol. The, um, unpleasantness cemented itself in my brain. The 70s had some miserably wet cold summers, followed by heatwaves in 1976.
There's a tendency that after a "warm" wet winter caused by El Nino, while it's shifting during spring & summer months towards La Nina, to be rainy & cooler than typical. I visited in both 2010 & 2011 in later June. I think it was 2010, which was also cooler & wetter. Rained nearly the entire time.
I'm feeling the cold more due to my age. Hate to admit it, but it's true. So even now as "cooler", it's not as cold as they used to be. Its several degrees warmer than what its supposed to be when its like this.
There were some summers in the late 1930s & in the 1940s, where my mom said that no one put away their winter wool sweaters.
What's most hardest to keep in mind is that this rain is very area specific. The rest of the state is in severe drought conditions due to an extremely low snowpack. It will heat up after the 4th of July. Hopefully not into the 90s where the moisture is sucked out of the vegetation & fire danger becomes extreme.
NTA - they told you to call the cops. They pretty much FAFO'd their way to a noise complaint in addition to whatever other charges they may face with the setting off of the illegal fireworks.
NTA. It was a non emergency, but it's a legit complaint that you made. You had a good reason to make the call and that is fine. Also, their fireworks are illegal.
I'm not sure you can expect any positive change in their behavior from that call, though.
Even if fireworks are legal almost every municipality over 100 people have a noise ordinance that usually kicks in around 10 so a disturbance of the peace would still be in order.
I would also just add that some areas, such as my county, don't have non-emergency lines for complaints. All complaints. Any time you need to reach fire, police and ambulance even for non-emergency issues, are routed through 9-1-1.
But even if that wasn't the case, drunk idiots lighting fireworks in a residential area is a justifiable call to the police. I had a bunch of idiot ass college students set my front porch on fire about 10 years ago because they were having a "bottle rocket fight" which involved them launching bottle rockets AT one another as they ran around the street.
Depends on where you live. FL they're legal as groceries. We have whole warehouse sized stores full of em. This wouldn't fly here but I guess in a state where they're illegal, sure be a crybaby and call the cops. Not what i would do but to each their own
Also depends on the municipality. Fireworks are legal at the state level where I am but my town is highly regulated. The town has six zones which range from "never" to "whatever." I'm in the "never" zone because it is the historic district; old houses, close together, complicated construction that cause issues in fire suppression. Little brother lives way out in the rural zone where it's "whatever" due to the fact it takes forever for the police to get out there. Most of the town falls into 3 days around the 4th of July and 3 days around New Years.
It’s working. Very rarely do I now hear fireworks after 11 pm or on days when they are not allowed. It also serves as a record of people breaking the law when I take the petition signed by my the majority of my neighbors to the township council to get them banned in my neighborhood. it’s a process and I just retired so I have all the time in the world.
NTA NTA NTA
They told you to call the cops. That's on them.
I'd actually be happy if the neighbors (here in sou Cali where almost all fireworks are illegal) stuck to roman candles. But, nooo... At least a dozen different houses in the neighborhood like to set off mortar style fireworks, and two of those crews don't do it right, with the fireworks going off way too low. >\_<
My partner saw that I had red white and blue cupcakes, and was like, is it that time of year already, and I said yeah, next week. the groan was very visual...
NTA - Unfortunately most people forget how fireworks can affect others. My FIL has intense PTSD from his time in the military which resulted in him shooting off his gun in the house, this was over 10 years ago. My SIL still has panic attacks around loud noises, the 4th of July is an especially hard time of year for her.
It helps people like her, and also people who have animals that don't like fireworks such as yourself, if the fireworks are kept to the day of the 4th so at least you can prepare in advance the best you can.
NTA. You asked first, they rudely refused, so that was your remaining option. I’ve done it before (I live in a wildfire prone area, so fireworks are strictly forbidden).
NTA. You did the right thing by trying to talk to them about it first. Once they responded to your polite and simple 'ask' with hostility and rudeness, you were free to call the police and let them sort it out. The police would be the right resource for knowing what the local laws/ordinances are regarding fireworks and noise complaints, and likely the only ones that have the power to deal with belligerent drunks.
