Safety Crackdown at Wright Park
A dangerous accident sparks a push to ban explosives from Tacoma's public greenspaces.
An ordinance recently introduced in the council prohibits the discharge of fireworks in any of the city parks. The provision is a wise one and, after it is passed, should not be allowed to become a dead letter. The enforcement of such an ordinance will prevent a repetition of the recent accident in Wright Park, when the lives of several thousand people were placed in jeopardy. Public parks such as Tacoma has are intended to be places where people can go for rest and recreation, and not places for the handling of large quantities of dangerous explosives.
“Public parks such as Tacoma has are intended to be places where people can go for rest and recreation, and not places for the handling of large quantities of dangerous explosives.”
Public safety vs. public celebration in city parks remains a recurring tension in Tacoma. The article illustrates how early civic ordinances were often reactionary, born from specific, dangerous incidents that threatened the utility of shared community spaces.
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