Downtown still deals with violence

Three recent shootings around the corner of 7th and Main, considered a border block in downtown's revitalization, are a reminder that the area remains subject to crime. The Huntington Hotel is believed to be a source of the problems. From Blogdowntown:

While other major Downtown hotels including the Alexandria, Rosslyn and Hayward were historically centers of drugs and violence, they have since been cleaned up. "The Huntington is the last bastion, so to speak, of this kind of criminal activity," [said Lieutenant Paul Vernon, head of Central Division detectives]. The hotel is currently up for sale after a protracted fight between original building owner Landmark Equity Partners, purchaser A Better Choice Development, Inc (ABCD), and the City Attorney's Office.

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Any new operator will face the challenge of reversing a long history of problems. Vernon would get calls to the building early in the 2000s while running Central's gang and narcotics units. "We had people jumping out of windows and throwing dope out windows," he recalled. "It's not quite that bad now."