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New Year’s Eve has become a war zone. I am afraid to step outside into my yard because of illegal bombs and aerials. New Year’s Eve is no longer a celebration for me; it is a time to hide and lock myself in my house from 4 p.m. until 2 a.m.
I don’t dare drive on the streets on New Year’s Eve because I read about someone driving home from work at midnight who got shot through his car window by an illegal firework.
In Wahiawa where I live, Kenneth Meyers, 28, was hit in the head by a firework and died after being in a medically induced coma. Although accidental, I call this murder.
Things have gotten out of hand. Someone’s roof in Ewa Beach was hit with an aerial and the house would have burned down if a neighbor hadn’t called the Fire Department.
Enough is enough. Stiffer penalties and laws need to be enforced. Anyone using illegal fireworks deserves a prison sentence, not a slap on the hand. It is time to stop this ridiculous and dangerous tradition.
Meryle Hirotsu
Wahiawa
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