I'm a local who ventured downtown recently and noticed that the pedestrian parts of Fremont Street were seriously closed off, with 5-foot fabric-covered chain link walls and standing guards. In the past, they said the reason for all the homeless in those sections was because it was public property, so the homeless could not be barred. (I always thought the downtown casinos should buy the street and take control of the panhandlers, but that's another story). My question is, if it's public property, how can it be closed at all? The sidewalks aren't closed, so if Fremont is a public thoroughfare, who decided to close it? They can close a public road for road work, but I didn't see anything happening on the other side of the chain link.
We answered a similar question a little more than a year ago. It concerned Fremont Street Experience charging a fee for the New Year's Eve party held downtown. The answer applies to that question and this one.
Fremont Street Experience is not, technically speaking, a public venue. City of Las Vegas spokesman Jace Radke told us last year, “It's owned and operated by Fremont Street LLC.”
So it can be closed off whenever the LLC determines it's in the company's best interest -- within reason, of course.
For example, FSE applies for and receives special-event permits for certain events, such as New Year's Eve. These are one-off permits issued by the city that allow perimeters to be set up with fees collected at security checkpoints. It's the only ticketed public event of the year and the only one that occupies all four blocks of the Experience. Permits are also issued for concerts and (private) corporate events. Most aren't for all of the FSE promedade; entrance remains free to the public (except for the private events), just like during the rest of the year (except NYE).
So while it’s free and accessible on almost every day of the year, it can be a for-pay venue when the occasion warrants, since it is privately owned.
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Gregory
Apr-26-2020
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Ray
Apr-26-2020
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