Detroit fireworks marred by at least two unexplained stampedes

[corktownyuppie]

It's sad that even if there were no shootings -- and so far, no one is confirming any shootings -- the mere fear of a shooting can lead to a stampede where people are unnecessarily getting hurt.

I would love the fireworks to remain, but I don't believe that they can in their current form. The DEMF model is the only solution I can think of, where people can pay to stay at Belle Isle and on Hart Plaza in a highly secured perimeter.

I think that people should be able to watch for free, but I don't know how to logistically accomplish that in a safe, secure way. I'm open to ideas. But things can't continue like this.

http://www.mlive.com/news/detroit/index.ssf/2013/06/55th_annual_detroit_fireworks.html#incart_river_de fault

[corktownyuppie]

p.s. Kudos to MLive for reporting this in a responsible way. All other media sources are reporting this with a headline referring to a "shooting that is unable to be confirmed" followed by statements which admit that a shooting may not have even happened.

[Spartan]

I'm interested to hear from someone who was down there. Everything seems to point to there not being any kind of gunfire. The articles leading up made it sound like security was going to be tight and searches were going to be performed. If it had a tight feel to it, I wonder if that would make people feel a bit more uneasy and prone to overreact to things.

[Frankly]

I was at the fireworks last year. Corner of Jefferson right across from the tunnel right up front. My husband and I thought there were plenty of police, they were lined up almost shoulder to shoulder.
We've been going down town for the last 15 yrs. We always parked at the Millender Building parking on the highest floor that had an open window, back the truck up and there we sat. but never got directly in the mix. Last year parking there was closed along with several other parking structures and we were forced to go on the streets. The sidewalks were all lined with those metal gates to keep people from buildings or just getting in the street. What I heard was someone that "yelled out" fight or look out and everyone started moving our way and it was turning into a push and shove match that was a mini stampede. The 2nd one "there's a gun" or "he has a gun" never heard a shot at that point but everyone was headed towards us, running over the gates, pushing people, running over them, people lost their shoes. My husband pushed me across Jefferson to the medium with trees...there we stayed until and officer said to go back where we were. I felt we were lucky that the stampede didn't hurt one us. Sorry to say as much as we enjoy going, we're not..unless the parking structures are open. We always paid to park there, what was the problem last year? We also called ahead and the Millender Parking Structure was supposed to be open. What happened to the parking? People were being herded like cattle on the street and when it came to running for safety there was no where to run.

[detroitsgwenivere]

Watching from my perch, 25 stories above the intersection of Jefferson and Woodward, were the most beautiful fireworks a Detroiter could hope for.

Then about 3 minutes in, I look down to see thousands of people running in every direction, knocking each other down and stepping on each other, parents holding their babies in the air for fear they would be stomped upon in the melee. Children knocked over and crushed into the steel barricades as young people carelessly ran for their lives. People running east on Jefferson literally ran up the 3-75 entrance ramp to get away, while others tried any door they could reach only to have security block their entrances. Cruisers ran into people as they raced to the scene, horses were rearing back in fear, and just when I thought this couldn't get any worse, more shots rang out, causing even more people to scatter. Then the fights started to break out on the street and in the buses. It was an absolute clusterfuk.

When all was said and done, I stood inside a lobby filled with injured people and crying children who had been separated from their parents, looking out into a street covered in shoes, strollers, garbage, and blood.

I've seen a lot of shit living in this town. And I've told you guys about some of these things hoping that you might gain some insight or understanding about the lives that some of us Detroiters endure in our pursuit of surviving this craziness. But in reflection, i find myself looking at Detroit through the eyes of the outsiders and thinking to myself: I really can't blame them for thinking so low of us, especially when stuff like this happens. What i saw tonight from my fellow Detroiters and the police makes me feel low, like we are exactly what they say we are. Uncivilized. Undeserving of a comeback. Unable to handle the most basic functions. I can only shake my head and think about the dozens of parents, children, and strangers in that lobby who fearfully took each others hands, stood in a circle and prayed to God for protection before they left the building to head home in the middle of that madness.

http://www.myfoxdetroit.com/story/22...wntown-detroit

[old guy]

Sounds like a sad situation and unfortunate for a kid to have a memory of a childhood experience that most of us never had at a celebration.

