DENVER — DENVER — This week, Denver7 | Your Voice traveled to Denver's Five Points neighborhood to hear what residents love about their neighborhood and the challenges the area faces.
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Neighbors we talked to at Welton Street Cafe described the neighborhood as a vibrant community, one rich with culture and history.
"You come in and you know who you're going to be around," said Derron Turner, one of the cafe's regulars. "You know you're going to be around people that, in one way or another, look like you and understand things from some of the same value spaces as you do."
The restaurant is typically bustling with business from neighborhood locals.
"It's the epicenter of Black consciousness, Black commerce, Black business, Black holistic thinking," said Rodrick Freeman, who lives in Five Points.
Freeman said he moved to Denver after hearing about the "Harlem of the West."
"In Denver, the Black community is sparse... I love humanity, it's just very important to cavort with your own culture, particularly working in mostly all white spaces," he said.
For those who grew up in Five Points, the evolution of the area is evident.
"I walked into Rosenberg's, and everybody in there was white. That's how I've noticed it," said Sandra Dillard, who grew up nearby.
She attributed the change to gentrification.
"Which isn't necessarily a bad thing, but not if they're going to price the people who already live here out," said Dillard.
Turner said she has noticed Black-owned businesses moving out of the area.
"If we're in a city that says they want to grow culturally, we have to keep some of those traditions intact and understand and respect the importance of everybody being able to own and run a business in that area," said Turner.
While Welton Street Cafe is surrounded by a few other businesses, a majority of the other buildings are vacant. When asked what the City of Denver should do to change that fact, Turner said, "Go to Black folks. Go to other people of color, you know, Black and brown people, people that are economically challenged. Go to them and say, 'Okay, what do you need? What do you want?' You know, instead of saying, 'We know what you need and want,' when they've never had those same lived experiences."
Freeman also addressed his concerns regarding the unhoused population in the neighborhood.
"It seems that our displaced community, whether they be unhoused, or suffering from mental illness or some other ailments, seem to be they are placed here in Five Points. They are able to set up camp," said Freeman.
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