DENVER (KDVR) — Business owners and homeowners on Denver’s Capitol Hill are recovering from Wednesday night’s damaging demonstration in their neighborhood. The year 2020 has been one of bracing for unrest, experiencing unrest and trying to move on from unrest. Business windows along Colfax Avenue are, again, covered with boards.
“At night, I don’t necessarily feel safe,” said a woman named Erin who was considering moving to Capitol Hill until recently. “There’s been a lot of activity going on lately.”
Neighbors describe unsavory activity spilling over into residential areas on side streets that intersect Colfax.
“Living here is a bit of a dumpster fire,” said resident Sammy Smith.
Smith is a tenant in a large Victorian home near Colfax and Pennsylvania. His landlords have been forced to install a gate on the property and wrap plastic fencing between the sidewalk and street to dissuade trespassing.
“They use our property to protest and they use our dumpsters to light fires and then there’s arguments,” Smith said. “Last night when Trump started to look like he was going to lose… that’s when all of the conservative protests started happening.”
Smith said overall he still enjoys living in the area. His landlords confirm they have been trying to sell their condominiums for months. However, the year of unrest has made selling property in the area more challenging.
“Not a lot of people are coming to check out the house during all these protests and all the homeless people that have been living around the house,” Smith said.
While living in a central location close to the action might seem exciting, lately that action is becoming more of a turnoff for many people who call Capitol Hill home.
Parking and driving through the neighborhood is also a challenge, according to residents. Police have routinely closed down streets during demonstrations— making it more difficult for people to come and go.