As Trump puts Aurora, Colorado, in spotlight, mayor calls Venezuelan gang claims “grossly exaggerated”

The Republican mayor of Aurora, Colorado, stated former President Donald Trump’s rally within the metropolis Friday offered a possibility “to point out him and the nation” that Aurora is “not a metropolis overrun by Venezuelan gangs.”

Mayor Mike Coffman made the assertion Tuesday after weeks of deceptive claims by the previous president that town was a “battle zone” overrun with members of a Venezuelan gang. 

Throughout final month’s presidential debate in opposition to Vice President Kamala Harris, Trump pointed to Aurora as proof that immigrants are “violently” taking up the city. “You have a look at Aurora in Colorado. They’re taking up the cities. They’re taking up buildings,” Trump stated.

Coffman stated considerations about gang exercise have been “grossly exaggerated.” He stated the “incidents had been restricted to a number of condo complexes on this metropolis of greater than 400,000 residents.”

Aurora Police Division Chief Todd Chamberlain stated in a Sept. 20 press convention that town is “not by any means overtaken by Venezuelan gangs.”

Central to the gang takeover claims is a viral video displaying armed males coming into an condo in Aurora on Aug. 18. The incident led to the deadly capturing of a 25-year-old man, police stated. 

An area councilwoman shared the video on Fb, claiming a gang took over “whole condo complexes” within the metropolis. Coffman shared a screenshot from the video and stated town is working to “request an emergency courtroom order to clear the condo buildings the place Venezuelan gang exercise has been occurring.” 

Nonetheless, after patrolling the advanced, the police division stated gang members had not taken over the constructing and residents weren’t paying hire to gangs. Coffman additionally visited the constructing and stated tenants instructed him they didn’t have security considerations however had been alarmed by rubbish “piling up” and a “rodent infestation.” 

Coffman stated tenants instructed him they’d not been paying hire as a result of “there was now not an onsite property supervisor who had at all times collected the hire.” Coffman stated preliminary reviews of a gang takeover got here from the property administration firm, CBZ Administration. CBS Information reached out to CBZ Administration and has not heard again. 

The mayor and councilwoman launched a press release on Sept. 11 to “clear the document” and say gang members haven’t “taken over” town.

Police stated as of Sept. 20, they don’t have any info that leads them to consider the lads within the video are in a gang.

Chamberlain stated Aurora, like every other metropolis, does have crime and gang exercise. The police division stated it arrange a particular process power with native, state, and federal officers to handle gang exercise.

The police division stated it has linked 10 folks to the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua and eight of these folks have been arrested as of Sept. 11. However Chamberlain stated there’s “plenty of complexity” when figuring out suspects as gang members, including that it has been “a wrestle.” 

“The one factor I actually wish to make sure on on this entire dialogue is that this can be a give attention to felony habits, this isn’t a give attention to immigration standing,” Chamberlain stated.

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