4 FEBRUARY 8-14, 2024 westword.com WESTWORD | MUSIC | CAFE | CULTURE | NIGHT+DAY | NEWS | LETTERS | CONTENTS | Neighborhood Watch BUSINESSES IN THE 1400 BLOCK OF OGDEN STREET ARE NOT READY FOR CRIME TIME. BY C HRIS PEREZ Over the past six months, more than 110 crimes have been reported on Ogden Street between 14th and Colfax avenues, where a group of small businesses — the Corner Beet, Balanced Root Apothecary, Rooted Heart Yoga and Wellness, and the Glam House — have been struggling to make patrons and workers feel safe. “Our customers feel very uncomfort- able,” says Glam House employee Sienna Abeyta. “People come up to their cars, come up to them when they’re outside. It’s scary.” “It’s always something here,” says one business owner. “It doesn’t seem like there’s an end in sight. It’s just become part of daily business. It’s something that we now have to deal with every day, and it’s an added stress on our plate. I’ve had staff say, ‘I just don’t feel comfortable working here,’ but more so, customers saying things like, ‘I don’t feel comfortable coming here at night’ or ‘This area just doesn’t feel safe to me.’ We’ve had public reviews made about that. Where it’s just like the business is taking a hit for the [state of the] neighborhood. Worst it’s ever been.” The Denver Police Department’s crime map, which uses National Incident-Based Reporting System data, shows at least ten reports of crimes being committed in Janu- ary alone, with the most recent call coming into the DPD on January 25 for drugs and alcohol — the area’s most common crime. A total of 112 offenses were reported on the block in the six months ending January 31, making the area along Ogden between 14th and Colfax the most crime-ridden block in Capitol Hill, and one of the worst in all of Denver. In comparison, only eighteen crimes were reported along Ogden between 13th and 14th avenues, just one block away, dur- ing that same six-month span. “It’s defi nitely become a concern that the city is aware of,” says Denver City Council- member Chris Hinds. “We’ve had meetings before, talking about what’s going on there with some of the business owners, the po- lice, and meetings with the Colfax Business Improvement District, as well.” The Corner Beet opened at 1401 Ogden in 2014, followed by Rooted Heart Yoga and Wellness in 2018 and Balanced Root Apoth- ecary in 2022. The Glam House opened at 1433 Ogden in 2016. Nearby residents, entrepreneurs and business employees tell Westword that drug dealers, drug users, prostitutes and other shady characters invaded the 1400 block of Ogden during the pandemic, and things have gotten progressively worse since then. They tend to congregate near the corner of Ogden and Colfax, where there’s a 7-Eleven, and then move down toward 14th throughout the day and night. They’re often seen using drugs or engaging in alleged drug deals. There have also been multiple reports of assaults, robberies, auto theft and disorderly conduct at all hours, according to the DPD crime map. “I’ve worked [at Balanced Root Apoth- ecary] for almost two years now, and it’s gotten signifi cantly worse, and a lot closer to our businesses,” says Rey, an employee who asked that her last name not be used. “I’ve seen everything from a shooting to someone running through our businesses and people just causing menace.” Things have gotten so out of hand that Glam House employee Rainie Madrid will often drive her car to the 7-Eleven. “I will literally drive, and it’s not even a block,” Madrid says, noting that she’s seen residents get hassled and yelled at while walking along Ogden toward Colfax. “I just don’t want to go past them,” she says. “It’s an icky and scary feeling. And it sucks, because there’s people who don’t want to come here and get their hair done because of those people. ... I wish there was a level of respect that they could give us, as these businesses that are here are small businesses — family-owned businesses — just trying to make our livelihood the same way people on the street are. But also, we are trying to make an impact on this community in a good way, and it’s hard.” One recent incident, reported to police in early January, saw a man in a bathrobe exposing himself and smoking crack on the Corner Beet patio — threatening staff and customers for more than forty minutes before a DPD car arrived and scared him off. Cell-phone footage captured from inside the Corner Beet and posted on Instagram by @dobetterdnvr shows the individual smoking and acting erratically. Shop owners in NEWS continued on page 6 KEEP UP ON DENVER NEWS AT WESTWORD.COM/NEWS The Corner Beet has been a staple on the block for a decade. CHRIS PEREZ
