We've been following the increasingly shocking story of several apartment complexes in the Denver suburb of Aurora which were taken over by criminal members of the Venezuelan Tren de Aragua gang. Political infighting has broken out between the state's Democratic Governor and the locals, with the Governor amazingly claiming that the landlords were attempting to shift the blame for this debacle and that the stories of migrant gang members overwhelming the complexes were figments of the imagination. They continued to hold this position despite numerous videos of gang activity being shown to the public. Now one landlord, Zev Baumgarten is being forced to sell or otherwise dispose of the Aspen Grove apartment complex. The complex has been shut down since last month when the conditions there had become simply unlivable. (NY Post)
A Colorado landlord has agreed to sell a troubled apartment complex that was taken over by the violent Venezuelan migrant gang Tren de Aragua.
Landlord Zev Baumgarten has been fighting with the Denver suburb of Aurora over the Aspen Grove after the city accused him of allowed it to become a trash-ridden, gang-infested hellhole, according to records obtained by the Denver Gazette.
Baumgarten’s company has now agreed to sell, lease, or find some “similar disposition” for the complex — which was shuttered in August, displacing some 300 residents, the Gazette reported.
One of the many shameful parts of this story is the fact that the police were alerted to the gang activity taking place there nearly a year ago. The problem only grew in seriousness, but other than the occasional officers being dispatched to respond to specific criminal complaints, no large-scale effort was made to clear out the gangs. Instead, the city began piling up complaints against Baumgarten ranging from unlawful evictions (by the gang) to rodent infestations. There was little Baumgarten could do because the gangs refused to be removed.
Baumgarten eventually found himself facing more than 80 charges for building code violations. But laying the blame on the landlord isn't solving this disaster at all. Taking him out of the picture has only emboldened the gang further. Residents are regularly calling the police to report shootouts, drug overdoses, and violent criminal behavior. Apparently, since the gangs don't have any paperwork claiming ownership of the complex, Zev Baumgarten was the only person available to pin the blame on.
Meanwhile, Colorado lawmakers still can't seem to make up their minds as to who is truly to blame. The infighting continues, with some pointing the finger at the landlord while others try to blame the police.
Friday, Congresswoman Lauren Boebert, a Republican representing Colorado’s 3rd Congressional District, held a roundtable discussion in Aurora to discuss the possible threat to the city.
“Gangs are present in these complex buildings, call it and classify a takeover however you will. When they have the keys, when they are busting down doors and accessing other rooms, assaulting people, stabbing people, making threats, extorting them, I would consider that a takeover,” said Boebert.
Not everyone agrees with Boebert, of course. Democratic Congressman Jason Crow claims that describing the gang's control of the complex as a takeover is "overblown." He asserts that the stories being told about the activities of Tren de Aragua are being "misrepresented." He claims that the threat posed by local gangs is much greater. Of course, what is a Democrat supposed to say in a situation like this during an election year? To admit that Venezuelan gangs are taking over commercial real estate right in our country would be a glaring admission of the failures of the Biden administration's border policies. It's just a shame that landlords like Mr. Baumgarten are the ones being left to pay the price. Maybe it's just me, but doesn't it seem as if there was a time when both Democrats and Republicans would have agreed that foreign prison gangs showing up in force and taking over buildings would be seen as "a bad thing?"
