Denver’s Mayor Michael Hancock might have had a different response to violence on the 16th Street Mall if he were still a teenager, he said.

“The wind was knocked out of me when I saw the videos of people being attacked along our beloved 16th Street Mall,” Hancock told the 61st annual meeting of the Downtown Denver Partnership.

“It almost took me back to my teenage days, wishing it was me, so we could have a little fun on the mall …I know everyone in this room wishes it probably would have been them, so the record could be set straight very quickly.”

So, fisticuffs?

Hancock described violence on 16th Street as one of several “challenges that we’ve never faced before,” though he added that the city has seen worse.

The mayor went on to praise Denver’s police and emergency responders, noting that there are three times more officers on the mall now as at the beginning of the year.

“We will continue to lean in,” he said. “We will not tolerate those who don’t mean well in our downtown.”

Overall, he said, “the vibrancy of downtown has never been as great as it is today.”

Later in the meeting, the partnership honored Cole Finnegan and Brandy Bertram, along with several volunteers, and released an annual report, complete with highlights and upcoming priorities.