One of Denver’s first LGBTQ+ bars closed its doors Thursday after being “suffocated” by homeless encampments filling the city.
Triangle Bar has lost about 50% of its business in the past few months — with owner Scott Coors attributing the store’s malaise to downtown Denver’s homeless problem.
“It is with heavy hearts that we announce that, effective today, Triangle Bar Denver will be closing our doors forever. As our survey confirmed, camping around us creates health and safety concerns that are slowly suffocating our business,” Coors told Denver7.
“We have worked hard to provide a safe and welcoming place for all members of our community to celebrate, play and give back to others for the past 6 years. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts to you who have supported us through thick and thin, it has been a pleasure and an honor to be a part of your extended family.”
The historic bar came to a tragic end after conducting a survey of 500 people in which 75% of its customers confirmed they were visiting the business less often — and more than 60% cited safety concerns due to camping.
The historic bar came to a tragic end after conducting a survey of 500 people in which 75% of its customers confirmed they would visit the business less often — and more than 60% cited safety concerns due to camping.Denver7/YouTube
Tent cities, filled with garbage, mattresses and drugs, have also created a scene in the city center.
The Triangle Bar, which has been a staple since the 1970s, is located less than a tenth of a mile from the massive tent city at Broadway and 20th Street.
Another camp – which made headlines last month for running its own homeless pub – can be found just a few steps in the other direction.
The Broadway camp has been an ongoing nuisance for months, forcing Coors since August to consider closing the local landmark if the “inevitable problem” of homelessness doesn’t improve soon.
Another camp — which made headlines last month for running its own ornate, open-air storefront for homeless people — can be found just a few steps in the other direction. Denver7/YouTube Tent cities, filled with trash, mattresses and drugs, have also created a scene downtown.Denver7/YouTube
The tent city has been repeatedly torn down, and was even cleared just four days before the last day of The Triangle Bar, but was rebuilt almost immediately.
“We had a clean neighborhood for less than 24 hours before they moved back into the space where the “drain house” was,” Coors said.
Other neighborhood bars and restaurants have also reported a drastic drop in revenue, with all blaming homeless encampments.
Triangle Bar will reopen for one day only Oct. 8 for what Coors is calling a “Farewell Beer Bust” to celebrate “the life of the Triangle.”
Triangle Bar will reopen for just one day on October 8 for what Coors is calling a “Farewell Beer Bust” to celebrate “the life of the Triangle.” Denver7/YouTube
The bar’s closing comes just one day before the city announced that its Denver Basic Income Project, which provides a fixed amount of cash to its homeless population, is showing encouraging results.
The project started six months ago and has so far shown that beneficiaries are spending money on essentials and less sleep on the streets. They seem to get full-time work at a higher rate when given more money.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
