DENVER (KDVR) — In November, the Downtown Denver Partnership launched an effort to make the Convention Center corridor safer.
The Convention Center corridor includes the 16th Street Mall and the Convention Center.
FOX31’s Vicente Arenas said that on Wednesday, the area appeared to be calmer and cleaner than it had been previously.
Do people feel safe at the 16th Street Mall?
We put out a post on social media on Thursday to find out if people feel safe at the 16th Street Mall. There were a variety of responses from our viewers and over 100 comments.
“First the city needs to clean up the crime and panhandling. Then, maybe, the businesses and consumers return. It used to be enjoyable to walk/shop the mall, but anymore the harassment and threats are just not worth it,” one person said on Twitter.
“I feel safe but that isn’t saying much I feel safe pretty much anywhere. The smell is pretty bad in some areas though,” one viewer said on Facebook.
Another viewer explained how he believes the mall area has changed.
“Yes I feel safe, but it looks deserted these days. I was just down there last week, it’s pretty sad,” he said.
“NOPE! I’m a native and have seen this beautiful state go downhill year after year, so sad,” another viewer explained.
“I started bringing mace with me if I absolutely needed to be down there,” another person said on Twitter.
Some of the commenters said the area smells bad. Others said they haven’t been to downtown Denver in years.
Since the launch of the Downtown Denver Partnership’s effort to address safety concerns, teams that include police, social workers and cleaning crews have been working trying to lower crime for the Convention Center corridor, as well as lower the number of people being harassed.