In the latest flare-up of Colorado’s political and public safety discourse, a city council member from Aurora has sharply rebuked Governor Jared Polis’s dismissal of a harrowing video depicting what appears to be an armed Venezuelan gang infiltrating an apartment building. Despite substantial evidence corroborating the video’s authenticity, Polis has characterized the concerns as mere “imagination.”
Aurora City Councilor Danielle Jurinsky expressed profound dismay over the governor’s cavalier response. In a statement disseminated to the New York Post, Jurinsky voiced her frustrations: “I am profoundly disappointed.”
Shelby Wieman, a spokesperson for Governor Polis, countered Jurinsky’s concerns by asserting that the state is prepared to support local law enforcement with resources from state troopers and the Colorado Bureau of Investigation if necessary. “The Governor has already informed the Mayor that the State is ready to assist,” Wieman stated.
However, Wieman continued, “According to police intelligence, this alleged invasion is predominantly a figment of Danielle Jurinsky’s imagination.”
The contentious video reveals several armed individuals inside an Aurora apartment, allegedly under the control of Tren de Aragua, a notorious Venezuelan gang. Jurinsky, a staunch advocate for affected residents, played a pivotal role in evacuating numerous tenants from the perilous building earlier this week.
In an exclusive interview with Fox News Digital, Jurinsky questioned the governor’s skepticism: “My question to the governor is whether this is also a figment of the Romeros’ imagination? And what about the other residents I helped evacuate? Are their experiences also imaginary?”
Wieman retorted, “Governor Polis hopes that the city council members responsible will cease disparaging their own city while they are supposed to ensure its safety.”
She further noted that violent crime in Aurora had decreased between 2022 and 2023, with expectations of continued declines into 2024. Wieman cautioned that misinformation could jeopardize ongoing criminal investigations and negatively impact the business climate in Aurora.
Reporting by the New York Post indicates that over 40,000 migrants have arrived in the Denver area since December 2022. Former Congressman and current Aurora Mayor Mike Coffman addressed the issue on America Reports, contextualizing the situation: “While the situation is genuine, it must be understood within its proper context. The reputation of an entire city of over 400,000 residents should not be marred by incidents in a few isolated apartment buildings managed by an out-of-state landlord.”
Jurinsky criticized political figures for exploiting the situation, lamenting, “It’s disheartening that individuals are playing politics with this issue. Real people, like the Romeros, are enduring severe hardships behind those locked doors, living in constant fear.”
As Aurora grapples with this crisis, Jurinsky remains hopeful: “It is encouraging to see widespread recognition of the reality of the situation. Video evidence is irrefutable to everyone except our governor. The rest of the nation is witnessing the truth firsthand.”