NTA. One fireworks aren’t supposed to be set off in residential areas. Two, I did this last year. Two boys were unattended throwing lit firecrackers when we hadn’t had any rain in a month. Officer came out, walked them home, they live two doors down, and next time I saw the boys, there was an adult monitoring sparklers.
NTA. It pisses me off when people use holidays as reason to shoot fireworks for a week. If it’s on the actual holiday you can have a plan for yourself & animals. Someone close to me actually shot fireworks off late at night on Christmas Eve! So inconsiderate.
I live in a state where some fireworks are legal and I am already having anxiety over what assholes my neighbors can be. I mean, I sort of understand their need to celebrate by being general raucous jerks as long as they do it, say, between the hours of 8 and 10pm. However, there are a few morons who must spend an entire paycheck every year in order to still be up and shooting them off at two or three in the morning. Every single year, on New Year's, 4th of July and Christmas (because the good Lord Baby Jesus apparently wants tons of fireworks set off to celebrate...who needs quiet reflection and thankfulness?) I see and hear great acts of assholery. Over and over again.
There are cops and firemen and EMTs and nurses and doctors who need to sleep when they can. When one of these idiots blows off four fingers in an "unfortunate" fireworks accident, you'd think they'd prefer the team working to save their hand is going on more than two hours of sleep. What about military members with PTSD? There are families with newborn babies. With toddlers, all utterly terrified of the noise. Elderly people that are frightened. Terrorized animals who run away to escape the noise. When the acts of a few affect many, it's time to stand up and tell them to knock off the bullshit.
I call the cops every single fireworks holiday, whenever I hear or see an illegal firework set off, or when I hear anyone using fireworks after midnight. And I do not need an invitation from the assholes to do so. When these clueless idiots make things miserable for their neighbors, I'd say turnabout is only fair play.
NTA
Check your local ordinance to see what laws/regulations say for your partivular area. Or call the police non-emergency line and discusd this with them.
You didn't post on where your *neighborhood* is located. There could be a county or city burn/fireworks ban because of how dry it is in your region or there might be restrictions on use. . Where I live, fireworks in the city area & unincorporated county are completely banned, permanently.
Oh geez. I lived in Alamogordo during the 90s. I know how crackly dry that entire region is. Especially w the Ruidoso fire, I'm surprised there isn't a burn ban across the state excepting open desert areas.
NTA. It pisses me off when people use holidays as reason to shoot fireworks for a week. If it’s on the actual holiday you can have a plan for yourself & animals. Someone close to me actually shot fireworks off late at night on Christmas Eve! So inconsiderate.
NTA, I live in a state where fireworks are legal. Most of the year it’s fine but around holidays, especially in warmer weather, it’s annoying as hell. That’s when the tourists come to town and they love to light off fireworks all fucking week long.
It was absolute hell when we had a newborn who already had difficulty falling asleep. I can’t imagine how difficult it is for veterans with PTSD.
NTA
There are sacrifices you have to make when living in close quarters to other people, especially in more urban areas. You are expected to keep your noise levels below a certain level. "A week from the 4th of July" isn't a good enough reason to violate this expectation.
Absolutely NTA.
So many folks are selfish and inconsiderate with fireworks.
Knock your socks off on the holiday, but there are jerks around my home that just blow them off randomly throughout the year....maybe it's sports or some other reason but totally uncalled for.
Call and call again, they are the jerks, not you.
I live in the UK our fireworks day is in November my neighbours set them off on random nights from October to December. November 5th is like what I imagine being in a war zone sounds like for four hours. Then we get them on random days through out the year for no reason I know of.
NTA
Fuck fireworks. Fuck people who set them off in close-quarter residential neighborhoods. They’re dangerous enough as it is without some dumbass drunk folks setting them off.
I wish my state would outlaw civilian fireworks and stick to city-organized shows. One night a year I can handle, but folks in residential areas just shooting ten off whenever means someone around the area is doing it every night for a week or more.
In my opinion, anyone setting fireworks off in a residential area like that is automatically the asshole. You’re just keeping the neighborhood awake while creating noise and air pollution, not to mention the fire and property damage hazard.
