Scary Scenes, Spotty Info
Little Police Outreach And Scant Follow-Up Amid Gun Violence And Other Crimes Unnerves Neighbors
By Cara DeGette
GPHN Editor
Item #1: On Oct. 27, at about 12:30 a.m., a barrage of gunfire erupted on the high-density residential and business block of Fairfax Street between 28th and 29th avenues. Windows were shot, including at Long Table Brewhouse, Copper Door Coffee and the office of Greater Park Hill Community, Inc. The windows of townhouses and apartments were also hit with bullets, while people were inside their homes. Remarkably, no one was injured. The Denver Police Department (DPD) included a brief post on the social media site X (formerly Twitter) that “multiple shots” had been fired at several other locations in the area that night, including at 38th and Jasmine. All were related.
Item #2: On Nov. 9, in the middle of the afternoon, some (not all) residents living in that same area, at 28th and Forest, received this reverse 911 message from the police. “For your safety, shelter in place by locking and staying away from doors and windows.” Some neighbors looking out their windows reported a scary-looking scene: A police sharpshooter was positioned on top of a generator, aiming a long gun at an unknown threat. Police sent a second text an hour later: “Denver Police has completed their investigation . . . You may resume your normal activities.” No details were provided about what had happened.
Item #3: On Nov. 24, at approximately 9:30 p.m., Denver Police posted on the social media platform X that three people had been shot near Montview Boulevard and Quebec Street (the location of Campus Mosaic and Denver School for the Arts). The people were transported to the hospital, extent of injuries unknown. No suspect was identified. The DPD later tweeted that a fourth victim had also been injured. “All four victims are juvenile males. No arrests have been made at this time, investigation is ongoing. Anyone with information is asked to call Crime-stoppers at 720-913-7867.”
Item #4: On Dec. 13, DPD tweeted about a shooting at East Colfax Avenue and Cherry Street. The victim, with unknown injuries, died, making it a homicide. “Investigation is ongoing, detectives are working to develop suspect information. Any further information will be posted on this thread . . . Anyone with information is asked to call Crimestoppers.”
Denver at a ‘crossroads’
While he was running in 2023, Mayor Mike Johnston made a campaign promise to tackle crime and improve public safety. Denver, he said, is at a “crossroads.”
“We can continue down our current path of increased crime, understaffed law enforcement, and a growing sense of helplessness … [or] we can get back to the city that we’re all proud of, a city where you feel at home in every neighborhood. Denverites deserve that sense of peace and safety; as the next Mayor, I will not stop until we deliver it.”
In 2024, as of Dec. 18, overall Denver crime rates dipped by less than 7 percent from the year before. Violent crimes decreased by less than 1 percent.
By comparison, crime in South Park Hill increased last year by 10 percent overall, with sharp spikes in robberies, burglaries and aggravated assault. Between 2023 and 2024, crime overall in North Park Hill and Northeast Park Hill decreased just slightly — by 1 to 2 percentage points — though both of those areas of the neighborhood experienced marked increases in several types of violent crimes. (See graphic on the next page for District 2 crime highlights.)
Much more than the statistics themselves, are growing complaints about slow police response times, and a lack of communication, follow-up or public accountability by the department after crimes have occurred. At a November meeting of the Greater Park Hill Community, one attendee put it this way: “It is impossible to get any information from the police.”
“I love the neighborhood and I don’t want to publicly portray it as the Wild West,” said another neighbor, Darren Bloom, who lives near 29th and Fairfax. “The neighborhood has come a long way from where it used to be, but there needs to be more change and improvement.”
For starters: the way the cops communicate with the public.
“The police never tell you what’s going on,” Bloom says. “They’ve got the Twitter site (X) and they may tell you there’s a car accident on I-70 and that’s it. They don’t tell you if there’s a hostage situation on your block, or a shooting. These are significant things.”
To illustrate that point, consider the four items listed earlier.
