Tall cameras on poles overlook several entrances and a courtyard at Aurora’s troubled Whispering Pines apartments. The parking lot has been cleared of garbage.

And the property — one of three complexes at the center of a debate about crimes at the hands of Venezuelan gangs — may soon go on the market.

The national spotlight will likely focus once more on the Whispering Pines on Friday, when former President Donald Trump is scheduled to hold a campaign rally at the Gaylord Rockies Resort & Convention Center in Aurora. 

Trump plans to press attacks over immigration and border security at the campaign event, drawing a contrast with Democratic rival Vice President Kamala Harris, his campaign suggested in the announcement.

Central to Trump’s message is his characterization of Aurora as a city “overrun” by a Venezuelan gang called Tren de Aragua. Local officials have rejected that claim, saying the gang was active at several apartments but had not “taken over” the city.

On Wednesday afternoon, most of the apartment complex’s 54 units appeared to be inhabited and people went about their daily lives. They worked on their cars, did chores and ran errands.

An Aurora police officer followed assessors, who visited with residents about their living conditions. Electricians, plumbers and construction workers are expected to follow.

What message would resident Marion Palacios give Trump if she could talk to him?

“He’s not going to see the real Aurora at the fancy hotel,” she said. “The reality is here, where we are.”

Most of the inhabitants of The Whispering Pines are Venezuelan immigrants, few of whom speak English. Translated by an American who considers herself an advocate for immigrants, residents said that they are worried about claims in the media that Aurora is being overrun by gangs.

“It’s so hard on them. It’s destroyed the image of Venezuelans,” said Gigi Hobbs. 

Carolina Perez insisted there’s no presence of Venezuelan gangs at Whispering Pines and, apart from accidents on nearby Colfax Avenue, she described the area as “tranquilo,” which means peaceful.

In August, a national law firm that investigated the claims of Venezuelan gang activity reported a stark picture of an apartment complex under siege. Through violence and intimidation, the Venezuelan gang took over the Whispering Pines apartment complex and sought to collect up to half of the rent from leaseholders, drying up collections for the landlord, according to the law firm’s investigation.   

At the behest of a lender, the international law firm Perkins Coie outlined an operation that included establishing a “lower-level” presence last year, which then escalated into violence and intimidation, the apparent goal of which was to turn the complex into a steady source of income for the gang.   

The law firm said once the gang was entrenched at the complex, it used the units for illegal activities, including the prostitution of minors. The gang, the law firm added, “operated in the open,” patrolled the area and “terrorized the community.”    

The bank that lent money to the landlords — who, according to court documents, have defaulted on a $7 million loan — is taking over to assess the condition of the three buildings at 1357 Helena. 

Whispering Pines and one of the buildings at The Edge at Lowry have entered court-ordered receivership at the request of lender U.S. Bank Trust Co. A district court judge recently found that — having failed to make timely monthly payments — a receivership is necessary to protect the properties.

On Sept. 29, District Court Judge Don Toussaint appointed Kevin Singer of Receivership Specialists to take charge of the property from Whispering Pines Partners LLC, BZMRS LLC, and 733 Dekalb Reality LLC. 

Like The Edge and Aspen Grove, residents said the landlords abandoned Whispering Pines some time this summer. The residents said that they canceled everyone’s leases and denied access to the company’s portal.

“No one has paid rent here for the last several months,” Hobbs said.

Hobbs escorted The Denver Gazette through a busted building entrance door with a hole in the metal where the lock used to be into hallways decorated with graffiti. Electrical wires snarled out of the walls. 

In the landing of one complex, a box of King Soopers steaks sat thawing in the shade behind a metal door which had been taken off of its hinges.

It appeared that there was no security to prevent intruders from freely entering the three brick buildings. 

Still, there was evidence that families live in the units at Whispering Pines. A small playground waits for kids to come home from school in the shadow of one of the newly-installed cameras, jeans and T-shirts hang out to dry on the balconies, and a bicycle leans up against a unit.

The Aurora letter carrier for ZIP code 80111 told a reporter that he won’t deliver the mail at Whispering Pines “because I don’t feel safe here.”

Even if he wanted to, there was nowhere to leave mail, he said. He pointed to a wall of demolished metal mailboxes. Residents pick up their mail at the nearest post office located at 738 Peoria. 

The mail carrier, who did not want to identify himself for fear of losing his job, walked down a basement hallway that smelled of burned food.

“I will deliver packages,” he said. “But look how dirty this place is.”

He pointed a small flashlight at a discarded mattress propped against the wall. Linoleum floors were soiled with long-dried spillage.

Brayan Bolivar Cordero works construction from sunup to sundown and sends his earnings home, he said, his boss translating for him.

“I am thankful that Colorado let me come here,” said Cordero, who stepped into the passenger side of a huge truck for the ride into work.

If he is deported, he’ll go back to his family in Venezuela, Cordero said.