Denver police are investigating allegations of a “pop-up bar” selling alcohol at a homeless encampment in the city, along with complaints about tents being rented out for prostitution.
Photos of the “pop-up bar” show dozens of liquor bottles displayed on shelves, television cabinets, and in the drawers of a dresser, along with a cooler, cushioned chairs, a chaise lounge, couches, tents, a barrel, astroturf flooring, and several other items. Large umbrellas provided shade.
Dozens of empty liquor bottles were reportedly visible as well.
👀 You cannot make this up: an outdoor bar, couches, Astro turf, complaints of prostitution and “renting out” tents. All on Denver city sidewalks. Will Denver decide some measure of law must be applied? #homeless #denver @Twolfrecovery pic.twitter.com/D21OjoKUIP
— Chris Parente (@chrisparente) September 14, 2023
The makeshift speakeasy is reportedly located in northern downtown Denver.
“We’re hearing there was an open bar, sales of alcohol, things like that,” Denver Police Patrol Division Chief Aaron Sanchez told CBS Colorado.
“We have officers looking into that,” Sanchez said.
He also told the outlet that police are investigating complaints about tents and couches being rented out for prostitution as well.
“We are looking into all other allegations in regards to the bar setup and along those lines,” Sanchez said.
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Denver police and city officials visited the homeless encampment on Monday after police said there were “numerous complaints” about the encampment blocking the sidewalk.
Meghan Shay, director of development and marketing at Step Denver, an organization that helps homeless men with addiction and mental health, said she had noticed the alleged “pop-up bar” while driving past the encampment on her way to work every morning.
“Over 80% of the homeless have experienced lifetime alcohol and/or drug problems,” Shay told CBS Colorado, explaining that a homeless encampment serving liquor is counterproductive.
On Wednesday, Denver residents packed into a community meeting to confront Mayor Mike Johnston over his plan to set up micro-communities, or supervised sets of tiny homes for homeless residents.
“This site would be dangerous for new micro-community residents and also dramatically increase the danger for permanent residents,” said one resident who lives near the site of one proposed micro-community, according to The Denver Gazette. “Our neighborhood functionally has only one entry and exit point with no through traffic, so there are no options to avoid the problem area.”
Residents raised concerns about crime, violence, drug use, public defecation, police response times, nearby schools, and decreasing home values, among other concerns.
“We can disagree on strategy, but homelessness is the No. 1 issue facing this city,” Johnston said at the meeting.
Other large cities have also been struggling with the persistent problem of homelessness and the drug use and crime that often go hand in hand.
San Francisco has been in the throes of a homelessness crisis for years now, and it has only gotten worse since before the pandemic. About 38,000 people are homeless in the Bay Area on a given night. That’s up 35% since 2019. More than 7,000 people are homeless in San Francisco itself. Businesses have fled San Francisco’s downtown, where foot traffic has thinned in part due to the homeless issue.
In Los Angeles, homelessness is up 10% this year, according to the 2023 greater Los Angeles homeless count results. In the city of Los Angeles itself, the number of homeless people jumped to about 46,260 people. In the broader area of Los Angeles County, the homeless population rose to about 75,518 people.