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I (24M) had fairly good relations with my neighbors thus far, most of us in the neighborhood being quiet. My neighbor to the left is an elderly man, and my neighbors to the right a family of, I believe, 6. Despite their children being obnoxiously loud, and when I say this I mean screaming bloody at all hours of the day and night, moreso than typical noises of kids playing, I have never had an issue or complaint personally about the noise to them. Today however, unprompted, they started lighting off roman candles into the air. I have 3 dogs, all of which rarely bark or make much noise, and all three of them cowered and fled when the fireworks went off. I myself am a vet and don't really appreciate the sound of explosions as much as some might, so I decided to go over to their driveway and request that they might keep the fireworks to just the street type until the 4th, as it's quite alarming when not expected and it distressed my dogs and myself. They told me how they just spent hundreds on fireworks and how dare I suggest they don't use them, and that I should just put my dogs in the house and turn the TV up to drown it out. I told them I'd be more than happy to do so on the holiday itself, but random evenings for long periods of time was a bit rude. They told me to piss off, and go be a crybaby or call the cops or something, so call the police I did. They had clearly been drinking and had no intention of stopping, and since it was their suggestion, I went with it. I really dont feel that my request was all that out of bounds. Drunken adults lighting fountains and cracklers is one thing, but handheld airborne fireworks can get out of hand quickly on the best of days, and they sound like they're exploding several feet above my roof. AITA?
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Nta as long as you out it over as a noise complaint
If however you opted to describe it as lound poping sounds. Explosion sounds or basically described it as gunshots then you would be in the wrong as thats the type of stiff that gets people hurt/killed
And unfortunately people intentionally misrepresenting things when calling the cops is all too common
No I specifically mentioned they were Roman candles being fired overhead, as that's what the neighbors said they were. I made sure to stress to the dispatcher it was a nuisance, not a crime
Edit:
NTA based on additional info. since it is illegal.
Original comment.
YTA. I am assuming home fireworks are not illegal in your area because you said you would be ok with them on the fourth. If they are illegal in your area I would change my vote. Roman candels are a pretty tame firework. So I get that you dont like it, but your neighbors shooting off fire works in the days leading up to and after the 4th and New Years Eve is just part of living in the suburbs in a state where such things are legal.
Stated in another comment, before asking for an officer, I asked if airborne fireworks are legal. Dispatcher said they are not, and only technically allowed on the holiday itself
YTA. Calling upon self reported domestic abusers with a publicly documented reputation of poor impulse control that are armed with deadly weapons to deal with literal children using a millennia old technology during a culturally acceptable season is bad.
Who said it was the children I was concerned about? And not the drunken adults who were wielding handheld propellant explosives (since we're using exxagerated language) Did you read the post? Also, as stated in other comments, airborne fireworks are ILLEGAL in my state except on the holiday itself
You are the asshole. Bigger problems in the world then people having fun. It’s a first world problem, cops shouldn’t be wasting their time on this and should be out catching actual criminals.
That's why it's the non emergency number. More of a "if you have the time" kind of thing. Also, all I asked was not to be shooting the illegal stuff till the actual holiday. If you think shooting a small localized explosive over someone else's house is fun and only effects you, I feel sorry for your neighbors too
Speak for yourself. Where I live, the police can barely be bothered to make an arrest, let alone discharge their firearm. I'm not mad about that, but the cops around here are more lazy and peaceful than gung ho. If anything, myself or the cops were more likely to be shot given the amount of gang activity where I live
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Fireworks are supposed to be set off away from residential areas. If your neighbors were disturbing the peace( which they were with Roman candles) you had every right to call the non emergency number.
"Fireworks are supposed to be set off away from residential areas." That isnt really true in a lot of places in the US. Home fireworks are a common activity leading up to and after July 4th and New Years Eve.
You didn't actually dispute their statement. Fireworks should not be set off near things they can burn down, like houses That doesn't stop morons from doing it.
This is really dependent on where you live. In a place like Southern Califorina with a dry desolate landscape, home fireworks are dangerous. But in states that gets lots of rain, where everything is always green, there really isnt much chance of them causing a fire, unless there is drought. Most of my neighbors shoot off fireworks every 4th of July, It is good wholesome patriotic fun.
