Remember when we were kids, and how much fun it was to point fireworks at police officers and firefighters and shoot them off?
What, you didn’t do that? Well, that’s just the latest incident of kids being kids here in Peoria:
A “major incident” involving a large group of people shooting fireworks at police and firefighters occurred near the Taft Homes just before 10 p.m. Sunday, about the same time the fireworks show on the riverfront was ending.
Police had to briefly shut down Adams and Eaton streets, near Taft, as they dispersed the large crowds.
No officers or firefighters were injured, dispatchers said on the radio.
At one point, police were ordered to tell those in the crowd to go into their apartments, leave or be arrested for unlawful assembly.
I’m sure it was just a party that was letting out, and this large group was on its way home, having a little fun. There was no property damage or injuries, so there’s no reason for concern. In fact, I wonder if the fireworks were really being shot at police and fire personnel at all, given that there are no interviews with neighbors who corroborate that story.
[/sarcasm]
UPDATE: Another news source in town — 1470 WMBD — is now reporting that there were injuries. “One police officer was treated for minor burns and hearing loss, while police say a fire fighter was treated for hearing loss,” according to their report. They also say that police described the event as a “riot.” I question whether these reports are true, however, since the Journal Star said there weren’t any injuries. After all, the Journal Star has editors that vet these stories before printing them to make sure they’re accurate. They wouldn’t just print something they heard on police radio without verifying it with two other sources. Right?
UPDATE 2: The Journal Star has updated their story. They are now confirming that there were injuries to police officers and firefighters. And they have some video of the incident. I was most interested in the City’s plans to deal with this situation in the future:
The fire engine never made it to the burning trash bin. [Division Chief Gary] Van Voorhis said the fire was not threatening residents or property and was allowed to burn as officers assisted the engine in turning around and exiting Taft. […] Van Voorhis added that firefighters have been targeted by fireworks before, but that the magnitude of the incident Monday was unprecedented. In response, the department will review its policy of how to respond to crowded areas with fires that don’t appear to threaten anyone’s physical well-being or nearby property.
Peoria police, too, will devise enhanced security measures for Taft Homes next year, Burgess said. Revelers there have traditionally held private firework displays on the Fourth and previously made targets of police and passersby, though not to the same extent as Monday.
If I were on the City Council, I would also want to know why this “tradition” of illegal fireworks displays on PHA property and targeting of police and passersby has not been addressed before it escalated to this level. I would also want to know what effect recent cuts to police staffing levels have had in the police department’s ability to respond to this riot.
Dennis in Peoria, I agree wholeheartedly. Those who make the assumption that all who live in Taft welcome this chaos are guilty of believing that these people are different than the rest of us who want to live in peace. Face it, the rest of us weren’t affected by this “event”–only the Taft residents had to deal with this invasion into their living space.
The rest of us weren’t affected? So, we should all keep our heads in the sand? What we don’t know won’t affect us? This thinking does not sound like the thinking of an educator. So, if I turn off the news at night then I won’t be affected by what is happening around the world? Maybe the Taft Homes event won’t affect people on a grand scale, but it will affect people. These types of incidents appear to be on the rise around our country. For us to act as if it isn’t happening will not solve things. I prefer to be well informed so I can make my own decisions, thank you.
Huh–I don’t disagree. I said or thought I said that this particular event didn’t spill over into “our” territory. What I was thinking was that I was sitting not that far away by the Gateway building and enjoyed the fireworks in complete peace. Also, we were able to drive past Taft homes going home with no problem. Yes, of course, I recognize that the police and firemen were in jeopardy. I am just concerned when people tend to blame others without realizing that we are all part of the problem and/or solution. Like it or not, we can’t escape society’s problems though many try by moving as far away from them as possible.
It turns out that the rabble responsible for the Taft incident were from out of town, specifically from Chicago.
It is possible that I may have jumped a bit much onto the Chicago bandwagon. I am hearing–and I guess the PJS should do some more checking–that WMBD may have gotten its information from the PHA, which, of course, will paint a picture that is more to its liking (especially, about the 200 extras). Just saying, we just might not have all the news. Also, I have absolutely no proof, but just speculate that whoever provided the fireworks did so for some reason other than altruism.
I have talked to two people today who both had relatives in the Taft.
One person’s relatives said the police fired pepperballs first into
the crowd, that’s when the fireworks were aimed toward them. I find that
hard to believe.
The 2nd person’s relatives confirmed police reports that as the fire department started dousing smoldering & unfired fireworks, that was when the crowd fired upon them. As far as whether some were Chicago residents or not, is not known.
It’s really, really, really easy to base all one’s knowledge of crime on what comes from the mouths of police. Believe me, police reports are NOT always accurate or fair. They — for the most part — try to be. But it’s important for reporters to get out there and talk to the policed as well as the police.
