Another Stabbing Near 16th Street Mall Raises More Safety Concerns

Earlier this month, we reported about a couple attacked on the 16th Street Mall for complaining about littering, as well as complaints about a fourteen-minute delay in police response to the incident, which is said to have involved somewhere between ten and twenty teens.

The couple was badly beaten and a Good Samaritan was stabbed by a box cutter.

Thus far, there have been no reported arrests in that case.

However, concerns continue to mount about safety on the mall. And you can bet such worries will only multiply in the wake of another stabbing neaby, even though many local news media organizations continue to give the story of 16th Street Mall safety short shrift.

The exception to this rule is Fox31, which reveals that Denver police officers responded to reports of a fight on the 1500 block of California Street at about 12:30 a.m. on Sunday, August 30.

By the time the cops arrived, the victim was at 16th and California on the mall. The victim was transported to an area hospital in stable condition.

Here's an interactive graphic of the area where the stabbing took place. If you have problems seeing the image, click "View on Google Maps."


By the time DPD forces arrived, the suspects had fled.

Police radio chatter shared by the station in its report identifies them as "two black males, one black female, unknown clothing...and they were last seen running towards Stout on 16th."

Given the proximity of this location to the previous one, it's natural to have expected the news media to turn its spotlight on mall safety.

But no: Beyond the Fox31 piece, the only one of significance we found was a brief in the Denver Post that provided the basic facts but didn't contextualize them.

Likewise, the Denver Police Department hasn't drawn additional attention to mall violence. The Sunday morning incident didn't even rate a tweet from the DPD Twitter account.


Even so, Fox31 appears to have had no trouble finding people on the mall who were alarmed about increasing violence in the area.

One person in the station's report says she seldom visits the area anymore because of the possibility of such crimes taking place. Another says she felt safe there a couple of years back, but not so much anymore.

In the meantime, the Downtown Denver Partnership's survey about the 16th Street Mall concludes today. The DDP is looking at "revisioning" the area. One idea: assigning the trademark 16th street shuttles to run on 15th and 17th, too. Click here for more details.

Such concepts will only work, however, if people feel the area is safe to visit — and as of now, plenty seem to feel otherwise.

Here's the latest Fox31 item.