Some Aurora residents claim Venezuelan gang narrative in Denver metro area is false

Residents of an Aurora apartment complex with reported gang activity say the property owner is to blame for the deterioration of their building. Tenants of The Edge at Lowry shared their experiences Tuesday, calling on the City of Aurora to hold the company accountable. 

"I have been here for a year, and I have not received any kind of violence," said Gladys, a mother living in the building at 12th and Dallas. Several residents Tuesday also said they've never seen gang activity. 

Last week, CBS Colorado spoke to another resident at the same complex who often witnessed violence and suspicious activity. 

Residents at the meeting Tuesday, organized by the East Colfax Community Collective, say that was an isolated break-in. Last Friday, Aurora police said there are components of the Tren de Aragua gang operating in Aurora but they're not taking over apartment buildings.

Some residents say these are false anti-immigrant and anti-Venezuelan narratives being spread. Conditions are poor at the building. Tenants showed reporters bed bugs and dead rats captured in traps. 

They say they're victims, but not of the TdA gang. 

"The result of the conditions of this building is the fault and the sole fault of CBZ Management," a resident stated. "There are no gangs or criminals here. The only criminal here is the owner of this apartment who steals from us every month asking us to pay for this living."

Several residents shared their personal experiences with the neglect. 

One highlighted the widespread issues in the building, noting, "My apartment has bedbugs, rats, and bugs in it, but every time I call the landlord for the past six months, asking him to fumigate the apartment, they disappear. They don't respond."

Residents at another property owned by CBZ were forced to leave this summer after it was closed for code violations. CBZ Management says the gang scared property managers away from another building off Nome Street.

Tenants off Dallas say reports of gang activity have also led to acts of xenophobia and racism from the community. 

A text sent to residents calls them "animals" and threatens them with "more firepower than you can ever imagine."

"They're trying to put us all in one group, put us all in one bag. They're trying to say that here there are criminals. There's moms, there's families, there's fathers here," one tenant stated. 

The community is demanding action. One of their demands is that the City of Aurora steps in to hold the landlord accountable rather than punishing the tenants by condemning their homes. They argue that instead of being evicted, they should be provided with safe living conditions. 

Another tenant spoke about the efforts of residents to maintain their homes in the face of the landlord's neglect. 

"We have been trying to take care of the building ourselves. Over here, you have a picture of the trash that wasn't picked up for months. We picked it up ourselves and cleaned it up ourselves," they stated.

This week, Aurora Mayor Mike Coffman accompanied Aurora police officers as they toured the apartment buildings associated with gang activity on Dallas Street.

In a post, he writes: "Unfortunately, no one with an outstanding warrant was identified but it was a good opportunity to go through the buildings, listen to resident concerns, and show that APD can access these buildings at any time. Obviously, the goal is to get these properties under the control of the owners as soon as possible and we will be meeting with representatives for the owners this week to discuss how to get that done."

Last week, the Aurora City Attorney's Office announced they are preparing court documents to request an emergency court order to clear the apartment buildings where Venezuelan gang activity has been occurring by declaring the properties a Criminal Nuisance.