Immigrants from Venezuela remain at the center of persistent controversy in Aurora, with four city lawmakers on Thursday offering commentary and narratives about gang members, flash-mobs and national immigration policy.
City officials notified residents that they must vacate their condemned apartments in the north-Aurora complex by next Tuesday, a moved that some city lawmakers, without evidence or details, say is the result of Venezuelan gang activity.
Lawmakers commented on other recent Venezuelan immigrant controversies as well.
Members of the Aurora City Council public safety committee and Mayor Mike Coffman broke into an impromptu discussion about recent issues connected to immigrants and refugees from Venezuela living in Aurora and Denver.
On July 28, as many as 4,000 cars descended on the parking lots at the Gardens on Havana shopping center in west-central Aurora, apparently to celebrate what at the time looked like the political demise of Venezuela President Nicolás Maduro.
Maduro has since held on to power, despite international demands he step down after an apparent electoral loss and election fraud perpetrated by his administration.
Some city council members and witnesses painted the July 28 Aurora event as violent, criminal and destructive.
A storm of social media posts about the flash-mob event prompted police the next day to “fact check” what they said was misinformation.
A few days later, the owner of a northwest Aurora apartment complex and his public-relations agent told the media that Venezuelan gangs had effectively taken over his 99-unit complex.
City officials countered the claim, saying that the complex is slated for closure next week after more than two years of neglect and mismanagement, creating a bevy of public safety and health violations that has left the complex uninhabitable.
“None of us buy that story, that this is based on a code enforcement violation,” Councilmember Danielle Jurinsky said at the end of the committee meeting, referring to herself and fellow committee members council members Stepahnie Hancock and Steve Sundberg. “The three of us believe there is a huge gang problem.”
