Food trucks no longer permitted in Lower Downtown Denver
David Mullen The Denver Gazette
Food truck owners who survive by operating outside of bars on weekends say the decision to ban them from the area won't solve any problems.
9News
Food trucks will no longer be permitted in the Lower Downtown area because of safety concerns “for all who visit and work in the LoDo area,” Denver police announced last week.
A statement from police said they believe that having food trucks operate elsewhere will help “curb large gatherings” and “facilitate people leaving downtown” when the bars close for the night. These are the times when police see the most violence.
Police also said the decision to move the food trucks has been in the works since last year and it was not made because of the recent officer-involved shooting at 20th and Larimer streets.
Tom and Ali Badera are reflected in the side mirror of Lori Morrissey’s food truck, Lori Lynn’s Cookies & Cream, during the 719 Food Truck Fest near Woodman Road in northeast Colorado Springs on Saturday, March 26, 2022. Morrissey features made-to-order ice cream sandwiches with her cookie made-from-scratch family recipes. (Chancey Bush/ The Gazette)
Chancey Bush/ The Gazette
Tom and Ali Badera are reflected in the side mirror of Lori Morrissey’s food truck, Lori Lynn’s Cookies & Cream, during the 719 Food Truck Fest near Woodman Road in northeast Colorado Springs on Saturday, March 26, 2022. Morrissey features made-to-order ice cream sandwiches with her cookie made-from-scratch family recipes. (Chancey Bush/ The Gazette)
“The department has been engaged with city partners for some time to find solutions to create a safer environment while being mindful of business operations,” the statement said. “This current move is for overall safety in that area and it was not prompted by the recent officer-involved shooting incident at 20th and Larimer Streets, though it renewed conversations about ways in which the city could enhance safety.”
By Wednesday evening, all food trucks had cleared out of LoDo. Steve Gardia of Denver said he liked ordering food from a food truck because it’s cheaper than eating at a restaurant. He was disappointed that the food trucks were gone.
“I don’t think that food trucks were the problem,” Gardia said while he waited to see a show at the Marquis Theater on Larimer. “If you have a watering hole, you can’t turn off the tap.”
Caleb Knut, a bouncer at the Marquis Theater, said he doesn’t think getting rid of the food trucks will help reduce violence downtown.
“The bad things I see happening around downtown don’t happen around the food trucks,” Knut said.
Police said they’ve responded quickly to issues when the bars close at 2 a.m. and that they have used a number of strategies to prevent crime downtown, including portable lighting, DUI patrols, limited street parking and increased presence of officers and patrol cars.
Denver Gazette reporter Carol McKinley contributed to this report.