On weekend nights, LoDo becomes an epicenter for Denver nightlife as everyone from yuppies to out-of-town visitors flocks to the bars and clubs in the neighborhood near downtown for an enjoyable evening. Unfortunately, this brings a plethora of problems along with it. Often, drunk patrons spill out of the bars around 1:30 or 2 a.m. and find themselves in confrontations. The City of Denver is wise in implementing strategies to help ameliorate this problem.
How serious is the issue? It is nothing to ignore; the large crowds in the streets often have verbal and physical confrontations, throw fists and even fire guns. In July, a 19-year-old Buckley Air Force Base airman was shot and killed at 15th and Market St. in a confrontation in the wee hours. In September, two were shot at a bar near Coors Field around 1:30 a.m. and just earlier this month a man was shot in the leg at 15th and Market St.
All told, 33 violent crimes took place in August and September, ranging from aggravated assaults to robberies. “When you get a lot of people in one place with alcohol, there is a potential for bad things to happen,” said Josh Davies, president of the Lower Downtown Neighborhood Association, in a Denver Post article published on Oct. 14. “You will never eliminate that. That’s part of the culture we are in. We need to find ways to mitigate that,” said Davies.
The city is doing just that. In the next few months, Denver will enhance its oversight of liquor law compliance to make sure nightlife establishments are not overcrowded and that patrons are not being over-served with alcoholic beverages. The City will also begin enforcing rules that forbid food trucks and food peddlers from the Downtown Business District after midnight.
The goal is to “keep our downtown a welcoming entertainment core for patrons, neighbors and businesses; that means making sure our people feel safe,” said Amber Miller, the press secretary for Denver Mayor Michael Hancock. She also mentioned that police have done a good job of reducing crime, which was higher last year, by adding more officers, being more visible and effectively managing traffic and pedestrians.
Also in the cards is setting up temporary taxi stands to help get people out of the LoDo area as efficiently and safely as possible once the bars and clubs close at 2 a.m. These recommendations were the result of many meetings with stakeholders over the summer.
One recommendation was not agreeable to bar owners. The proposal involved changing city licensing to allow bars to stay open past 2 a.m. Owners oppose such an idea, as state liquor laws prohibit the sale of alcohol past 2 a.m., and they see little reason to keep the lights on and pay employees if they cannot generate revenue.
Still, the city is moving forward with strategies to combat ever present problems in the area. More stringent enforcement of liquor laws, enforcing food truck and peddler rules and setting up taxi stands are all steps in the right direction toward making LoDo a safer place in weekend nights.
