Citing crime and public health issues, Denver closes Civic Center Park

DENVER — The City and County of Denver on September 7 announced that Civic Center Park would temporarily close "to abate significant public health and environmental health risks that have grown over the past several months and to rehabilitate one of the centerpieces of Denver’s parks system."

In a news release, the Parks and Recreation Department said the closure would begin Wednesday, September 15, but workers began installing metal barriers around some parts of the park earlier in the week. A person at the park the night of Tuesday, September 7 told Rocky Mountain PBS it was their understanding more barriers would come Wednesday.

The signs on the barriers read "This area is closed to all entry. Violators subject to citation and/or arrest under city ordinance D.R.M.C 39-3(c)."

CBS4 was first to report the news of the parks closure, and the city didn't confirm the reports for about seven hours. The station also reported that the closure could last two months, maybe longer, though the city has not provided a timeline.

City officials cited the presence of rodents, human and pet feces, and discarded drug paraphernalia as some of the reasons for closing the park. They also said Civic Center Park and nearby areas "have become a hotspot for violence, crime, drug sales and substance misuse."

“The current challenges within Civic Center Park have reached a tipping point, creating conditions that put the public’s health and safety at risk,” Denver Mayor Michael Hancock said. “This cannot and will not be allowed to continue. This is the people’s park and we are taking steps so that everyone can once again feel safe and welcomed there.”

Denverite took a dive into Denver Police Department (DPD) data and found that violent crimes at Civic Center Park made up about 10 percent of all assaults and murders in the Capitol Hill, North Capitol Hill, Central Business District and Civic Center neighborhoods between July and August of this year. In June of 2020, that figure was 20 percent.

But Denverite also noted that earlier this year, DPD made a record number of drug citations at the park.

While the park is closed, the city will restore the park's turf, trim trees, and install more lighting, according to the Parks ad Recreation news release. They will also implement "rodent mitigation."

As for the unhoused people who have been staying in the park, city officials said they have been "working every day to connect people experiencing homelessness with services and housing."

This comes at a time when Denver is dealing with a "drastic increase" in homelessness: a recent survey found that first-time homelessness in the Denver area doubled in the past year, likely due to the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Kyle Cooke is the Digital Media Manager at Rocky Mountain PBS. You can reach him at kylecooke@rmpbs.org.