Cited!

I was interviewed on Friday about the Darrent Williams/SoCo situation, for the Denver Post. Here's the article. :

"SoCo" clubs' reception not always warm

By John Wenzel

Diversity reigns in the nightclub scene just south of Colfax Avenue, but the recent shooting death of Darrent Williams has some wondering if that's a good thing.

Patrons have no shortage of choices, from the dance-friendly La Rumba at West Ninth Avenue and Acoma Street to the sleek, hip jazz club Dazzle at 930 Lincoln St.

The area has been dubbed SoCo - or South of Colfax - by nightclub owner Regas Christou, whose family maintains six clubs in the vicinity, including the Shelter and The Church.

Residents and partyers in the increasingly club-filled area between Capitol Hill and the Golden Triangle express mixed feelings about the area's safety and police presence.

"There are bad neighborhoods in this city, but I don't feel like here is one of them," said Carin Ramirez of Denver.

A former Capitol Hill resident, Ramirez attended a friend's going-away party at DC10 nightclub Friday. She said she felt safer in the area bounded by Lincoln and Broadway than on Capitol Hill.

There are already 21 nightclubs in the district, with more slated to open in the coming months.

"We've seen instances of people coming out of clubs that are drunk and getting in fights, but that doesn't have anything to do with the clubs," said Kostas Kouremenos, co-owner of DC10.

"Stabbings and killings in clubs have been occurring since clubs existed," he said. "Bad seeds bring everybody else down."

Kouremenos added that certain themed nights at clubs attract crowds that are more prone to violence.

"Maybe they're not very well put together," he said.

An ongoing turf battle

Kouremenos said he has increased security and reinforced his club's dress code since the Williams shooting, which may have stemmed from a disagreement at the Shelter on New Year's Eve.

"I think it's safe around here, but not that safe," said Tracy Campbell of Denver, a clubgoer at DC10 on Friday. "It's not like walking around Wash Park or something."

Big Daddy, who writes the Denver-based blog Bon Jour Pee Wee, thinks the Williams shooting has stirred up the feelings of some residents.

"Part of the reason this is a big deal is the long, drawn-out fight between the residential people in the Golden Triangle and Regas wanting to open businesses here, specifically nightclubs," Lovato said.

"They are opposed to the noise ... and what they see as a young, urban clientele walking around 'their' streets at night," he said.

Some work hard at improving safety

Chris Dumphy, general manager of Andrew's on Lincoln, said: "There are a lot of different factors that enter into things, as far as the culture or socio-economic mix of people in a club.

"Obviously you can't prevent a drive-by shooting, and that's obviously what the (Williams) thing was," Dumphy said.

Dumphy, who formerly managed The Soiled Dove, said he tries not to let "other people's problems" through the door and has zero tolerance for drunken belligerence.

He also maintains an early last-call, so patrons can enjoy their drinks and not feel rushed out of the bar.

The crush of sotted souls filling the streets after last-call has led to fights.

In the early hours of July 22, for example, a man died in the parking lot outside The Funky Buddha after being punched and falling and striking his head on the ground.

Similar instances have happened all across the city, but the area just south of Colfax has received less attention for it.

"I've noticed a change in the last four or five years, which is why I stay away from LoDo," said Denver resident Cody York as he sipped a drink at Andrew's on Friday.

Lovato, a former bartender at Tracks, said that all it takes is a few people to reinforce negative beliefs about urban or hip-hop themed nights.

"That's what makes it a Catch 22," Lovato said. "People perceive urban/black nights as thuggish, yet certain individuals have to go and reinforce that stereotype.

"Urban culture does appear to glorify the 'gangsta' lifestyle, which is sad, but it comes down to the actual individual and their responsibility of how they handle themselves in public," Lovato said.