The residents of the condemned Aurora apartment complex are calling for more time

Residents living in a condemned apartment complex in Aurora pleaded with city officials Thursday for more time to find new housing ahead of a moving deadline looming early next week.

“We are people. We are not animals,” said Emanuel Chabrier, 27, who has been a renter for about three years. “This isn’t fair.”

On Wednesday morning, police notified tenants of 1568 Nome St. that the complex, run by CBZ Management, will soon be closed due to its history of unaddressed code violations, including rodent infestations and sewer backups. More than 85 families – including many Venezuelan migrants – are affected by the condemnation of the construction.

Posters have been placed on the front doors of each of the 95 apartments informing tenants of the eviction order. In bold red letters they say: “Danger, off limits.”

Residents have until 7 a.m. on Tuesday – a total of six days after the official notification – to come up with alternatives and move.

A group of about 30 residents and advocates gathered for a press conference in the courtyard of Fitzsimons Place on Thursday afternoon. They called on Aurora City Manager Jason Batchelor to give two more months to find new homes.

The East Colfax Community Collective and Housekeys Action Network Denver are also urging the city to provide tenants with housing vouchers, rental assistance for the first month of their new lease and money for security deposits.

City of Aurora spokesman Ryan Luby said the city was working to find housing for tenants. It plans to cover the cost of security deposits for those affected by the condemnation and pay the amounts directly to their new homeowners, he said.

Officials will later recover that money from the owners of Fitzsimons Place, he added.

Earlier this week, CBZ representatives told JS that managers had not visited the complex in weeks due to security concerns, including problems caused at the complex by a transnational Venezuelan gang. But city officials called that a distraction from long-standing safety and health concerns.

In the courtyard, residents spoke in English and Spanish about the challenges they faced in quickly securing housing, including missing work days.

Some children held white balloons and signs reading “Aurora tenants demand healthy homes” and “We need a response from the company,” while others returning home from school clambered up the stairs and lugged backpacks.

“You have over 66 children in this building alone,” said V Reeves, organizer at Housekeys Action Network. “These are good people, they deserve it and they have rights as paying tenants.”