The way the cops communicate
Update #1: Ten days after the windows of businesses and residences were shot out on 28th and Fairfax and surrounding neighborhoods, two community outreach officers attended a Greater Park Hill Community monthly meeting to provide updates about crime and police activities. When asked for an update on the shooting — which had happened on the same block the meeting was taking place — the officers said they hadn’t even heard about it.
Audience members were incredulous, several saying that they had heard that as many as 150 rounds had been fired that night, on a high-density block housing dozens of apartments and businesses. The story had even made the TV news. “We don’t watch the news,” one of the officers said.
On Dec. 9, the Greater Park Hill News filed an open records request seeking a police report and additional information about the status of the investigation. This was the DPD’s response — almost two months after the shooting: “Denver Police officers responded to a call for shots fired into buildings in the 2800 block of Fairfax St. No injuries were reported as a result. The case is under investigation. No reports are available at this time. Anyone with information is asked to call Metro Denver Crime Stoppers.”
Update #2: A month after the Nov. 10 shelter-in-place warning was sent to residents living near 2800 Forest St., the Greater Park Hill News filed an open records request seeking a police report about the incident. This was the DPD’s response: “Ali Yusuf (Date of birth 11/5/2000) was arrested for Investigation of Felony Menacing. As this is an active court case, please reach out to the Denver District Attorney’s office for your request.”
Update #3: On Dec. 9, the Greater Park Hill News filed an open records request seeking information about the shooting at Montview Boulevard and Quebec Street — which had occurred more than two weeks earlier. Specifically requested were the ages of the victims, the extent of their injuries, whether any remained hospitalized and their connection to the area. This was the DPD’s response: “Three of the victims are teenagers. One of the victims is an adult. All are expected to survive their injuries. We generally do not provide information that can potentially identify victims. The case is under investigation. Anyone with information is asked to call Metro Denver Crime Stoppers.”
Update #4: As of Dec. 20 — a week after the Dec. 13 killing at Colfax and Cherry — Denver police have not posted any additional information or updates to its X account, including who died, the manner of death, or the status of the investigation.
The X Factor
X is the social media platform owned by the world’s richest man, Elon Musk. Since the November election Musk has assumed the position as one of Donald Trump’s most influential advisors — he has been labeled a “shadow president” because of the way he has already begun to wield power, including via X.
In recent months many groups and individuals have stopped posting on X as it has grown increasingly strident in its embrace of right-wing ideology. However, at the end of 2024 Musk’s platform continues to be the official channel by which the Denver Police Department communicates with the public.
District 2 Crimes 2023-2024*
Source: Denver Police Department
These figures represent crimes reported in Denver Police Department District 2, which includes all or parts of the following neighborhoods: North Park Hill, Northeast Park Hill, South Park Hill, Capitol Hill, Central Park, Cheesman, Cherry Creek, City Park, Clayton, Cole, Congress Park, Cory-Merrill, Country Club, East Colfax, Elyria-Swansea, Five Points, Green Valley Ranch, Hale, Hampden-South, Highland, Hilltop, Lowry, Montclair, Skyland, Villa Park and Whittier.
Crime figures and statistics for all Denver police districts and individual neighborhoods can be found at tinyurl.com/DPDCrimeDashboard. The information is updated regularly.
As of Dec. 18, reported crimes in Denver overall dropped less than 7 percent in 2024 from 2023. The DPD breaks Park Hill into three separate neighborhoods.
In Northeast Park Hill, the total number of crimes decreased slightly (less than 2 percent) between 2023 and 2024. Several types of crimes, however, increased, including sexual assault, burglary, drug/alcohol offenses, crimes against persons and “other.”
In North Park Hill, the total number of crimes increased slightly (less than 1 percent) between 2023 and 2024. Several types of crimes, however, rose, including aggravated assault, auto theft and public disorder.
In South Park Hill, the total number of crimes increased nearly 10 percent between 2023 and 2024. Several types of crimes spiked, including robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, crimes against persons and drug/alcohol offenses.