Are Fights Becoming More Common in Downtown Boise?

Just a few days ago, we shared with you the heart-shattering news that a fatal shooting took place downtown Boise near 6th and Grove. The suspect, a young 20-year-old man who will never have a normal life moving forward. The victim, deceased, was also extremely young--and their family and friends will never be the same without them. The entire situation was immature, uncalled for, and truly unheard of in downtown Boise.

Just blocks away and minutes apart, another shooting took place near 9th street.

What on earth is going on in downtown Boise?

Over the past few weeks, we have both observed ourselves and heard from others that crime in downtown Boise is on the rise--the perception seems to be that assault is on the rise. While we don't have official statistics, we did reach out to the Boise Police Department for comment who has not yet gotten back to us.

While driving up Main Street after a night of work over the weekend, the quiet, nearly-empty streets of Boise were filled with the echoes of 6 to 7 individuals kicking and curb stomping just one individual, curled up in a ball against a building, trying to protect themselves. Before we could call the police, a group of officers came running around the corner to assist.

Spend any time in any of downtown Boise's bars or nightclubs and you're sure to see a drunken tiff from time to time. Lately, however, bouncers who have agreed to speak under terms of anonymity have shared with us that they're breaking up more fights than ever--some believed to be gang-related.

One thing that we know for sure, is that Boise is far too great to be seeing these types of crimes in our streets. Can we all just cool our tempers while we're downtown?