Two apartment complexes in Aurora, Colorado — Fitzsimons Place and The Edge at Lowry — have made national news amid claims that members of Tren de Aragua, a gang originating in Venezuela, have allegedly taken over the properties — claims that residents, city officials and police state are false, according to CNN and USA Today.
Rumors about conditions at The Edge at Lowry began with the spread of a viral video that showed armed men entering apartments at the property. The Department of Homeland Security has confirmed that the men in the video are Tren de Aragua members, according to USA Today. Viral allegations included that Tren de Aragua had pushed out existing management and demanded rent payments from residents.
Aurora police have arrested multiple confirmed and suspected members of the gang in the area, according to a statement from the police department. However, Interim Aurora Police Chief Heather Morris directly refuted claims that gang members had taken over apartment properties or collected rent from residents in a video released on Aug. 30. The video, filmed on site at The Edge at Lowry, depicts uniformed officers talking to residents on the property.
“I’m not saying that there aren’t gang members that are living in this community,” Morris said in the video. “But what we’re learning out here is that gang members have not taken over this complex.” Morris stated that she had confirmed with residents that they were not paying rent to any gang.
Difficult conditions
The situation saw many twists and turns over the course of the summer. A man described as a documented member of Tren de Aragua was arrested in connection with a shooting outside Fitzsimons Place on July 28, according to Aurora police.
On Aug. 13, Fitzsimons Place, also known as 1568 Nome Street, was evacuated by the city of Aurora — a move the city attributed to the property’s numerous code violations, not gang activity, according to CNN. Code and habitability issues at this property have made headlines since 2021, according to Colorado Newsline.
One of Fitzsimons Place’s former tenants has since filed a class-action lawsuit against the property and its owner and operator. The lawsuit details over a year of code enforcement proceedings with the property, as well as complaints from tenants to the city related to pests, black mold and a lack of heat and hot water, CNN reported.
Both Fitzsimons Place and The Edge at Lowry are managed by CBZ Management, a Brooklyn, New York-based firm with properties in Colorado and New York, including a total of four in Aurora.
On Sept. 6, ABC 9 News reported that Fitzsimons Place’s owner, identified as Zev Baumgarten, had entered into an agreement with city officials in which dozens of charges filed against him for failing to maintain Fitzsimons Place would be dropped if he agreed to sell it.
Baumgarten has also been identified as the owner of The Edge at Lowry, according to the Denver Gazette, and an owner of CBZ Management, according to The Denverite. An individual identified as Fitzsimons Place’s owner had previously told CNN that Tren de Aragua had taken over his properties.
Neither CBZ nor Baumgarten responded to Multifamily Dive’s request for comment.
Fact from fiction
On Sept. 10, former President Donald Trump mentioned the situation in Aurora during a debate with Vice President Kamala Harris, claiming that entire towns in Colorado had been taken over. There is no evidence to support these claims, according to Aurora Mayor Mike Coffman. On Sept. 11, both Coffman and Council Member Danielle Jurinsky released a joint statement addressing claims related to the scope of the issue.
“Please understand that issues experienced at a select few properties do not apply to the city as a whole or large portions of it,” the statement reads. “TdA has not ‘taken over’ the city. Again, TdA’s presence in Aurora is limited to specific properties, all of which the city has been addressing in various ways for months.”
