Residents of Aurora apartments at the center of the Venezuelan gang controversy are asking to stay in their homes

AURORA | Residents of a run-down apartment complex in northwest Aurora fear being evicted from their apartments just as the fall weather is likely to get colder.

“We're going to start snowing, and it's going to be snowing and cold here,” said Housekeys Action Network Denver spokesman V Reeves, translating for resident Moises Dinote. “Are you going to throw all these families with children out onto the streets?”

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

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

CBZ Management, the property management company that operates the Whispering Pines location along with the Edge at Lowry, 1218 Dallas St., claims it neglected both properties because they were foreclosed on by the TdA.

Controversies in the region have sparked a firestorm across the country, culminating in presidential candidate Donald Trump's insistence on the false claim that all of Aurora had been taken over by TdA gangs.

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

The Denver Post reported Thursday that a letter they received — written by Aurora Police Chief Todd Chamberlain to property owners — said eviction from the Edge at Lowry and the nearby 200 Columbia apartments was imminent unless the owners took immediate action seize. The threat of eviction is due to the unlivable conditions and crime that make the complexes a threat to public health and safety.

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

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

City officials said repeated attempts to work with the complex's owners were ignored.

“We fully understand and share the frustration 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 at their apartment complexes, including Whispering Pines. We use all tools available in state and local law to hold property owners and managers accountable, including measures that are not yet public. Property owners continue to reject the city’s efforts or completely ignore the city’s offers of assistance.”

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

The city can only intervene to a limited extent. Residents said this week that the city had started sending trash collectors every 10 days because no trash service was picking up the trash.

Residents said they are charged for services such as water and garbage, but do not receive them regularly. Two weeks ago the water was turned off in one of the buildings and they had to file a complaint with a city agency to get the water turned back on.

Brendan Greene, co-founder and CEO of East Colfax Community Collected, reported that not only was the water turned off in one building, but there was also sewage flooding or black water in some residences and in the basement of one of the buildings.

Residents fear racist and anti-immigrant reprisals as a result of the controversy. They feel safe in their homes, but fear the community's reaction when they are out in public and may be looking for a new apartment. Resident Jeraldyne Maza said she faces discrimination in public and fears for her safety.

Although residents fear the building will be demolished and closed like the 1568 Nome St. apartment complex owned by the same property management company, the city can only act as quickly as the law allows.

Residents of the Whispering Pine Apartment complex say they want to stay involved and stay in their homes.

“They asked for cooperation with the city,” Reeves said. “You’re asking for time. They ask for support. They will not be able to move out on time and move safely to their families, and they say they are very willing to take care of their home, maintain the conditions and do what they need to do in the landlord's absence and the city who are abandoning their responsibilities.”

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