ORLANDO, Fla. — A year after a shooting on Halloween night left two dead and seven others injured in Orlando’s Downtown district, the city put a variety of safety measures in place to ensure that safety remains a priority.
Now, as another Halloween night approaches, businesses are preparing for an influx of people ready to celebrate the holiday.
While some are looking forward to welcoming people with open arms, others are still on their guard after what happened last year.
What You Need To Know
Halloween festivities underway in Downtown Orlando one year after a mass shooting left 2 people dead and 7 others injured
The shooting altered Downtown’s landscape and prompted the city to introduce a variety of safety measures
Safety measures included the gradual reopening of N. Orange Avenue to traffic and the implementation of a week-long overnight curfew and ban on alcohol sales after midnight
While some businesses are eager to welcome back the crowds for Halloween, others are staying wary after last year’s shooting
If you visited Downtown prior to last year’s shooting, then you know that it was a hotspot for partygoers and known for its late-night weekend street closures along N. Orange Avenue.
But the entertainment district quickly turned into a ghost town after a mass shooting that left 2 people dead, and 7 others injured on Halloween night last year.
In an effort to prioritize safety in Downtown, the city cracked down on the street party atmosphere there, by gradually reopening N. Orange Avenue to traffic starting last November.
Although it didn’t last long, the city also implemented a week-long state of emergency following the shooting, an overnight curfew from 1 a.m. to 5 a.m. as well as a ban on alcohol sales after midnight.
Despite changes over the past year, some people who frequent Downtown still remain uncertain.
Such is the case of Pipe & Pouch Smoke Shop retail associate, Daniel Vo.
“I’ve told all of our regular customers to kind of stay away from Downtown because it’s very unpredictable, very unpredictable. Even for us, my fellow coworkers, we’re so desensitized to it that we’ve made it a common thing to tell people ‘Oh, don’t bother coming here,” says Vo.
As for how he feels about the city’s safety measures, Vo says he hasn’t noticed the effects adding that it seems to take away from the businesses, rather than make them feel safer.
Daniel Vo’s priority this Halloween night is making sure everyone in the store is respectful toward one-another since he can’t predict what will happen outside.
Other businesses like Taco Kat on S Court Ave, are taking matters into their own hands and welcome the crowds.
General Manager Timothy Morales says he’s doubled down on security ahead of the busy weekend.
“We just want to make sure everything is fine, the celebration is fun for people to come back Downtown and showing them that Downtown has been OK and that the party is still here, in a safe way,” says Morales.
The bar side of the popular taco restaurant is holding Halloween related celebrations Thursday, Friday and Saturday and will remain open until 2 a.m.
District 5 commissioner for the city of Orlando, Shan Rose, says that the city has already spoken with Downtown businesses to make sure safety remains a priority this Halloween.
“We’re implementing, still working through, how do we update the AMS (After Midnight Alcohol Sales) how do we make sure that we have uniform policies for everyone, so everyone has security in nightclubs, ID wanding,” she says.
She reminds business owners to alert law enforcement if an incident happens within their establishment, to reduce any confusion on the streets.
“Sometimes situations may happen inside the establishment and then they just push the folks outside and kick them out and they don’t tell. So opening up the line of communication is what we’ve encouraged in bars and nightclubs to make sure everyone remains safe,” Rose said.
At the end of the day though, she just wants people to know that they’ll be safe in Downtown.
A decision as to whether Orange Avenue will be open on Halloween night is still unknown.
We’ve reached out to the Orlando Police Department multiple times over the past few weeks to get that answer.
This week, they shared this statement – saying:
“The safety and security of everyone remains the Orlando Police Department’s top priority. While we don’t discuss specific security measures, we always plan and staff large-scale events appropriately to provide proper public safety and assess the needs of the event to make any necessary security modifications.
The Orlando Police Department wants to remind our community to always call 9-1-1 or flag down an officer working the event if they see anything suspicious. Whether security measures are visible or not, officers are always working on the streets and behind the scenes to ensure the safety of our city.”