Flash Mob violence at carvinal illustrated why downtown fireworks is ill-advised

A downtown carnival recently had to be shut down thanks to a group of 400 or more teens who hopped off the train at the Tinley Park train stop to disrupt the event. The teens terrorized carnival goers by running through the crowd and fighting each other.

The carnival is located at the same spot the Village of Tinley Park will have its fireworks show this year. One of the arguments for moving the Fireworks show from the Park District was that the downtown location would be easier to police. The carnival incident, though, clearly shows this is not the case.

The Tinley Park Park District site is far from the train stop. A flash mob jumping off at the Tinley Park train stop would have a long way to go to disrupt an event at the Park District. Furthermore, the park district location has avenues of escape in all four directions. If the area were targeted by a flash mob, people could get out of harm’s way much easier than they can in the downtown location.

If safety really is the main reason Tinley Park decided to have its own fireworks show instead of working with the Park District, then the flash mob incident clearly undermines that decision. But then again, safety really was not the reason the decision was made. The decision was politically motivated. The Village and the Park District both have an interest in acquiring the Mental Health Center from the state. The Village’s contempt for the Park District is not exactly a secret. Most Tinley Park residents believe the fireworks decision was done out of retaliation – not safety.

But now there is a real safety concern. If the Village of Tinley Park is indeed concerned about the safety of its residents – then they should cancel the fireworks show downtown and work with the Park District to have a show far away from the train stop. It is time for Village leaders to put partisan politics aside and put the people of Tinley Park first.