AURORA, Colo. — Residents at an Aurora apartment complex are pushing back against claims that a Venezuelan gang have overtaken their complex.
The city of Aurora is seeking an emergency order to close multiple apartment buildings, including one on 12th Avenue and Dallas Street, citing them as a criminal nuisance.
Last week, Aurora Mayor Mike Coffman said in an interview with 9NEWS that residents at some of the buildings were being intimidated by Venezuelan gang members.
“The mayor is out of his orbit,” Carlos Ordosgoitti said through a 9NEWS interpreter. “There has been false information on behalf of us, but no one has come to talk to us, those of us that live here.”
Last week, a video surfaced showing people inside one of the buildings at the complex with guns.
Ordosgoitti said he didn’t recognize any of the people and did not believe gang members lived in the complex.
"Nothing like this had ever happened, and we still don’t know why they arrived at that apartment or what they were looking for,” he said. “It’s a lie that they’re charging us rent.”
Ordosgoitti said all of the attention has created a safety hazard at the complex, with people traveling in from outside of the area to harass people who live there.
Aurora Police said they have not received any reports of harassment happening.
One social media video shows a man holding a megaphone out of his window and yelling “Venezuelan gangs, we came here to chase you off, these are our [expletive] communities.”
“Right now, I am scared because of what's been created and all the xenophobia hate has increased towards us,” Ordosgoitti said. “I'm really scared to be outside past 7 or 8 p.m. because you never know who can drive by or come around to try to harm us. This is affecting our reputation. I feel bad because they are generalizing all of us for the bad actions of a small group and it shouldn't be that way."
Ordosgoitti said living conditions at the apartment complex are horrendous and believes the out-of-state property owners are using the gang theory as an excuse not to clean up the properties.
The same property owners, CBZ Management, were responsible for another apartment complex in Aurora that the city deemed unsafe to live in. In August, the city ordered all tenants to move out of the apartment on Nome Street.
CBZ Management blamed the deteriorating conditions on the takeover of a Venezuelan gang. According to the city, the situation at the apartment complex was the result of years of dangerous code violations and issues with the property management.