City officials and community members are hosting a virtual town hall Monday to discuss the use of illegal fireworks and how to prevent it.
The meeting is hosted by Richmond Police Chief Bisa French, Fire Chief Aaron Osorio, Public Works Director Daniel Chavarria, Julie Freestone of the citizens’ group Stop Illegal Fireworks and Richmond City council members Sue Wilson and Soheila Bana, who recently formed an ad hoc committee to tackle the problem after several months of pressure from community members.
Illegal fireworks town hall
WHAT: City officials and community members will discuss the illegal fireworks problem.
WHEN: 7 p.m. Mon., May 19
WHERE: Via Zoom, meeting ID is 832 6348 9027; 832 6348 902′ mobile access: +1 669 900 6833,,83263489027#
Link to event
The meeting will be moderated by Michelle Milam, Richmond Police crime prevention manager.
The group will discuss the dangers of illegal fireworks, their impact on community safety and well-being, and what can be done to prevent them.
“This is a chance to hear directly from City leadership, ask questions, and share your ideas for making Richmond safer this summer,” the group said.
Osorio recently told Richmondside the fire department handles a “high volume” of fireworks-related calls leading up to the July 4th holiday but that, typically, by the time firefighters arrive they only find leftover fireworks debris on wooden pallets.
Most of the illegal fireworks are being set off in the North and East and the Iron Triangle neighborhoods and unincorporated North Richmond, he said.
“Getting to the root cause means getting to a point where the fireworks are not getting into the city,” Osorio said.
According to a 2024 CalMatters article about illegal fireworks, most of which are bought in Nevada, as of last Fourth of July the state had seized more than 120 tons of illegal fireworks, which was “well above” average, state Fire Marshal Daniel Berlant said. Last June, police seized 75 tons of illegal fireworks from a warehouse in Gardena — the largest bust in state history.
For more information visit Stop Illegal Fireworks.
