DENVER — Six months after the shooting at Club Q in Colorado Springs that killed five people, and as a woman in New York faces charges for making threats of similar attacks to LGBTQ+ clubs in Denver, several have made significant enhancements to their security protocols.
Denver7 talked to management at Triangle Bar Denver shortly after the shooting at Club Q last year, as they made the decision to bring in security guards full-time and conduct pat downs and bag searches of each person entering the bar.
We followed up with the bar after the latest threats toward Denver LGBTQ+ bars ahead of Pride Month. Management has made the enhanced security protocols permanent.
“It’s the reality of the world, but we try to make it as comfortable as we can,” said Operations Manager Jared McClain. “It does deter a lot at our gates. We come across weapons every so often, and paraphernalia that should not be coming on property that could pose a threat. And those efforts have really made sure that guests will be safe, number one. We’ve maintained an air of safety, and we haven’t really had any major incidents.”
McClain said the majority of guests to the bar have viewed the changes favorably and are appreciative of the extra sense of safety they provide.
This comes as law enforcement agencies have been placed on high alert for threats against the LGBTQ+ community. Earlier this month, ABC News reported on a document shared with law enforcement nationwide by the Department of Homeland Security, warning that threats against the community are on the rise and intensifying.
“It’s coming for a place of misunderstanding I think, and that foments a lot of sore feelings for multiple groups,” McClain said. “It’s a really weird time, and it’s hard to say exactly why it seems like it’s such an issue right now. Why choose now? But I think it’ll lose steam over time because, well, people are more resilient than we give them credit for.”
Triangle Bar Denver is now working with other bars and clubs, and having conversations with state and local leaders about further security increases for Pride events next month. Portions of Broadway will be closed for a block party the weekend of June 25, McClain said.
“[Pride] is a time to celebrate,” he said. “We’ll do what we can on our part, on the bar front, to make sure you don’t have to worry about a thing.”