[Zacha341]

Watched it on TV with surround sound on and windows wide open to hear the bombing of the works... you can always count on youtube for the aftermath I suppose...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rXCPMrjo42Y

Comments on other news channels state there was a melee in response to gun shots: trampling, folks running out of their shoes, purses dropped, kids separated from parents. Some say before the works some say 10 minutes after they started?

This newscast shows a bit of running... and a somewhat lengthy interview...

http://www.clickondetroit.com/news/s...z/-/index.html

[firstandten]

And to go along with 282 juveniles were detained for curfew violations, and 150 parents were cited as well. The story is that the parents are upset there kids were busted for the curfew violations. My questions is why was this even temporary the DPD should be enforcing curfew violators every day and ticketing their parents everyday as well. If some of these parents would raise their kids then law enforcement wouldn't have to do it for them.

[Zacha341]

^^^ Big crowds, 'some' free events like that I just don't do anymore much. Too bad, the colors of the works were incredible even on TV, lots of oranges and green colors.

[getmoore]

http://www.myfoxdetroit.com/story/22...wntown-detroit



Watching from my perch, 25 stories above the intersection of Jefferson and Woodward, were the most beautiful fireworks a Detroiter could hope for.

Then about 3 minutes in, I look down to see thousands of people running in every direction, knocking each other down and stepping on each other, parents holding their babies in the air for fear they would be stomped upon in the melee. Children knocked over and crushed into the steel barricades as young people carelessly ran for their lives. People running east on Jefferson literally ran up the 3-75 entrance ramp to get away, while others tried any door they could reach only to have security block their entrances. Cruisers ran into people as they raced to the scene, horses were rearing back in fear, and just when I thought this couldn't get any worse, more shots rang out, causing even more people to scatter. Then the fights started to break out on the street and in the buses. It was an absolute clusterfuk.

When all was said and done, I stood inside a lobby filled with injured people and crying children who had been separated from their parents, looking out into a street covered in shoes, strollers, garbage, and blood.


I've seen a lot of shit living in this town. And I've told you guys about some of these things hoping that you might gain some insight or understanding about the lives that some of us Detroiters endure in our pursuit of surviving this craziness. But in reflection, i find myself looking at Detroit through the eyes of the outsiders and thinking to myself: I really can't blame them for thinking so low of us, especially when stuff like this happens. What i saw tonight from my fellow Detroiters and the police makes me feel low, like we are exactly what they say we are. Uncivilized. Undeserving of a comeback. Unable to handle the most basic functions. I can only shake my head and think about the dozens of parents, children, and strangers in that lobby who fearfully took each others hands, stood in a circle and prayed to God for protection before they left the building to head home in the middle of that madness.

I wish you'd have gotten video. I'm sure hope somebody out there did though. According to the media no one was shooting and people were just panicked because of the echo of the fireworks. Either way I'm glad I decided it was too hot for me to venture down there with my kids.
Such a shame.

[firstandten]

You might remember there was a similar incident at WSU back in August during the High school football games there on campus. Hundreds of kids were running across the field players from both teams hit the ground. People swore they heard shots but no gun was found. Turned out this happen around the time there were fireworks going off at Comerica Park after the Tigers game. In a city like Detroit fireworks can be mistaken for gunshots very easily.

[TexasT]

You might remember there was a similar incident at WSU back in August during the High school football games there on campus. Hundreds of kids were running across the field players from both teams hit the ground. People swore they heard shots but no gun was found. Turned out this happen around the time there were fireworks going off at Comerica Park after the Tigers game. In a city like Detroit fireworks can be mistaken for gunshots very easily.

Yeah I was at that game. A lot of panic over nothing - the game resumed [[and Cass Tech won).

I saw the fireworks from Woodward and Congress. I saw the panic, but it did not look that chaotic to me from where I was. Sad.

