"A meetup of Moroccan soccer fanatics at a historic Astoria baseball field roared to life with fireworks and flares on Tuesday evening, sending pink smoke wafting toward Manhattan. The group of around 20 people unfurled a massive banner in sections, which was assembled to depict the logo of Ultras Winners 2005, a supporters group for the Casablanca-based Wydad Athletic Club. Neighbors who shared videos of the meetup on Reddit said some in the group had a brief fistfight. Then came the pyrotechnics."
"The shockwaves from the exploding fireworks caught the attention of residents in gleaming new residential towers erected in recent years between the ballfield and decades-old NYCHA housing. Longtime stewards of the park are using the occasion to push for more funding and ask for stepped up police patrols, while others said the fireworks are part of city life that highlight the friction between a growing neighborhood and the spontaneous use of public space."
Around 20 Moroccan soccer supporters gathered at Whitey Ford Field in Astoria and assembled a large banner depicting the Ultras Winners 2005 logo. The group launched fireworks, flares and flare guns, producing pink smoke visible toward Manhattan and prompting alarm among nearby residents. Videos circulated showing a brief fistfight and pyrotechnic displays. The explosions drew attention from residents of new towers adjacent to decades-old NYCHA housing. Parks stewards called for increased funding and stepped-up police patrols, while others framed the fireworks as part of city life and evidence of friction over spontaneous public space use. Police reported no arrests and the permit status was not disclosed.
#moroccan-football-supporters #fireworks-and-flares #public-safety-and-policing #urban-park-stewardship
Read at Gothamist
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