@ Sharon – I tend to agree. The PHA wants to be as far away from this incident as possible. So they expect us to believe that complete strangers from Chicago just showed up in a housing project with $80K in fireworks to share with everyone???? Somebody there knows something and knows the person or persons responsible. Wonder if they’ve checked the registration on the van to see if the last names match any of the residents?
Billy, that’s what I think–that the PJS needs to take all these stories and aim at finding out the truth. I was fairly convinced–common sense–that the people became angry that the police or fire department would try to “damage” the fireworks in the process or as an “extra” to putting out the dumpster fire. That doesn’t make the police wrong or the people right for attacking them first or after the pepper balls were thrown.
I just want us all to recognize that there are many sides to this story. I do believe that the PHA probably didn’t do due deligence in this case and are covering. I do believe that Chicago drug dealers played a role in much that happens in Peoria. I don’t believe that all Taft residents saw their fireworks display as an act of civil disobedience any more than did all the other people in Peoria who bought and displayed illegal fireworks. (There were no plans by Taft people to riot on July 4–that happened “by accident.”) And not all Taft residents participated or we would be hearing a much different story because the police would very much have been outnumbered.
I don’t believe the drug king pins live in Taft or even in Peoria. I don’t know much about how or where drug sales are carried out in Peoria, but it makes sense to me, at least, that July 4 and the fireworks downtown would provide a good time and place for such transactions. I am personally convinced that the $80K to buy the fireworks were some kind of payoff from the “higher ups” in the drug trade to those who peddle their wares on the streets. Just my theory. Now the PJS should get busy.
Unfortunately, I don’t believe that the PJS is much involved in investigative journalism any more–they only write what falls in their laps. Just read the paper and count how many stories required any effort on the part of PJS reporters–most comes over the wire. And, I believe, that the blogs do force them to report what little they do report.
I haven’t heard mention that in the past few years, there has always been fireworks coming from this general area before the Red White & Boom begins. We have sat outside the Childrens Home for 4-5 years & wondered where the “warmup” fireworks were from. I had assumed it was from the Riverplex due to the size & longevity of them. But now I know that all these years it has been Chicagoeans with nothing better to do.
i know Taft management is trying to blame others for the incident, but Taft management, Taft security, and Taft residents were a big part of the problem too. i see it this way – two box trucks with $80,000 worth of fireworks showed up on Taft grounds. (thats alot of fireworks BTW). did the trucks show up on the 4th or the 3rd? alot (#?) of people would have been needed to unload those trucks. what time did they start unloading all those fireworks and how long did it take to unload those trucks? (i am guessing late morning minimum and atleast a few hours.) how long did it take to set up all those fireworks? (again, guessing atleast a couple hours.) how long did all those fireworks sit out in the open before they were fired off? (again, guessing atleast a couple hours.) if you add up all that time, (6-8 hours+?) those fireworks were exposed to everyone down there for a very long time. now Taft management claims they are shocked that all those fireworks “popped up” out of nowhere and nobody knew anyhing about them? BS. Taft residents cant be fired for not making ONE PHONE CALL (?!) to “someone” about what was going on, but IMO someone at Taft management and/or security should be fired for either not doing their job and finding the ILLEGAL fireworks, or for ignoring the fireworks. sorry, but one or the other happened.
From what I heard PHA had no securtiy working that night. That’s just what I heard.
mortified: PHA was PAYING security that night….they just weren’t actually WORKING. lol
Oh my!!! Looks like the taxpayers should keep a close eye on PHA as well as 150. Millions and millions of dollars are wasted by both organizations. The taxpayers need to demand better.
mortified: AMEN to the 2nd!
Perhaps next year the $ that would otherwise be spent on fireworks should just be given to the FD. It breaks your heart to see people trying to do nice things and yielding a response such as this.
I think I am mis-understanding… So some random people just happened to show up with 80 thousand dollars worth of fireworks?
If this is correct isn’t that in and of itself a federal crime? We don’t manufacture such fireworks within Illinois so they had to have been move across state lines right?
Who determined the amount of 80k anyways?
If ANYONE believes the cause of the fireworks were people from chicago get yer frickin head out of the sand!!!! It has been goin on for YEARS….as my family van was assaulted w/ fireworks while passing Taft….as was all the other vehicles and police officers in the area, a few years ago. The residents fire fireworks year around down there…….is that the people from Chicago too? I say ……RAZE IT NOW!!!!
Stan, I don’t know where the fireworks came from. However, do you believe that someone willing to spend $80,000 on fireworks would be living in Taft Homes? A friend of mine speculated that maybe the fireworks were stolen. Since, I believe, Illinois law makes the sale of this type of fireworks illegal, from where do you think the fireworks were purchased or stolen?
Stolen property in the Taft Homes? There’s a surprise.