When burglars broke into Cultura Chocolate in Denver’s Westwood neighborhood last month, they made off with more than just $2,700 in cash, a laptop, and a scooter.
They also took away some peace of mind from community leaders who’ve been building a network of residential and business connections over the past four years, in part through a series of free, public events hosted by Hecho en Westwood, a Denver nonprofit.
“People are really struggling now, which I think is why there’s been an increase in robberies around here,” said Damaris Ronkanen, who started her “bean-to-bar” chocolate and hot chocolate shop at 3742 Morrison Road in early 2020.
Ronkanen was careful to note that she feels generally safe in Westwood, a predominantly Latino, working-class enclave that sits between West Alameda and West Mississippi avenues, and between South Federal and South Sheridan boulevards. “But it’s affecting how people feel. We’ve been working to knit this community together and this sets us back.”
The stolen money had been raised at two recent events: a fashion show and fundraiser dubbed Las Noches de Frida, and Festival el Mole, which gathered chefs and live entertainment to celebrate the savory Mexican sauce. The vibrant, family-friendly gatherings were designed to unite neighbors and keep money in the neighborhood.
After the robbery, Ronkanen, who is the founder of Hecho en Westwood, was so upset that she decided to close her store temporarily, saying on Instagram that while money and equipment can be replaced, she needed time to process and recover from the trauma.
But another event, the Saigon Azteca Night Market on Aug. 10, which brought together the Latino and Vietnamese communities in Westwood, has given her some forward momentum, enough so that she hopes to reopen soon.
Still, balancing safety, growth and free cultural events in Westwood has been difficult because of a string of robberies, including those at Cultura, Columbine Steak House and Lounge, La Casita Community Center, Las Hijas De La Chilanga, Pho 555, and Asian Cajun Crab Shack and Bar (which is a few blocks east of Westwood on Alameda Boulevard).
The crimes have stoked fears that small businesses are being specifically targeted, possibly by the same individual or group, said Denver City Council member Jamie Torres, whose District 3 includes the Westwood and Barnum neighborhoods.
“We’re so supportive of the festivals and events here, but seeing these robberies that feel so deliberate and planned takes it to another level of concern,” Torres said. “We’ve seen more police presence and engagement, but we can’t exclusively rely on them to address this.”
Ronkanen also praised District 4 Denver Police Department officers for stepping up patrols, showing up to the cultural events and talking directly with mom-and-pop owners who serve immigrant and non-English-speaking residents.
Burglars knew the layout
Still, Ronkanen was shocked when she returned to Cultura on July 21 to find that a pair of men deftly avoided exterior security cameras and lights to break into her store. No one was injured, she noted, and the damage could have been worse.
The men knew the building’s layout and clearly targeted Cultura, ignoring other rooms inside Westwood’s Re:Vision campus, which includes a nonprofit urban farm program for low-income residents, she said. A few days before that, someone had crashed a car into the back of Re:Vision in order to steal a bike.
Ronkanen fears the burglars knew that the cash box inside Cultura would be unguarded.
“It breaks my heart because we’ve worked so hard to build up this community,” said Mimi Luong, a friend of Ronkanen’s who owns the Far East Center, the historic collection of Asian businesses at Federal Boulevard and Alameda Avenue that sometimes teams up with Hecho in Westwood for events like the Saigon Azteca market. “We have a stake in keeping it safe, because if people are scared away, you have no business.”
The tight-knit community of noodle shops, taquerias, beauty parlors, auto repair, and other independent businesses in Westwood has been Ronkanen’s focus as she leads the Hecho in Westwood nonprofit and its community-building events.
The night before Saigon Azteca, another business adjacent to the site, Nevería Bule Bule ice cream shop, had its front window broken out, although the security system drove the would-be burglars away before they could do anything else, Ronkanen said. That made DPD’s presence at the Aug. 10 event more important, Luong added.
“It goes beyond being visible and into having officers who can speak the language and go (door-to-door),” said DPD commander Brad Qualley, whose District 4 includes Westwood (as distinct from the City Council District 3, which draws different boundaries). “Crime is actually down here 7.4% percent as compared with last year, but whenever you have a specific type of crime in a specific neighborhood, the fear is always that crime is going up.”
Hard-won progress, “sad” reality
“We’ve been open more than four years so it’s sad to see this happen now,” Ronkanen said of Cultura. “But I’d still love to see the city and nonprofits work together to provide more security to small businesses.”
“Police have been parking in our lot overnight until they get a call,” said Luong, whose Far East Center was recently recognized as a state historic landmark. “So I know they’re helping. But there are people here who are Asian or Latino and who don’t speak much English, and I’m hoping (police and city officials) can reach out to more small businesses where English may not be their first language.”
Ronkanen hopes to reopen Cultura by the end of August, but the robbery isn’t stopping her or Luong from organizing future events, such as the Trunk or Treat Halloween gathering in October. Luong feels comfortable texting DPD’s Qualley to hammer out details, he said, and that’s not always the case with police relations in diverse communities.
“We want to make sure people know we’re hearing them,” said Qualley, who sends community resources officers into businesses and public meetings to directly address — and help train people in preventing — crime, gang violence and other issues.
Councilwoman Torres said one of her priorities is preserving the growth of businesses and events along Morrison Road, which runs diagonal through Westwood and includes the Re:Vision campus. She said some business owners still don’t trust police or city services such as 911 — or even know they’re available to them — and that educating them on being proactive in their own safety is vital.
“Westwood has federally funded safety grants, but we’re also coming up on a big, two-year construction project” along Morrison Road, she said. “We need to make sure residents are ready for that and all it entails, from the disruptions to potential (safety vulnerabilities). There’s trauma in all this and we recognize that.”
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