AURORA, Colo. (KDVR) — Residents at The Edge at Lowry apartments said the narrative that gangs have taken over is simply false and placed blame on property management for conditions.
It was last Tuesday that NewsNation affiliate KDVR reported on a now-viral video of a group of men carrying guns at The Edge at Lowry apartments, a known trouble location. Federal law enforcement sources told NewsNation that the video is linked to Venezuelan gang activity, but residents this Tuesday said that has been taken way out of context.
“They are trying to put us all in one group, all in one bag,” one resident said at a press conference at the complex. “They are trying to say that here there are delinquents, there are criminals. Here there’s moms, there’s families,” the resident said.
They told FOX31 the real crime being committed is the deplorable conditions they’ve been forced to live in. FOX31 first reported on those conditions two weeks ago as mountains of trash were found outside. Residents said that mountain was because the property’s management hadn’t had the trash picked up in over two weeks.
But that’s just the tip of the iceberg. The complex residents showed FOX31 bedbugs and mice in glue traps, which residents said have gone untreated even after reporting. Those deplorable conditions are something Aurora Mayor Mike Coffman is fully aware of.
The management company CBZ Management also oversaw the Nome Street complex that was shut down last month. This location had alleged gang activity and is a potential crutch the mayor says the company is using.
“I believe fundamentally that there is some element of truth to all of this, but it’s interesting that when we have the problems of the allegations of criminal activities and gang activity, the pattern is with one ownership and the pattern is quite frankly is they are out-of-state slumlords,” Coffman said.
Residents also said they feel racism has played a role. One resident said he’s tried to find another place to live but has been denied multiple times. Other residents have received threatening racist messages calling them “animals,” violent threats and even people coming to their buildings with signs saying, “We’re going to take Aurora back.”
“All we ask is a place to live, a place for our kids to live. We need your help and to look at us and see us. We just want a chance to fix our image, we want to show and talk to the mayor and let them know that we are not the ones causing problems,” one resident said.
Residents said they want their narrative to change and a chance to meet with the city, a meeting the mayor is open to. The mayor mentioned in a social media post the potential for an emergency order over the complex that would label it a criminal nuisance, but the mayor said that’s a last resort if they cannot come to a solution with the management company and residents.
“Obviously, the preference is let’s find a solution that doesn’t involve closing the buildings down,” Coffman said. “I’d want to gain a better understanding of their challenges, but we also need their cooperation.”
