This week, a man was arrested for a series of assaults on the 16th Street Mall, the highest-profile crimes in the area since last summer, when multiple fights and random attacks were caught on video. Authorities responded by instituting a new safety plan that appears to have lessened violence in the iconic shopping area, and boosters added the Meet in the Street program to liven up weekends. But can they do anything to keep the place safe from the invasion of the chains? Says Brian:

It's not the safety issue. There just isn't anything appealing on the mall anymore. The good bars and eateries are all in different parts of the city and there isn't much else to it.

Suggests Jennifer:

 Fewer chain restaurants, better lighting, improve the pavers, give it 'pocket'-themed areas (maybe generational?).

Says Monte: 

I'm down there all the time. I feel perfectly safe. But because I am down there all the time, the mall is basically my back yard so of course I'm comfortable. I get why others don't feel safe, but you will be fine. There's not really anything on the mall that is a draw to Denverites anyway; my watering hole just happens to be there.

But then there's this from Vicky: 

I love the mall. There are assholes everywhere. I won't live my life in a bubble of "safe" spaces. I go there all the time. 

Keep reading for some of our recent coverage of the mall.