The shooting on June 13 was just the latest incident to put a pall on the party.
After last call on July 17 last yearshots echoed outside Larimer Beer Hall, at the intersection of 20th and Larimer streets, the dividing line between LoDo and the Ballpark neighborhoods.
And even those who recognize that reputation as overblown think Denver could use an infusion of energy and a redirection if it's going to draw people back downtown and support the live-music venues and other creative outposts already there. Now the 87 Foundation is trying to determine how to restore what's left of the space after Corleons largely destroyed it, and how to use it as an example of the importance of maintaining cultural touchstones.
“Unfortunately, what was happening downtown has now spread throughout the entire city,” Brackett says. “We are truly hemorrhaging creatives.” A shooting outside the Larimer Beer Hall last July brought new focus to Denver's nightlife challenges.Howie Kaplan was one of the original beer vendors at Coors Field before he moved to New Orleans in 1997. There he founded a music venue called the Howlin’ Wolf, managed many bands and became part of the National Independent Venue Association, which fought to sustain music venues during the pandemic.
Denver has a similar number of people working in the hospitality industry, with about 50,000 jobs in accommodation and food services in the city in 2022, according to the Denver Office of Economic Development & Opportunity. That's a sizable enough constituency for Denver to have a night mayor, too, Kaplan says.
The work of a night mayor isn't merely about policing and eliminating nuisances; it’s about encouraging the positives and making sure all the pieces fit together. That’s what Sacramento realized it needed when it hired Tina Lee-Vogt to lead its Office of Nighttime Economy. These jobs involve making city processes work for the hospitality industry. Hannah-Spurlock, for example, streamlined the alcohol permitting system in Fort Lauderdale. Before she took over as night mayor, operators had to apply for extended-hours permits to serve alcohol past midnight or 2 a.m., depending on the district. That created unnecessary paperwork, since she determined that nearly every operator wanted the choice to serve alcohol later.
“My job is to advocate for the nighttime cultural economy of the city of New Orleans and her culture bearers,” Kaplan says. “A culture bearer can be a musician, it can be a Mardi Gras Indian, it can be a baby doll, it can be a sous chef, it can be someone running an Airbnb. … Culture isn't any one thing. It's overpowering and overreaching, and so we need to make sure that we're protecting all of those people.
“I really encourage other cities to do this,” Plusquellec says. “The pandemic really showed us how important this industry is. ... I love my job. I love making these connections and helping people, and nothing makes me happier than seeing a venue thrive and get through a difficult time. I would wholeheartedly endorse Denver doing something like this.The former El Chapultepec building is now home to the 87 Foundation.
“All we're able to do right now is kind of present that, oh, this part of the neighborhood is on fire to the police officers,” Brackett says. “There's no way of even gathering any of the data on the size of the emergency, the scope of it. Nobody is gathering it.” He points to Handsome Boys Hospitality, headed up by Josh Schmitz, which has taken over the space across from 87's base in El Chapultepec on the other side of Market Street. Until March, it was occupied by, along with Loaded and Smash Face Brewing; Schmitz's group replaced them with five new concepts. El Tejano was often the site of violence and arrests, but since Handsome Boys put its spin on the area, there haven't been any problems.
Schmitz agrees that when people can easily navigate the streets, nightlife improves. Handsome Boys has a dance club, Disco Pig, in Larimer Square, which is closed off to cars. Even when the party spills into the street, pedestrians feel safer. “I haven't lost faith in downtown,” Schmitz says. “I wouldn't say it's not safe, but it's definitely rowdier. It's definitely an entertainment block.”A night mayor could solve some problems quickly, he suggests, by introducing shared safety improvements. For example, if every bar in the area got on the same ID system, that could prevent violence because people who'd already made trouble in one bar wouldn't be able to go elsewhere.
Schmitz acknowledges that police response times are slow, but he also knows that the DPD is understaffed, and doesn’t think it’s fair to demand that the police department solve all nightlife problems. “Let's have a better conversation about what we can do to make things easier for the police,” Kaplan says. “That will be different in Denver or any other city. Each police chief could say, 'This is what we need help with.'”
Denver has plenty of culture, he adds, but he thinks that city officials might need a reminder of that culture and how this is an attractive place to live. Denver isn't just about proximity to the outdoors; it's a thriving city where lots of dollars are being generated after 6 p.m. as people dine out, grab drinks and attend activities like concerts.
“Downtown Denver is now a place where it's borderline illegal to be a teenager,” Brackett says, adding that when he was a teen, there were places he could go downtown without spending a lot of money. “That's an actual crisis. That is a mental health issue. That is a talent retention issue. These are the kids who are going to determine if they're going to stay in the city or not, and if it's not for them, we will lose them.
Revelers after the Nuggets championship win climbed the El Chapultepec sign before the shooting a block away.Another instance came up early on June 13, when a shooting at 20th and Market streets left ten people injured, including several people who had been celebrating the Denver Nuggets championship win. According to Denver Police Chief Ron Thomas, there were hundreds of police in the immediate area at the time, attempting to keep the party in check.
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