Residents of Aurora apartments, at the center of the Venezuelan gang controversy, plead to stay in their homes

AURORA | Residents of a dilapidated apartment complex in northwest Aurora fear being evicted from their apartments just as fall weather is likely to turn cold.

“We’re going to get snow, and it’s going to be snowy and cold here,” said V Reeves, spokesperson for Housekeys Action Network Denver, translating for resident Moises Dinote. ‘Are you going to put all these families with children on the street?’

The Whispering Pines Apartments, 1357 Helena St., has been the center of controversy in recent months over disputed allegations that the building was overrun by the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua. Many of the residents are Venezuelan immigrants.

Police have repeatedly denied that, but said the presence of gang members and other criminal forces has had a substantial impact on the complexes.

CBZ Management, the property management company that manages the Whispering Pines location along with the Edge at Lowry, 1218 Dallas St., claims it has neglected both properties because it was evicted from their properties by the TdA.

Controversies in the area have created a firestorm across the country, culminating in presidential candidate Donald Trump’s insistence on false claims that all of Aurora has been taken over by TdA gangs.

Although Whispering Pines residents have not received formal notice from the city of Aurora or the property management company that they will be evicted or that the property will be condemned, they fear news will come soon.

The Denver Post reported Thursday that a letter they obtained — written by Aurora Police Chief Todd Chamberlain to property owners — states that eviction is imminent at the Edge at Lowry and the nearby 200 apartments in Columbia unless the owners take immediate action. Eviction is threatened due to unliveable conditions and crime, making the complexes a threat to public health and safety.

The letter is not about Whispering Pines, but residents fear that their complex will also be closed.

“What we know at this time is that the city conducted an inspection and issued a citation last week, and the possibility of a conviction is imminent,” Reeves said.

City officials said repeated attempts to work with the complex owners have been ignored.

“We wholeheartedly understand and share the frustrations of Whispering Pines tenants,” city officials said in a statement. “We are still trying to get property owners and managers to address the multitude of issues in their apartment complexes, including Whispering Pines. We use every tool available under state and municipal law to hold property owners and managers accountable, including actions that are not yet public. The property owners continue to reject the city’s efforts or outright ignore the city’s offer to help.”

Many residents said they are willing to work to repair and clean up the building to help the city and the property management company. Dinote said many residents have the skills and work permits to help.

The city can only intervene to a limited extent. Residents said this week that the city began sending out waste pickers every 10 days because there was no garbage service to collect the trash.

Residents say they are charged for services like water and trash, but they don’t receive them consistently. Two weeks ago the water in one of the buildings was turned off and they had to file a report with a city agency to get it turned back on.

Brendan Greene, co-founder and CEO of East Colfax Community Collected, said not only was the water supply turned off in one building, but sewage overflow or black water was also present in some homes and in the basement of one of the buildings.

Residents say they fear racist and anti-immigrant reprisals because of the controversy. They feel safe in their apartments, but fear the community’s reaction when they are out in public and possibly looking for new housing. Resident Jeraldyne Maza said she has faced discrimination and fears for her safety in public.

While residents are concerned that the building will be condemned and closed, the city, like the 1568 Nome St. apartment complex, which was owned by the same property management company, can only move as quickly as allowed by law.

The residents of the Whispering Pine Apartments complex say they want to be involved and continue to live in their homes.

“What they’ve been asking for is cooperation with the city,” Reeves said. ‘They ask for time. They ask for support. They’re not going to be able to move in time and move safely with their families, and they say they are very prepared, and they have been prepared to take care of their homes, maintain conditions and do what they have to do. in the absence of the landlord and the city, abandoning their responsibilities.

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