July 4 fireworks near the Surfside collapse would be cruel. But not everyone agrees | Editorial
There will be no celebratory fireworks in Surfside, Miami Beach or North Miami this Fourth of July. Bal Harbour and North Bay Village have also canceled their displays. No doubt others will follow. There is too much sadness, too much trauma, too many people mourning or fearing the worst about their loved ones still missing in the collapse of the Champlain Towers South condo last week.
“We want to honor and respect those residents who have been impacted by this devastating tragedy,” North Miami City Manager Theresa Therilus said in a news release announcing that the city was canceling the planned fireworks display.
That was the right call. We understand that some people may want to celebrate Independence Day anyway, and they can do that on their own. But at that crumpled building in Surfside, this tragedy is still unfolding. The pain in our community is palpable. You can see it on the faces of exhausted search-and-rescue teams, in the slumped shoulders of those who place one more stuffed animal at the memorial wall that sprang up near the site. A public fireworks display with booms and bursts of dazzling light within sight of the condo would simply be cruel.
Cancellations prompted debates in a local Miami Beach Facebook group. Some residents felt the fireworks celebration should still happen to honor Independence Day while others felt the cancellation was the right thing to do out of respect for the grieving families.
We have pulled together in the enormity of this moment. Support, financial and emotional, has poured in from community and religious groups, and from people who just want to help. Israel and Mexico have sent search teams. Miami’s skyline will light up every night with hundreds of fluttering flags and the words, “One World, One Prayer,” until everyone missing in the collapse is found.
President Biden visited the site on Thursday, putting politics aside to focus on the Surfside community. Even our state and local politicians have mostly managed to work together as we grapple with a catastrophe that no one could have prepared for.
This year, the Fourth of July will have a different meaning for Miami. Maybe this year, along with independence, July 4 can also stand for unity.
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This story was originally published June 30, 2021 at 4:33 PM.