[Zacha341]

Interesting long comment in this report. Opinion is that there was a lack of police...

http://www.mlive.com/news/detroit/in...eworks.html#/0

[Detroitdave]

This is really sad , really sad ,I hate to say this , I really hate to say this !, but these headlines could have been written the day before, it really wrote itself even before the first firework went off .

I'm sure this headline/story was already written, all the writer had to do was hit send.

It's sad in this day and time that at ANY large gathering some people make a wonderful event bad for everyone . With the recent bombs in Boston and other scares , the country is on edge.

This could happen in most any city , BUT Detroit has a history of this pattern during this event and of course this gives the Detroit haters more than enough ammo to say "see I told you Detroit is a hell hole, I'll NEVER GO INTO THE CITY AGAIN ".

We had the same problems in LA with gangs ect, and they moved the fireworks to 4 am on the beach , still same thing , so the stop having free fireworks .

When unfortunate things like this happen NYC and Boston they stand "Boston strong/ NYC strong", when things like this happens in Detroit we all know the routine.

I hate to say it but perhaps they should stop having the fireworks in Downtown for free, because it's impossible to control large crowds at an event like this.

This is a cause of a few ruining it for the many, I'm sorry but I think this many be the case, just have fireworks at tigers game

[iheartthed]

This is really sad , really sad ,I hate to say this , I really hate to say this !, but these headlines could have been written the day before, it really wrote itself even before the first firework went off .

It probably was written the day before. Detroit Police says there is no evidence that a shooting took place at the fireworks:

Fear of a shooting at one point during the night had people in the crowd rushing to leave but Stephens said there is no confirmation of a shooting.

http://www.freep.com/article/2013062...Ford-fireworks

[corktownyuppie]

It probably was written the day before. Detroit Police says there is no evidence that a shooting took place at the fireworks:

I take issue with the headline of the OP.

- Media is now backing away original statement that shooting occurred.
- Police state no shooting occurred.
- No shooting victim or victims have stepped forward.

Deadline Detroit now has article with headline, "People Panic Over Nothing at All at Fireworks."

Now am I stating that unequivocally that there was no shooting? No. But so far, all we know is that:

- Panic caused a stampede
- No one is sure if shots were actually fired
- There are some similarities between the sound of fireworks and the sound of shots fired.
- We have some major decisions to make about how [[of if) we can handle crowd control for events like this.

So how about a new headline? One that actually points toward the substance of the debate?

"Panic and Confusion Causes Stampede at Fireworks, Sound of Fireworks Possibly Mistaken for Shooting"

There's a difference between "Possible Fire at Crowded Theater Causes Stampede" vs. "Man Yelling 'Fire' at Theater Causes Stampede: No Evidence of Actual Fire"

[iheartthed]

I take issue with the headline of the OP.

- Media is now backing away original statement that shooting occurred.
- Police state no shooting occurred.
- No shooting victim or victims have stepped forward.

Deadline Detroit now has article with headline, "People Panic Over Nothing at All at Fireworks."

Now am I stating that unequivocally that there was no shooting? No. But so far, all we know is that:

- Panic caused a stampede
- No one is sure if shots were actually fired
- There are some similarities between the sound of fireworks and the sound of shots fired.
- We have some major decisions to make about how [[of if) we can handle crowd control for events like this.

So how about a new headline? One that actually points toward the substance of the debate?

"Panic and Confusion Causes Stampede at Fireworks, Sound of Fireworks Possibly Mistaken for Shooting"

There's a difference between "Possible Fire at Crowded Theater Causes Stampede" vs. "Man Yelling 'Fire' at Theater Causes Stampede: No Evidence of Actual Fire"

Fact checking? "Ain't nobody got time for that!"

In the Deadline comments someone posted a Youtube apparently taken during the fireworks show last night. It shows some blood on the ground and a barricade fence knocked over as evidence of a shooting. However, there is no body/injured person lying on the ground and people are standing around looking not how they would look if they had just witnessed someone shooting a gun in a crowded area.

[MikeM]

I take issue with the headline of the OP.

