Denver Parks and Recreation has surrounded portions of Sonny Lawson Park and La Alma-Lincoln Park with fencing to keep people out in what the department described Friday as its latest effort to curb rising drug sales, violence and vandalism in those spaces.
A pocket of grass and trees near the intersection of West 14th Avenue and Kalamath Street also was barricaded this week in response to those same behaviors, said Stephanie Figueroa, a spokeswoman with the department. The closures will remain in place for at least 30 days.
The parks department has worked with the city’s Department of Transportation and Infrastructure, Department of Public Health and Environment, City Council members, the Denver Police Department and the nonprofit Denver Dream Center to coordinate the closures, Figueroa said in an email Friday.
“The decision was made due to the increase in drug sales, violent incidents and vandalism,” she wrote. “(Denver Parks and Recreation) attempted other interventions before deciding on the closures, but the problem persisted.”
News of the closures was first reported by Denverite Thursday. The parks department does not appear to have announced the closures on its website or social media pages.
Select activities are still being allowed at both Sonny Lawson, located at 2301 Welton St. in the Five Points neighborhood, and La Alma-Lincoln Park, which anchors its namesake neighborhood at 1265 Mariposa St.
The dog park and playground at Sonny Lawson remain open — at least for the time being, Figueroa said. People and organizations who already hold permits for events and activities on specific days will also be allowed to use the parks at those times if they still want to.
“Permitted uses include baseball league play, farmer markets and concerts,” Figueroa wrote in her email. “DPR has reached out to permit holders to let them know about the closure and to work with them if they choose to change their permit.”
Closing public parks to clamp down on potentially dangerous and damaging behaviors is not a new approach for the city.
La Alma-Lincoln Park and its recreation center were closed on and off for the better part of five months between December 2021 and April 2022 amid a spate of shooting incidents that included someone firing a shot into the rec center while it was open, parks officials said at that time.
The final closure, a weeklong shutdown that began on April 28, 2022, following a fatal shooting in the park. Gary Arellano, 63, was killed while attempting to break up a fight in the park. A 24-year-old man from outside of the neighborhood was arrested in Arellano’s killing.
Civic Center Park, located in the heart of the city at the intersection of Broadway and Colfax Avenue, was also subject to a lengthy closure from September 2021 to May 2022. The parks department enforced the shutdown in part to restore grass and make safety improvements, but also to disrupt what was described as rampant drug use and drug sales there.
Figueroa noted in her email Friday that the city limited access to Civic Center Park up through 2023 even after the more extensive closure was lifted. That was done to ensure safety and has been deemed a success.
“As you walk the park today you can witness firsthand how successful that closure and reopening was. The park is in amazing shape and is welcoming to all who want to visit this public space,” Figueroa wrote.
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