Aurora Apartments Make National Headlines: Landlords Blame Migrant Gangs for Public Safety Concerns

A group of apartments in Aurora, Colorado have made national headlines recently when a video surfaced of armed men entering an apartment at The Edge at Lowry. The video quickly went viral with social media posters claiming the armed men were undocumented migrants from Venezuela who had formed a gang and taken over the apartment building. Aurora police have not confirmed the identity of the men in the video, and apartment residents reject claims that gangs are the cause for the building’s various states of decay.

NEW VIDEO armed group at troubled #aurora #colorado apartment complex now home to many migrants. Councilmember @DaniJurinsky says gangs have taken over the complex @KDVR @AuroraPD pic.twitter.com/J1uie8Y2M6

— Vicente Arenas (@vicentearenastv) August 28, 2024

The property manager for The Edge at Lowry, CBZ Management was in the news earlier this month when Aurora shut down another building, Fitzsimons Place on Nome Street leaving more than 300 residents with just days to find new housing or face homelessness.

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Amid lawsuits and violations of Colorado’s warranty of habitability law, CBZ Management claimed that a Venezuelan gang, Tren de Aragua, had taken over its property in Lowry and that residents had begun paying rent to the gang instead. However, renters and Aurora police dispute these claims, saying the buildings have long been derelict and maintenance requests ignored. Black mold, pest infestations, and piling garbage are just some of the complaints that have gone unanswered.

A spokesperson from CBZ Management claimed that gang activity made it impossible for the company to maintain its property.

“Because we care for the safety of our tenants and other members of the community, what we will say is, that the issue of Tren de Aragua taking over properties and communities in Aurora means that we are not able to be present on this property, or any of our other properties in similar situations, also being impacted by gang presence,” the spokesperson said.

CBZ Management does not have a great track record of maintaining their properties. Currently, the company has an F rating on the Better Business Bureau, with all the reviews being negative. Their Google reviews do not fare better with a rating of 1.0/5 stars and 21 negative reviews from various properties in Aurora, and Colorado Springs.

Photo shared by Luna Lenny to Google Reviews in January 2024

“Heat has been out for 4 days now. Windows iced over and no hot water either. Management will not replace the broken backup boiler. If I didn’t cover all windows with bed comforters and sleeping bags it would be below 30 degrees in here. This issue happened every year for 3 years and they refuse to correctly fix anything. DO NOT RENT HERE,” wrote Luna Lenny in a review 7 months ago.

Other reviews complain of stolen security deposits, graffiti and trash pile-ups, and mice infestations in several properties from as far back as three years ago.

CBZ Management would have us believe, per its spokesperson’s statement, that gang members have specifically targeted only their properties, not only in Aurora but in Denver and Colorado Springs as well. Would they also claim that this has been happening since 2019, considering neglect complaints have been reported since at least then?

 

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It does not take much investigation to conclude that migrant gangs are not responsible for the disrepair of CBZ properties. Representatives from the company have used rising tensions in the state from the over 40,000 migrants Denver has taken in as a sanctuary city to push responsibility away from themselves.

Despite right-wing rhetoric, there is no evidence to support that immigrants commit more crimes or are incarcerated at higher rates than naturalized Americans. Undocumented migrants often try to avoid encounters with law enforcement for fear of deportation. Accusations of the opposite are routed solely in racism and white nationalism.

Blaming migrants amidst heightened political tensions surrounding immigration serves to deflect accountability and fuel harmful narratives. It is imperative to critically examine these claims and hold those in power accountable for their actions, rather than perpetuating falsehoods that marginalize vulnerable populations.