Fireworks Press Release

The following press release was intended to be sent on Friday October 14, the day of Pitt’s Homecoming Week fireworks display. However, on Thursday evening there was a medical family emergency. Action was to be taken in regard to the following concerns, and the subsequent information may be used as future reference.

PRESS RELEASE

I will be protesting at Pitt's Homecoming Week fireworks display at the site of Bigelow Blvd. and Forbes Avenue between the hours of 5:30 and 7:00 pm. Signage at the protest will simply read: Fireworks in Oakland Must End/ oaklanddignity.com Link 5. That link refers to solutions that we have for our Community's problems.

Here is some background information on Pitt's Homecoming Week fireworks display.

Last year twenty-one residents on Boundary Street signed a petition to move the fireworks display to a venue outside of Oakland. Most of those individuals are elderly long-time residents and descendants of settlers who were in Oakland prior to the arrival of the University of Pittsburgh. Their action has resulted in four changes by the Pitt administration:

1) Last year, for the first time in 20 years, flyers were placed on the front doors of residents to notify them of the fireworks display. In 2009, many elderly residents who went to sleep before 9:30 pm were awakened by the exploding firebombs, and did not know what was happening. I experienced this firsthand. My parents' home shook and the sound from the exploding firebombs resonated through the house into my body. I imagine that many others shared this alarming occurrence.

2) Because of the protest, Pitt removed from its fireworks product list all 4" Bombshells (the description on the product list). We believe that the change resulted from the results of our investigation, which showed that the setup for the fireworks display in 2009 was illegal. The law states there must be a safe zone of 100 feet for every 1" shell. However, the setup zone for that year, which used 4" Bombshells, was within 300 feet of the nearest home. The fireworks display was illegally placing both lives and residences in legitimate danger. Pitt kept the 3" Bombshells for the 2010 fireworks display, and moved the setup zone further back into Mazeroski Field.

3) This year Pitt has changed the fireworks display to 9:00 pm from the traditional 9:30 pm timeslot.

4) Also, this year Pitt removed the 3" Bombshells from its product list. I visited the Deputy Fire Chief and saw the product list for this year. I noticed on the product list that there were no 4" or 3" Bombshells, and the Deputy Fire Chief mentioned that this year there are no "concussion" fireworks.

Her "concussion" description is very appropriate. The exploding firebombs could very easily affect an elderly person's hearing and even possibly his or her heart. For 20 years, the University administration was indifferent to and unfazed by the health concerns and needs of these people, as well as that of the nearby hospital patients.

In 2009, there were a total of 670 Bombshells (concussion fireworks) of 3" and 4". These accounted for 43% of the entire 1,555 fireworks. This is merely an example of what residents experienced for the first 20 years of Pitt's Homecoming fireworks display.

This year, the exclusion of 3" and 4" Bombshells, will lead to an increase in quantity of fireworks. Pitt is adding over 700 fireworks for a total of approximately 2,300 fireworks. The fireworks for this year may be legally permissible, but the display is still morally wrong.

Pitt's accommodating changes do not placate us and do not annul the danger this Homecoming Week event presents to our neighborhood. The Pitt administration cannot control the horrific binge drinking problem in our community (oaklanddignity.com Link 4), and the homecoming Week event exacerbates the alcohol abuse, public intoxication, and drunk and disorderly conduct. Some residents have even found it necessary to hire off-duty police officers to protect their life and property during Homecoming Week.

We have suggested to Chancellor Mark Nordenberg that moving this to Heinz Field would be an alternative allowing for greater safety in our community. We will continue in our efforts to move this event to a venue outside of Oakland.

Carlino Giampolo

Note: Information on the horrific binge drinking problem in our community is now Link 9 on the oaklanddignity.com site.