Fort Worth's Fourth — Local services in Fort Worth

As a Fort Worth resident, former gov employee, and unwilling but overcharged taxpayer, I have a few questions about the Tim foolery that was the Fourth of July on Panther Island, adjacent to new City Hall.

Last night’s “celebration” at the brand-new $260M+ City Hall felt less like a community event and more like a cordoned-off security drill ran by overzealous and quite possibly undertrained police department. Barricades blocking sidewalks. Police stationed in full force but weirdly picked areas. They were most definitely not to protect and serve or safely assist in guiding all the extra foot traffic (bc FWPD “on mayor’s orders” closed all lots with physical barricades and/or Officers with bad attitudes about it. It was the opposite of inviting. Families and groups large or small were left confused, hot, frustrated, funneled into closed lots where brief cops would bark them back into messy traffic. The public at large was left completely unable to access the city’s very expensive “front porch” promised during the bond campaign. Mind you - last year the under construction city hall was wide open with approximately four goofy cops who appeared to be holding a serious thumb war championship or something. I can’t recall exactly; it’s been a long year ever since the new neighbors at city hall moved in.

Was this space not billed as open, accessible, for the public, and people-first? Because on the Fourth of July of all days it felt like the doors were metaphorically (and literally) closed as well as randomly chosen streets and single lanes of traffic.

We paid for this, no? We voted for this. And we were treated like we didn’t belong....

This is a great show for fireworks! The display of fireworks lasts a long time and the views are incredible. I would give it five stars, but the traffic is always bad. This festival tries its best to move people with security guards and police officers. However, the road and lane closures make it a pain to get out of the park. I had to travel west in order to travel east. It...

Well we started at the Bedford fireworks the had a delay 15 miss into the show so we high tailed it to Fort Worth 4th. Once we get to 35 we head north all the way to 287 and head towards Haslet. Watching fireworks all the way along the highway. We finally stop at the Haslet Whataburger and watch for about 30 more minutes. Before heading to Buc-ees for some...