Denver community leaders consider a safety closure of thoroughfare around East High School

By JAMIE LEARY

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    DENVER (KCNC) — Denver’s community leaders are discussing a safety closure of a popular thoroughfare around East High School. The Esplanade, a long section of road directly in front of the school, is where students park, gather, pick up and drop off. It’s also where 16-year-old Luis Garcia was shot last month.

“The teachers of East High reached out and said, ‘We need to do something more than just thoughts and prayers’ and one of the suggestions is to close the Esplanade, since that has been the center of violence for quite some time, it makes sense,” said Chris Hinds, Denver City Councilman for District 10.

Hinds recently tweeted that he is set to meet this week with the principal and administration at East High School to discuss the proposal.

East High School is in Hinds’ district and not only has he heard the Esplanade mentioned by teachers; late last month, Garcia’s soccer teammates presented a list of concerns during public comment at a city council meeting and troubling incidents around the Esplanade were among them.

Hinds says while the change could happen soon, he still has to talk to more stakeholders, like parents who frequently pick up and drop off their children from the Esplanade.

East High students seem divided in their thoughts about the potential closure.

“I don’t think it’s going to make students feel safer. I think it’s going to make a lot of students angry because they won’t have any parking,” said Aniyah Zamora, a junior at East High School.

Zamora said if you don’t show up around 7:30 p.m., it’s unlikely you’ll find parking anywhere near the school. Prior to the shooting of her classmate, that was her only concern around the Esplanade.

“Do I feel unsafe? Yes. I don’t think closing the esplanade is going to do anything,” she said. “I don’t think it’s a place where it always happens, if anything, a lot of violence also happens right there at the rec [center],” she said.

Hinds says Denver’s Department of Infrastructure and Transportation told him it was feasible but indicated that there were many conversations to be had before plans were made. He also indicated that if a closure were to happen, initially it may not be permanent.

Hinds says it’s the most immediate action the city can take outside of the school board.

“Let them worry about they should do on the campus but obviously the city around the campus is something we can work on,” he said.

While Hinds is brainstorming about more ways the city can get involved to help students feel safe, students like Zamora are hoping Garcia’s death sparks something big at a national level.

“It’s not an easy solution but I think what our student demand group said, raising the gun buying age to 21 is a good place to start,” she said.

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