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Viral videos showing armed men in stairwells supposedly proved Venezuelan gangs had taken over Aurora apartment complexes. National media ran with the story. Politicians made speeches. But when journalists arrived at The Edge on Lowry apartments, they found something entirely different.
The Reality Behind the Headlines
Walking through the complex reveals broken windows covered with plastic sheeting and extension cords snaking across hallways. Residents still live here, paying $1,100 per month for units that reek of mold. One woman showed reporters a bullet hole from a recent shooting, but when pressed about gang control, residents painted a different picture entirely.
The property management company, CBZ Management, has allegedly stopped making repairs altogether. Residents say no one from the company comes around anymore. One tenant mentioned living there for a year without any maintenance work being done.
When Politicians and Reality Collide
Aurora Mayor Mike Kaufman has given contradictory statements about the situation. He downplays the gang presence on some news channels, then appears on Fox News claiming it's a real problem. Meanwhile, City Councilwoman Danielle Jurinsky has been pushing the Venezuelan gang narrative on conservative media outlets.
Residents told a different story. When asked directly about gang control, multiple tenants said gangs do not control the buildings. One community advocate who works in the area suggested the viral videos were staged, noting that no residents recognized the armed men from the footage.
The Real Crisis No One Discusses
Behind the sensational headlines lies a housing crisis. Families with children live in units where windows are broken out and mold grows unchecked. Some residents work 12-hour shifts just to afford rent and food. Multiple families crowd into single units to split costs.
One mother with a three-year-old daughter expressed frustration about wanting to move but being trapped by high rents throughout Colorado. A house in the area rents for $2,200 monthly without utilities, making escape financially impossible for many residents.
The Footage That Started It All
The viral video showing armed men attempting to break down doors does not match the current layout of any building in the complex. Reporters searched every floor of every building but could not locate where the footage was filmed. No security cameras exist in the buildings, and residents said they did not recognize the people in the viral video.
The disconnect between the dramatic footage and the mundane reality raises questions about when and where those videos were actually recorded.
What Happens When the Cameras Leave
As national attention focused on gang narratives, the real problems persist. Residents continue paying premium prices for substandard housing while city officials debate Venezuelan gangs instead of addressing code violations. The housing crisis that traps families in dangerous conditions gets overshadowed by more sensational stories.
Community advocates are trying to connect residents with rental assistance programs to help them relocate, but the underlying problem remains. When landlords can collect $1,100 monthly without making repairs, and when city enforcement appears absent, residents suffer while political narratives dominate headlines.
The full investigation reveals what residents really told us about life in these apartments and who benefits from keeping the gang story alive.