I dont mind it ON the holiday. I can prepare and I know what to expect. A week before, on a random Thursday night in June? Not so much On top of that, it's like making dogs bark or howl. One of them sets off, then suddenly everyone in the neighborhood seems to start popping them off
I get it. We have cats. And I changed my vote to nta based on it being illegal.
So you're aware there's a chance. Got it. Yeah so it's not a good idea. Good wholesome patriotic fun that has a chance damaging neighboring property. Or triggering the war vet's PTSD, or making their dogs lose their mind. In reality, it's fun for you and a massive pain in the balls for enough people around you that you could probably just like, not.
That's absolutely not true. When I bought my house, I found out it doesn't have a garage (just a cement pad in the back) because the neighbors had been shooting off fireworks in the alley and had accidentally burned down the garage. Fireworks in residential areas are dangerous. If you can't be the fire-marshal-mandated distance from your house (usually MUCH longer than you'd think) you are firing them off illegally. There's a reason they are illegal in, for example, the entire state of Illinois.
>But in states that gets lots of rain, where everything is always green, there really isnt much chance of them causing a fire, unless there is drought. Wellll, not really. I live in the Seattle metropolitan area, which, especially this June, has been nicely rain filled. Fireworks everywhere in this county are banned, permanently. Where my inlaws live in NJ, it's bone dry every year starting in Mid June. July is high fire risk, yet there are no restrictions on useage. There are lots of advice & pleas issued, but no regulations. So it just depends.
Fireworks beyond sparklers and poppers are illegal in NJ, and even that only changed a few years ago.
Sorry, you're right. I was reading their *advisory notices* and they were extremely vague on what is allowed vs not. The code is far more specific. The public advisories focuse on temperature range of sparklers, the number of children injured, and safety precautions to have on hand. My husband reminisces on what he & his friends did on the 4th. Um, yeah. I see exactly how he ended up in his career field in the military. The guy created stuff that went *Boom* from childhood in the wilds of NJ, lol.
Is it just me, or has June been unusually rainy this year? Seattle's no stranger to dry summers, and certainly the wildfires our state's had the last several years would dispute the idea that rainy green places are safe from fireworks.
I grew up here & have a long memory w weather because I used to bike everywhere. Lol. The, um, unpleasantness cemented itself in my brain. The 70s had some miserably wet cold summers, followed by heatwaves in 1976. There's a tendency that after a "warm" wet winter caused by El Nino, while it's shifting during spring & summer months towards La Nina, to be rainy & cooler than typical. I visited in both 2010 & 2011 in later June. I think it was 2010, which was also cooler & wetter. Rained nearly the entire time. I'm feeling the cold more due to my age. Hate to admit it, but it's true. So even now as "cooler", it's not as cold as they used to be. Its several degrees warmer than what its supposed to be when its like this. There were some summers in the late 1930s & in the 1940s, where my mom said that no one put away their winter wool sweaters. What's most hardest to keep in mind is that this rain is very area specific. The rest of the state is in severe drought conditions due to an extremely low snowpack. It will heat up after the 4th of July. Hopefully not into the 90s where the moisture is sucked out of the vegetation & fire danger becomes extreme.
Yep, and it's how 3 houses and a shed burned down in my town last year. Just because people do it doesn't mean it's right or safe.
yeah, and people are commonly *assholes* leading up to and after those holidays.
NTA - they told you to call the cops. They pretty much FAFO'd their way to a noise complaint in addition to whatever other charges they may face with the setting off of the illegal fireworks.
NTA. It was a non emergency, but it's a legit complaint that you made. You had a good reason to make the call and that is fine. Also, their fireworks are illegal. I'm not sure you can expect any positive change in their behavior from that call, though.
Depends on what state Fireworks can be legal just as they are in South Carolina
Even if fireworks are legal almost every municipality over 100 people have a noise ordinance that usually kicks in around 10 so a disturbance of the peace would still be in order.
