If you go to Fremont Street Experience in Las Vegas, you may notice a few changes.
Visitors will be required to walk through a metal detector. Also expect to have your bags checked and be asked to show ID upon entry. You also may not be allowed to bring in gang-colored clothing, weapons, strollers and cans (for a start – Crips and Sureños traditionally wear blue, Bloods usually wear red. Norteños also wear red, but usually those of sports teams, such as the San Francisco 49ers and UNLV).
All of this is in response to an increase in violence at the Fremont Street Experience. Fights and shootings have increased, and on two recent occasions, gunmen opened fire in popular tourist areas.
Oh, one more thing you may encounter – a new curfew for those under 21. Las Vegas Mayor Carolyn Goodman Tweeted the news earlier this month:
@LVMPD and our city marshals have committed to an increased law enforcement presence.
Our City Attorney will prosecute violators to the fullest, and we’re exploring a curfew for those under 21.— Carolyn G. Goodman (@mayoroflasvegas) July 5, 2022
The gunman in the earlier shooting, when he killed a 23-year-old and injured a bystander at the Fremont Street Experience on June 19, was 16 years old.
In response to the uptick in violence, officials are trying to keep people as safe as possible.
From the Las Vegas Review-Journal:
Metro Capt. Hector Cintron, who runs the downtown area command for the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, said there have been 45 aggravated assaults reported so far in 2022, compared with 27 at this point last year. Five of those related to firearms and most others related to injuries sustained from fighting. And, there have been 20 reported robberies so far this year compared to 14 by the same time in 2021.
“The safety and security of our guests, employees and tenants has been and will always be our priority,” Andrew Simon, Fremont Street Experience’s president and CEO, said in an emailed statement to the Las Vegas Review-Journal. “Everything else is secondary. The incidents from the past week cannot and will not be tolerated. Our tourism, jobs and safety will not be threatened by these actions.”
Las Vegas already has a curfew of 10 p.m. on weeknights and midnight on weekends for those under 18 years old, unless accompanied by a parent or guardian. Should a second curfew, for 18-to-20-year-olds, should be deemed necessary, it may have different hours.
Until then, the Fremont area has increased security, and won’t allow patrons under 21 without a parent or guardian after 8 pm during special events on weekends.
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This post first appeared on Your Mileage May Vary
2 comments
Wow, I had heard that things had gotten worse but hadn’t realized just how bad it has gotten.
Like your title, YMMV, we spent the whole week all over Vegas just prior to the June 19th shooting. we had no issues. Like you mention, it could be all gang related. Fremont Street has become very seedy on the actual street, the casinos are fine. But it is sad, because Fremont Street has an all ages entertainment feeling. Gangs seem to be staking out turf, without any police intervention. Which is also true on the Strip. The LVPD lets the casinos do all the policing, which we now know is not working.