Aurora apartments tenants move out

Tenants of an Aurora apartment building moved out Tuesday morning.
The city of Aurora set a 7 a.m. deadline for residents of the apartment building, located at 1568 Nome Street, to pack their belongings and leave.
Around 8 a.m., Aurora police officers blocked off access to the apartments and started going door to door to make sure residents were out of the building. Keesen Landscape, the same company that cleans up the encampments in Aurora, cleaned up the piles of trash that was left behind at the apartment complex.
Tenants and community advocates begged the city for more time to find housing, but the city declined.
According to the city, the situation at the apartment complex is a result of years of dangerous code violations and issues with the property management. The city has tried to hold the out-of-state property owner, CBZ Management, accountable for the poor living conditions for two years.
Some conservative leaders on Aurora's city council have claimed the building was under the control of a Venezuelan gang. The city and Mayor Mike Coffman say the apartment is not under control of a gang.
Tenants have been offered hotel vouchers through the end of the month, according to the city officials. Once tenants secure new housing, the city will pay their security deposits with money coming from the city's housing fund.
"We have been working on this property, with the residents, with advocacy groups for over two years to hold the property owners accountable, and at this point, it is not a safe place to be, so that is not an option," said Aurora Director of Housing and Community Services, Jessica Prosser. "We would much rather folks be in a hotel room that is clean and safe for them to be in while they work through finding another place to live."