Denver Bans Downtown Food Trucks — Again

City officials say the controversial policy, first enacted in 2022, is an effort to reduce crime in the nightlife district.

1 minute read

September 10, 2024, 12:00 PM PDT

By Diana Ionescu @aworkoffiction


Food trucks in front of Colorado State Capitol.

Food trucks serve customers in front of the Colorado State Capitol in Denver, Colorado. | Eric BVD / Adobe Stock

The city of Denver is once again banning food trucks in a popular nightlife district, citing crowds and crime despite lower violent crime rates. As Alayna Alvarez explains in Axios, “The crackdown on food truck operators was first put in place in July 2022 following a police shooting in LoDo that injured six bystanders. Law enforcement denied the incident prompted the restrictions.”

The policy, unpopular with local businesses, was repealed a month later before being revived last week. “The mayor's move marks a 180-degree turn from his stance last year on the campaign trail, when he indicated during a debate that he would bring back food trucks to downtown's late-night scene.”

The original ban was criticized for being potentially unconstitutional. Institute for Justice attorney Justin Pearson told the Denver Post the ban is “a horrible idea,” noting that the city is “taking away options for people to sober up before they head home.” 

Thursday, September 5, 2024 in Axios

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