AURORA, Colo. — AURORA, Colo. — Tenants of an Aurora apartment complex at the center of national media attention gathered together Thursday, calling on the landlord and city to address their poor living conditions.
Whispering Pines, located on Helena Street, is one of several Aurora apartment complexes that has been thrust into the national spotlight following claims of a "takeover" by the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua. The complex's owner, CBZ Management, has perpetuated those claims.
CBZ Management claims gang members prevented them from making repairs at their Aurora properties, saying it was too dangerous for their employees to be on site.
“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,” an investor for the properties said in a statement to Denver7 last month. “It is irresponsible to categorize this act of organized terror as the result of code violations when it is understood by several local and federal agencies that this gang has overtaken several apartment complexes in the area.”
However, code enforcement and inspection records dating back to 2020 show numerous violations prior to an influx of Venezuelan immigrants in the Denver metro, including mice infestations, ceiling damage, and dozens of unlawful vehicles parked in the parking lot. Aurora city officials say property owners failed to address and resolve most of these issues.
Whispering Pines tenants told Denver7 on Thursday that they have been abandoned by their landlord and left to deal with dirty water, bed bugs and overflowing trash.
"So we organized ourselves. We decided to clean the area, to clean the building. Many of us fixed up our own apartments... none of us have refused to pay rent," said Isamar Vilacha, who lives in the building.
Aurora Mayor Mike Coffman has accused CBZ Management of being “slumlords.” The City of Aurora closed one of its properties, Aspen Grove, in August due to numerous code violations. Aurora Police Chief Todd Chamberlain deemed two other CBZ Management properties — Edge of Lowry and 200 Columbia — criminal nuisance properties.
On Monday, an Aurora code enforcement officer issued a court summons for the property owner due to a list of violations at Whispering Pines.
Chanting "we are not criminals" in Spanish, Whispering Pines residents and advocates on Thursday called for accountability from their landlord and the city.
"We're here today to stand united with the tenants of these buildings who are victims of a landlord's crime," said V Reeves, with House Keys Action Network Denver.
Tenants worry the apartment will soon be shut down due to deteriorating conditions.
In response, the city released a statement, which said in part, "We are leveraging every tool available under state and municipal law to hold the property owners and managers accountable, which include actions that are not yet public. The property owners continue to rebuff the city’s efforts or outright ignore the city’s offers to assist."
As of Thursday, CBZ Management has not responded to an offer by the city to provide security at its properties, according to city officials.
While tenants at Whispering Pines wait to see if their demands are met, they hope they aren't forced to find a new place to call home.
"We want time," tenants chanted in Spanish.