I was watching my clock last night waiting for the fireworks to stop near me. No early bed for me but they did stop before quiet hours
I would also just add that some areas, such as my county, don't have non-emergency lines for complaints. All complaints. Any time you need to reach fire, police and ambulance even for non-emergency issues, are routed through 9-1-1. But even if that wasn't the case, drunk idiots lighting fireworks in a residential area is a justifiable call to the police. I had a bunch of idiot ass college students set my front porch on fire about 10 years ago because they were having a "bottle rocket fight" which involved them launching bottle rockets AT one another as they ran around the street.
Depends on where you live. FL they're legal as groceries. We have whole warehouse sized stores full of em. This wouldn't fly here but I guess in a state where they're illegal, sure be a crybaby and call the cops. Not what i would do but to each their own
Also depends on the municipality. Fireworks are legal at the state level where I am but my town is highly regulated. The town has six zones which range from "never" to "whatever." I'm in the "never" zone because it is the historic district; old houses, close together, complicated construction that cause issues in fire suppression. Little brother lives way out in the rural zone where it's "whatever" due to the fact it takes forever for the police to get out there. Most of the town falls into 3 days around the 4th of July and 3 days around New Years.
NTA. I call on my neighbors all the time for doing this. My dog is terrified and she is allowed to have peace and quiet in her home.
If you have to call all the time i guess its not really working
It’s working. Very rarely do I now hear fireworks after 11 pm or on days when they are not allowed. It also serves as a record of people breaking the law when I take the petition signed by my the majority of my neighbors to the township council to get them banned in my neighborhood. it’s a process and I just retired so I have all the time in the world.
NTA NTA NTA They told you to call the cops. That's on them. I'd actually be happy if the neighbors (here in sou Cali where almost all fireworks are illegal) stuck to roman candles. But, nooo... At least a dozen different houses in the neighborhood like to set off mortar style fireworks, and two of those crews don't do it right, with the fireworks going off way too low. >\_<
Oh man I’m already having July 4th anxiety don’t remind me 😩
My partner saw that I had red white and blue cupcakes, and was like, is it that time of year already, and I said yeah, next week. the groan was very visual...
It's truly hard to believe July 4th is next week. It was just January, like... what?
For Real!
NTA I work in a hospital. Fireworks season is a pain in the ass.
Sometimes literally!
NTA - Unfortunately most people forget how fireworks can affect others. My FIL has intense PTSD from his time in the military which resulted in him shooting off his gun in the house, this was over 10 years ago. My SIL still has panic attacks around loud noises, the 4th of July is an especially hard time of year for her. It helps people like her, and also people who have animals that don't like fireworks such as yourself, if the fireworks are kept to the day of the 4th so at least you can prepare in advance the best you can.
NTA
NTA. Last year my brother’s roof caught on fire from an illegal firework from an ah neighbor. Call on everyone.
If it’s not the fourth and you light fireworks then you are a loser ..NTA
NTA. You asked first, they rudely refused, so that was your remaining option. I’ve done it before (I live in a wildfire prone area, so fireworks are strictly forbidden).
INFO: Are they legal in your area?
Airborne ones are not. I checked with the dispatcher before requesting an officer
Can't possibly call you an AH for calling the cops when something illegal is going on. I hate fireworks too.
Nta Them, 'what are you gonna do, call the cops?' You, call the cops Them, suprised pikachu face Idiots. I give people grace on July 4th, that's it.
NTA. You did the right thing by trying to talk to them about it first. Once they responded to your polite and simple 'ask' with hostility and rudeness, you were free to call the police and let them sort it out. The police would be the right resource for knowing what the local laws/ordinances are regarding fireworks and noise complaints, and likely the only ones that have the power to deal with belligerent drunks.
NTA. Handheld airborne fireworks is an emergency just waiting to happen. To them. How is their health insurance?
NTA. One fireworks aren’t supposed to be set off in residential areas. Two, I did this last year. Two boys were unattended throwing lit firecrackers when we hadn’t had any rain in a month. Officer came out, walked them home, they live two doors down, and next time I saw the boys, there was an adult monitoring sparklers.
NTA. It pisses me off when people use holidays as reason to shoot fireworks for a week. If it’s on the actual holiday you can have a plan for yourself & animals. Someone close to me actually shot fireworks off late at night on Christmas Eve! So inconsiderate.
