Youngstown needs to send message with fireworks case
Fact: Several hundred people were blocking the intersection of Market Street and Chicago Avenue on the night of July Fourth. They were breaking the law.
Fact: There was a fireworks display involving items such as bottle rockets, M-88 firecrackers, Roman candles and thunderballs. That's against the law.
Fact: Youngstown police called for assistance and officers from Austintown, Boardman, Youngstown State University and St. Elizabeth Center responded because the crowd refused to disperse peacefully. The ensuing riot resulted in several officers being attacked and injured. It's a crime to resist arrest, and it's an even more serious crime to cause bodily harm to a police officer.
And now for the indisputable fact: If several hundred people had not gathered on the South Side on July Fourth and had not blocked a main thoroughfare of the city, there would not have been a show of force by law enforcement.
It makes no difference that this was not the first year for the illegal fireworks display. And it certainly does not matter that a whole lot of people were having a good time. The laws on the books are there for a reason: to preserve the health, safety and welfare of honest citizens. The riot that occurred put the community in harm's way. As the aggressive attitude on the part of some of the partygoers showed, such gatherings are a powder keg.
The allegations of police brutality and racism are not surprising. We are confident that Youngstown Police Chief Bob Bush will ensure that the internal affairs investigation is conducted fairly and with no preconceived notions as to the guilt or innocence of the officers who have been accused.
We also are confident that the four Boardman residents who were arrested the night of the riot and arraigned Tuesday in municipal court will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.
It is noteworthy that the four who are charged with assaulting police officers came into the city to celebrate Independence Day. That should certainly give Mayor George M. McKelvey and members of city council pause.
Suburbs
Would such an illegal event take place in Boardman or any other suburban community? We have our doubts. That's because there truly is zero tolerance for such behavior. Not only is there proactive law enforcement in the suburbs, but when crowds do gather, they are closely monitored. And government officials are quick to publicly condemn such behavior and put troublemakers on notice.
By contrast, the silence in city hall has been deafening. The absence of public outrage on the part of the mayor and lawmakers simply feeds the perception that anything goes in the city.
That must change. If the four accused in the July Fourth melee are convicted, they should feel the sting of Youngstown's criminal justice system.
And, the case of the 16-year-old boy, also of Boardman, who was issued a citation charging him with illegal possession of fireworks, should be turned over to the state fire marshal. Why? Because he had a large amount of fireworks in the vehicle he had parked in the vicinity of Market and Chicago.
Youngstown has a zero-tolerance approach to drug-related gang violence. It should extend that policy to other criminal behavior.