It was composed at 1:47 AM. I went to bed after watching the news, thinking there was a shooting, and woke to reports that there wasn't.

[Cincinnati_Kid]

How can the original OP state there was a shooting when it hasn't been confirmed? DPD says there wasn't one. I'm sure they have no reason to lie about it. All media outlets I've heard said there was no shooting. And I find that Fox 2 news reporting is suspect at best. They always perpetuate things with their news reporting. So what happened to cause the stampede?

[Bham1982]

How can the original OP state there was a shooting when it hasn't been confirmed? DPD says there wasn't one.

Where does DPD say there isn't a shooting?

[cla1945]

From a reliable source, an officer who was there, on the frontlines at the fireworks last night...DPD has been instructed to keep a closed mouth on the subject. There were at least 3 shooting incidents downtown last night, a DPD officer was hit by a car and his leg was broken. Juveniles were running rampant, they were being detained, parents were being contacted and they were very indignant as to why their kid was being detained. I guess the curfew didn't matter to them.

The fireworks is a tradition in downtown Detroit and the powers that be want people to think that Downtown is perfectly safe at all times. There were more State Police there than Detroit Police. Security was everywhere and yet the thugs that wish to disrupt a nice, family event, were still able to do so.

Until laws change and laws can be enforced; until parents take charge of these dysfunctional kids [[of course, most are dysfunctional parents); Detroit will not change. It's not the City government, it's not the State, it's not the church...the parents are responsible for their children and it's time to start placing the blame squarely where it belongs...in their laps!

[Honky Tonk]

From a reliable source, an officer who was there, on the frontlines at the fireworks last night...DPD has been instructed to keep a closed mouth on the subject. There were at least 3 shooting incidents downtown last night, a DPD officer was hit by a car and his leg was broken. Juveniles were running rampant, they were being detained, parents were being contacted and they were very indignant as to why their kid was being detained. I guess the curfew didn't matter to them.

The fireworks is a tradition in downtown Detroit and the powers that be want people to think that Downtown is perfectly safe at all times. There were more State Police there than Detroit Police. Security was everywhere and yet the thugs that wish to disrupt a nice, family event, were still able to do so.

Until laws change and laws can be enforced; until parents take charge of these dysfunctional kids [[of course, most are dysfunctional parents); Detroit will not change. It's not the City government, it's not the State, it's not the church...the parents are responsible for their children and it's time to start placing the blame squarely where it belongs...in their laps!

Excellent post! I totally agree with you about blame. You can't assign a cop to everyone present.

[313WX]

From a reliable source, an officer who was there, on the frontlines at the fireworks last night...DPD has been instructed to keep a closed mouth on the subject. There were at least 3 shooting incidents downtown last night, a DPD officer was hit by a car and his leg was broken. Juveniles were running rampant, they were being detained, parents were being contacted and they were very indignant as to why their kid was being detained. I guess the curfew didn't matter to them.

The fireworks is a tradition in downtown Detroit and the powers that be want people to think that Downtown is perfectly safe at all times. There were more State Police there than Detroit Police. Security was everywhere and yet the thugs that wish to disrupt a nice, family event, were still able to do so.

Until laws change and laws can be enforced; until parents take charge of these dysfunctional kids [[of course, most are dysfunctional parents); Detroit will not change. It's not the City government, it's not the State, it's not the church...the parents are responsible for their children and it's time to start placing the blame squarely where it belongs...in their laps!

Thanks for the information cla.

I guess that settles that. I guess now we have to question all of the crime reports in downtown.

[Honky Tonk]

Thanks for the information cla.

I guess that settles that. I guess now we have to question all of the crime reports in downtown.

It's not just Downtown. We discovered the same thing accidently while I was on a "Safety Committee" a few years back.

[bailey]

From a reliable source, an officer who was there, on the frontlines at the fireworks last night...DPD has been instructed to keep a closed mouth on the subject. There were at least 3 shooting incidents downtown last night, a DPD officer was hit by a car and his leg was broken.

Call me cynical, but I find this to be a much more plausible explanation than people "mistook" fireworks echos as gunfire, panicked and stampeded.