Mother Rapers, Father Stabbers, Father Rapers And . . . Sparkler Lighters?

Staten Island Fourth of July revelers unhappily find that the city was serious about that “zero tolerance” thing after all when SWAT teams stormed backyards to confiscate fireworks and cart offenders off to the pokey:

Walking out of Stapleton Criminal Court yesterday afternoon, 29-year-old Anthony Padovano of New Dorp was quick to point to the cuts and scrapes he said he sustained when eight police officers stormed into his backyard, threw him to the ground, and cuffed and arrested him for illegal possession of fireworks.

“It’s ridiculous. They have all these criminals in my neighborhood, and they bring in a SWAT team for me when I am trying to light sparklers,” Padovano said of his arrest on the Fourth of July.

His comments pretty much summed up the feelings of the nearly two dozen Staten Islanders who packed the holding cell at the borough’s Criminal Court waiting arraignment on the same charges.

Angry, indignant and bone-weary after spending a night in cramped jail cells with “real criminals,” they expressed no regret for what they deem their right to celebrate America’s independence with a few fireworks of their own.

“They took away my whole Fourth of July,” Padovano added.

. . .

. . . 19-year-old Daniel Savino . . . was charged not only with handling illegal fireworks but also resisting arrest after a scuffle with police outside his Annadale home.

After his mother, Josephine Savino, paid his $500 bail at Criminal Court, Savino showed marks on his arm, legs and back, which he said resulted from officers shoving him against a cement wall, forcing him to the ground, then kicking him.

“They were brutal,” Savino said.

He was one of at least a half dozen residents who complained the cops were too heavy-handed in their enforcement efforts. Savino said he’ll lodge a complaint with the city, but he’ll still have to return to Criminal Court next month, facing fines of up to $750 and possible jail time.

As will Dongan Hills residents Mirvet Cioku, 43, and his 17-year-old son, Atdhe. After arraignment before Judge Alan Meyer yesterday afternoon, they walked out of the courtroom clearly irritated.

“I don’t understand. They make fireworks to celebrate the Fourth of July, but they don’t expect me to use them?” asked Mirvet, who emigrated from Albania 20 years ago.

“Forget it. I just want to pay the fine and get out of here so I don’t have to see their faces anymore.”