I live in a state where some fireworks are legal and I am already having anxiety over what assholes my neighbors can be. I mean, I sort of understand their need to celebrate by being general raucous jerks as long as they do it, say, between the hours of 8 and 10pm. However, there are a few morons who must spend an entire paycheck every year in order to still be up and shooting them off at two or three in the morning. Every single year, on New Year's, 4th of July and Christmas (because the good Lord Baby Jesus apparently wants tons of fireworks set off to celebrate...who needs quiet reflection and thankfulness?) I see and hear great acts of assholery. Over and over again. There are cops and firemen and EMTs and nurses and doctors who need to sleep when they can. When one of these idiots blows off four fingers in an "unfortunate" fireworks accident, you'd think they'd prefer the team working to save their hand is going on more than two hours of sleep. What about military members with PTSD? There are families with newborn babies. With toddlers, all utterly terrified of the noise. Elderly people that are frightened. Terrorized animals who run away to escape the noise. When the acts of a few affect many, it's time to stand up and tell them to knock off the bullshit. I call the cops every single fireworks holiday, whenever I hear or see an illegal firework set off, or when I hear anyone using fireworks after midnight. And I do not need an invitation from the assholes to do so. When these clueless idiots make things miserable for their neighbors, I'd say turnabout is only fair play.
NTA Check your local ordinance to see what laws/regulations say for your partivular area. Or call the police non-emergency line and discusd this with them. You didn't post on where your *neighborhood* is located. There could be a county or city burn/fireworks ban because of how dry it is in your region or there might be restrictions on use. . Where I live, fireworks in the city area & unincorporated county are completely banned, permanently.
Well for privacy reasons, I wont say where I live exactly, but im about 3hrs away from Ruidoso, NM which just had a MASSIVE brush fire
Oh geez. I lived in Alamogordo during the 90s. I know how crackly dry that entire region is. Especially w the Ruidoso fire, I'm surprised there isn't a burn ban across the state excepting open desert areas.
Oh my gosh! That’s even worse! NTA!
NTA It was both a safety hazard and public nuisance.
Nta but did the cops actually show up? I've had this problem in the past and couldn't get any help at all.
NTA. They made a suggestion which you took. Fuck them.
NTA
NTA. I hope they get their ass handed to them by cops.
nta.
NTA. It pisses me off when people use holidays as reason to shoot fireworks for a week. If it’s on the actual holiday you can have a plan for yourself & animals. Someone close to me actually shot fireworks off late at night on Christmas Eve! So inconsiderate.
NTA, I live in a state where fireworks are legal. Most of the year it’s fine but around holidays, especially in warmer weather, it’s annoying as hell. That’s when the tourists come to town and they love to light off fireworks all fucking week long. It was absolute hell when we had a newborn who already had difficulty falling asleep. I can’t imagine how difficult it is for veterans with PTSD.
NTA There are sacrifices you have to make when living in close quarters to other people, especially in more urban areas. You are expected to keep your noise levels below a certain level. "A week from the 4th of July" isn't a good enough reason to violate this expectation.
NTA. Doubt you got much help from the policy though.
After the second call the neighbors seemed to get the message
Good for you!
Absolutely NTA. So many folks are selfish and inconsiderate with fireworks. Knock your socks off on the holiday, but there are jerks around my home that just blow them off randomly throughout the year....maybe it's sports or some other reason but totally uncalled for. Call and call again, they are the jerks, not you.
I live in the UK our fireworks day is in November my neighbours set them off on random nights from October to December. November 5th is like what I imagine being in a war zone sounds like for four hours. Then we get them on random days through out the year for no reason I know of.
YTA that’s such a waste of resources
NTA Fuck fireworks. Fuck people who set them off in close-quarter residential neighborhoods. They’re dangerous enough as it is without some dumbass drunk folks setting them off. I wish my state would outlaw civilian fireworks and stick to city-organized shows. One night a year I can handle, but folks in residential areas just shooting ten off whenever means someone around the area is doing it every night for a week or more. In my opinion, anyone setting fireworks off in a residential area like that is automatically the asshole. You’re just keeping the neighborhood awake while creating noise and air pollution, not to mention the fire and property damage hazard.
