Reader: Roving Gangs of Drug-Using Vagabonds Are Ruining 16th Street Mall

This weekend is the last round of the 2016 Meet in the Street, a series of events dedicated to re-activating the 16th Street Mall. We recently posted a story about a report suggesting that Denver may have lost convention business on the 16th Street Mall owing to negative perceptions related...

By Westword Staff

July 23, 2016

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This weekend is the last round of the 2016 Meet in the Street, a series of events dedicated to re-activating the 16th Street Mall. We recently posted a story about a report suggesting that Denver may have lost convention business on the 16th Street Mall because of negative perceptions related to homelessness, crime and drug use in the area.

Richard Scharf, president and CEO of Visit Denver, the city's tourism agency, sees the situation as improving, and is optimistic about a new safety plan that's been put into place on the mall. But he also admits that the survey responses from some visitors to the area are worrisome. Our readers expressed concerns as well.

Here's a note from someone who works in the area, who feels that many of the biggest problems on the mall are being caused by different kinds of Denver-area visitors. Jana Goff Tweedy writes:

I work down there. It isn't our regular homeless population causing the issues. It's the gangs of vagabonds that move from state to state bringing heroin, meth and violence. We have got to take back 16th Street. I am a pro at bouncing these shitheads off our patio.

What do you think of the 16th Street Mall?

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