A public transit meltdown. Severe traffic gridlock. A near-total absence of civic management. Public fury. A punch in the face, bloodshed and a concussion.
Those are the memories Liang, a Fremont, California resident, is left with from the July 4 fireworks show in the US city of San Francisco.
Like tens of thousands of other attendees, Liang and his family were drawn in by the promise of an "unprecedented" Independence Day celebration in San Francisco. The city had heavily promoted the fireworks display this year, billing it as a once-in-a-generation spectacle with pyrotechnics launched directly from the towers of the Golden Gate Bridge, an iconic landmark.
San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie said that the event would "mark only the third time pyrotechnics have launched from the Golden Gate Bridge" as the US commemorated its 250th anniversary.
"It might only happen once in a lifetime," Liang said, "so I felt I couldn't miss this jubilant gathering". Lighthearted, they boarded public transit in the afternoon heading to San Francisco, exactly as the city had advised. What they didn't know was that a nightmare awaited them, one that would not end until 3 am the following morning.