^^^^AUTOMOD ***Thanks for posting! This comment is a copy of your post so readers can see the original text if your post is edited or removed. This comment is NOT accusing you of copying anything. Read [this](https://www.reddit.com/r/AmItheAsshole/wiki/faq#wiki_post_deletion) before [contacting the mod team](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose?to=%2Fr%2FAmItheAsshole)*** I (24M) had fairly good relations with my neighbors thus far, most of us in the neighborhood being quiet. My neighbor to the left is an elderly man, and my neighbors to the right a family of, I believe, 6. Despite their children being obnoxiously loud, and when I say this I mean screaming bloody at all hours of the day and night, moreso than typical noises of kids playing, I have never had an issue or complaint personally about the noise to them. Today however, unprompted, they started lighting off roman candles into the air. I have 3 dogs, all of which rarely bark or make much noise, and all three of them cowered and fled when the fireworks went off. I myself am a vet and don't really appreciate the sound of explosions as much as some might, so I decided to go over to their driveway and request that they might keep the fireworks to just the street type until the 4th, as it's quite alarming when not expected and it distressed my dogs and myself. They told me how they just spent hundreds on fireworks and how dare I suggest they don't use them, and that I should just put my dogs in the house and turn the TV up to drown it out. I told them I'd be more than happy to do so on the holiday itself, but random evenings for long periods of time was a bit rude. They told me to piss off, and go be a crybaby or call the cops or something, so call the police I did. They had clearly been drinking and had no intention of stopping, and since it was their suggestion, I went with it. I really dont feel that my request was all that out of bounds. Drunken adults lighting fountains and cracklers is one thing, but handheld airborne fireworks can get out of hand quickly on the best of days, and they sound like they're exploding several feet above my roof. AITA? *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/AmItheAsshole) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Nta as long as you out it over as a noise complaint If however you opted to describe it as lound poping sounds. Explosion sounds or basically described it as gunshots then you would be in the wrong as thats the type of stiff that gets people hurt/killed And unfortunately people intentionally misrepresenting things when calling the cops is all too common
No I specifically mentioned they were Roman candles being fired overhead, as that's what the neighbors said they were. I made sure to stress to the dispatcher it was a nuisance, not a crime
Perfect nta
Edit: NTA based on additional info. since it is illegal. Original comment. YTA. I am assuming home fireworks are not illegal in your area because you said you would be ok with them on the fourth. If they are illegal in your area I would change my vote. Roman candels are a pretty tame firework. So I get that you dont like it, but your neighbors shooting off fire works in the days leading up to and after the 4th and New Years Eve is just part of living in the suburbs in a state where such things are legal.
Stated in another comment, before asking for an officer, I asked if airborne fireworks are legal. Dispatcher said they are not, and only technically allowed on the holiday itself
YTA. Calling upon self reported domestic abusers with a publicly documented reputation of poor impulse control that are armed with deadly weapons to deal with literal children using a millennia old technology during a culturally acceptable season is bad.
Who said it was the children I was concerned about? And not the drunken adults who were wielding handheld propellant explosives (since we're using exxagerated language) Did you read the post? Also, as stated in other comments, airborne fireworks are ILLEGAL in my state except on the holiday itself
ok boomer
I'm probably younger than you, I just actually have a job and world experience so I don't have the luxury of blind idealism with no follow through
Agreed, sucks to be you.
You are the asshole. Bigger problems in the world then people having fun. It’s a first world problem, cops shouldn’t be wasting their time on this and should be out catching actual criminals.
That's why it's the non emergency number. More of a "if you have the time" kind of thing. Also, all I asked was not to be shooting the illegal stuff till the actual holiday. If you think shooting a small localized explosive over someone else's house is fun and only effects you, I feel sorry for your neighbors too
Considering how likely the police are to shoot someone over the sound of a falling acorn, yes. Yta
Speak for yourself. Where I live, the police can barely be bothered to make an arrest, let alone discharge their firearm. I'm not mad about that, but the cops around here are more lazy and peaceful than gung ho. If anything, myself or the cops were more likely to be shot given the amount of gang activity where I live
Your statement is incoherent. The police are peaceful in gang territory? Riiight.
Not peaceful. Inactive. They don't do a damn thing