New York City is creating a new law enforcement task force to crack down on illegal fireworks. People are worried it'll cause more over-policing problems.

• A multi-agency task force will crack down on illegal fireworks in New York City, Mayor Bill de Blasio's office announced on Tuesday.
• The task force will include New York's police and fire departments, and the Sheriff's Bureau of Criminal Investigation.
• "We're cracking down on this activity at the source to ensure the safety of all New Yorkers," de Blasio said.
• Police officers have already begun addressing the use of fireworks: Several dozen stormed through a Brooklyn neighborhood in riot gear last week, threatening to arrest anyone who was outside.

On Tuesday, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio unveiled a new task force to crack down on illegal fireworks, which led to numerous residential noise complaints and inspired conspiracy theories on social media.

The nightly displays have caused a furor across the city in recent weeks. For many, they are a symbol of celebration and the early days of summer. For others, including public officials and law enforcement, they are simply dangerous and illegal.

"The task force will target suppliers, distributors and possessors of large quantities of illegal fireworks by conducting investigations and sting operations within and outside of New York City to disrupt supply chains," the mayor's office said in a statement.

The task force will include the city's police department, fire department, and the Sheriff's Bureau of Criminal Investigation.

"Illegal fireworks are both dangerous and a public nuisance," de Blasio said. "We're cracking down on this activity at the source to ensure the safety of all New Yorkers and the ability of our neighbors to get some sleep."

Restless demonstrators pressured de Blasio to address the problem himself, surrounding his Gracie Mansion home on Monday evening and honking their car horns to demand an end to the citywide fireworks.

—Heshy (@HeshyTischler) June 23, 2020

"If we can't sleep, Mr. Mayor, you won't sleep," said City Council member Chaim Deutsch, who attended the demonstration, in a statement. "We need to send a message that we need to end these chaotic fireworks."

—Councilman Deutsch (@ChaimDeutsch) June 23, 2020

The citywide displays have been more prominent than usual. In the first two weeks of June, the city received 849 complaints of fireworks via its 311 complaint system — a 3,942% increase compared to the same period last year, when there were 21 complaints. Some have been suspicious of the increase, suggesting without evidence that they're part of a government plot.

"For any number of reasons," said Police Commissioner Dermot Shea, "the use of illegal firework has skyrocketed this year and that has damaged the quality of life in our neighborhoods."

"The NYPD will continue to work closely with our city partners to address this dangerous issue," Shea added.

The police department has already started cracking down on the use of fireworks. Last week, dozens of officers stormed through the streets of Brooklyn's Flatbush neighborhood in riot gear to address complaints of illegal fireworks. They blocked off a street, Buzzfeed News reported, and threatened to arrest anyone standing outside. A police helicopter hovered overhead.

—Caroline Haskins (@carolineha_) June 15, 2020

The display of force has worried some Brooklyn residents.

"I'm not denying that the fireworks are excessive and can be a nuisance, but they are nothing new," one Flatbush resident told BuzzFeed News. "I have lived in southern Brooklyn all my life, and it's just a feature of summer from Memorial Day to Labor Day."

"I wouldn't consider calling the cops," the resident added, and I especially wouldn't given the current political climate."

Imani Henry, a community organizer with Equality for Flatbush, told Buzzfeed News that the fireworks were a show of solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement. The city's response to the fireworks, especially in predominantly Black and Brown neighborhoods like Flatbush, pointed to the movement's main grievance: racialized policing.

After getting hit "several times" at a protest last month, Henry saw fireworks go "off right on Church and Bedford, and it really was this moment of power and resistance, because people have been beaten up and fighting the cops all day," he said. "It lifted our spirits."

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