Union Station is a mess. At least that’s what news outlets keep saying about the transit hub and fancy downtown hangout. In the last six months, complaints of violence, open drug use, and people sleeping in the public space have become the narrative of Union Station, painting it as a scene of constant chaos. At the beginning of 2022, Mayor Hancock responded by swarming the place with police — as a result, he said that DPD had made 700 arrests since January.

The City Cast Denver crew hadn’t made a trek down to the shiny train station since before the pandemic, and knew it was time to see for themselves what was going on there. Host Bree Davies and producers Paul Karolyi and Xandra McMahon met up with Denverite reporter Kyle Harris — who has covered issues at Union Station extensively — for a walk around the downtown spot. They wanted to see for themselves what, exactly, was so concerning.

Read more of Kyle Harris’s original reporting on Union Station for Denverite:

We spent 18 hours at Union Station. Here’s everything we saw and heard.

A swanky Union Station high rise holds clues about how the rich and poor will coexist (or not) downtown

Denver police have arrested more than 700 people at Union Station this year — only a third for drug crimes

Just a note: Street sweeping starts today! Find out when to avoid that parking ticket in your neighborhood and more in today’s City Cast Denver newsletter. Read and subscribe: https://denver.citycast.fm/newsletter/

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Day 82 BONUS: The Sermon on the Mount