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De Blasio Draws Scorn With Plan for July 4 Fireworks: Live Updates
The mayor proposed that the annual Macy’s fireworks display go on, prompting some New Yorkers to accuse him of misplacing priorities.
The mayor’s fireworks announcement is greeted with … fireworks.
The fireworks show must go on.
So said Mayor Bill de Blasio on Twitter on Wednesday,
posting a video message in which he promised that the annual Macy’s Fourth of July pyrotechnic display would light up the sky despite the city’s current shutdown and gloomy prospects for the summer.
“One thing we know for sure,” Mr. de Blasio said. “We will find a way to put on a show that will show how much we love our country.”
He elaborated at his morning briefing.
“This is a day we cannot miss, this is a celebration that has to happen,” he said. “Come hell or high water we are going to do this.”
One way or another, the show will go on. One way or another, we’re going to celebrate the Fourth of July in a very special way in New York City. There’s definitely going to be fireworks — how we do them, where we do them, how we do it in a way that’s safe and keeps New Yorkers healthy — a lot of questions that we have to answer between now and then.
The response on Twitter was swift and furious. Some people apparently felt the festive promise showed misplaced priorities.
“How about u stop worrying about Celebrations and fix this city,”
one user asked.
“How about Macy’s just gives all that money to supermarket, delivery and healthcare workers?”
asked another. “I promise you New Yorkers are more worried about their own health, the health of others, and ensuring that their favorite small businesses are able to survive, rather than a stupid fireworks show.”
Others noted that Macy’s had
furloughed most of its 125,000 U.S. employees last month.
Although the company does not publicly disclose its costs for the fireworks display, which last year involved setting off 70,000 pyrotechnics from barges along the East River, the price tag has been estimated at around
$6 million in fireworks alone, according to the website Bankrate.com.
The event has required the presence of 6,000 police officers in previous years, according to the city.
Asked if a fireworks display was worth the price, Mr. de Blasio said the celebration of what he called a “sacred” day was “part of our effort to fight back to recognize a day of this importance.” In the “grand scheme of things,” he said, the cost was small.
Considering that the city has already canceled popular outdoor events like the St. Patrick’s Day Parade and the Pride Parade, which had been scheduled for June 27, in line with a ban on large gatherings meant to slow the virus’s spread, Mr. de Blasio did not specify what exactly a safe, socially distant Independence Day celebration would look like.
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