Democratic leaders speak inside Stanley Marketplace in northwest Aurora.

On Friday, the day ballots began going out to voters, the two presidential campaigns spent time in Aurora. Colorado Democratic leaders were at Cheluna Brewing inside Stanley Marketplace in northwest Aurora, about 12 miles away from the site of an afternoon rally at the Gaylord Rockies Resort for former President Donald Trump, who has called Aurora a “war zone” overrun by gangs.

Gov. Jared Polis, at the Cheluna event, said he brings his family to Stanley Marketplace all the time and is happy to stand up for the truth about the city.

“We love this great city…The former president is only going to see the inside of the Gaylord Rockies, which is certainly worth seeing…We’re very proud of it, but we thought you might want to join us in the center of our Aurora community and see some of the exciting things going on.”

Polis added: “We welcome the eyes of the nation on a true Colorado gem, the great city of Aurora, Colorado, a great place to live, to raise kids, to retire, to grow a business, fastest-growing city, great access to Denver International Airport.”

Trump spoke about Aurora in the presidential debate in September, saying he would visit here and claiming, in reference to what he described as criminal migrant gangs, “You look at Aurora in Colorado. They are taking over the towns. They’re taking over the buildings.”

Friday at the Gaylord, he took the stage flanked by mug shot photos from Aurora police titled “Occupied America” by the campaign, and signs that read “Deport Illegals Now” and “End Migrant Crime.”

Trump said we live in an “occupied country and an occupied state, and will rescue Aurora and every other town that has been conquered.”

The former president Trump, who says he “wants to win this state so badly,” and he has been “waiting for this day…We’re here finally in Aurora to call the attention of the world.”  Trump again claimed Aurora apartment complexes have been taken over by gangs, a claim that has been dismissed by Aurora Police and other local leaders.

Front Porch requested media credentials to the Trump rally. Our request was denied. Quotes from the rally were taken by watching a live feed of the event.

Democratic leaders at the earlier news conference at Cheluna called Trump’s previous statements about Aurora lies. Among them was U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet, who said, “Donald Trump has invited himself to Aurora to do what Donald Trump does best, which is to demonize immigrants, to lie, and to serve his own political purposes, and we can’t let him divide us anymore.”

U.S. Rep. Jason Crow, a nearby resident, represents Aurora and spends a lot of time in the community. He said Trump’s misinformation about the city is not victimless. Immigrants have told him about their fear and an increase in anti-immigrant, anti-refugee rhetoric, bias, and racism. “Several of them have been trying, have been trying to get new homes and rent new apartments, and they haven’t been able to because people won’t rent to them anymore. These words, these lies, have real consequences.”

Crow says he will stand up and defend people, because “we know in Aurora that our vibrancy, our strength, our culture, so much of who we are, our businesses, our schools, our neighbors, are drawn from that beautiful heritage of immigration that we set the standard in this nation for welcoming people who are coming here to start a new life, to become a part of the American story.”

U.S. Rep. Diana DeGette’s district begins across the street from Stanley Marketplace in Denver. She called Aurora a “vibrant, diverse city, and unfortunately, like many other cities, they have experienced gang violence. But in Aurora, like Colorado and the rest of our country, violent crime has gone down in the last year.”

The news conference at Cheluna Brewing was organized by the campaign of Vice President Kamala Harris and Gov. Tim Walz. The brewery owners, Javi and Jennifer Perez, were approached by the campaign to host the Friday event.

Jennifer said that as a longtime educator, she feels like civic engagement is making a comeback and likes being part of that, “having conversations and hosting gatherings where we can be a small part of important conversations. And I feel like this is a really important time, and I’m hopeful that we have more voter engagement.”

Aurora business owners who have also stood up for the city—including Caroline Glover, owner of Annette and Traveling Mercies, also at Stanley Marketplace—have faced pushback. Annette was the target of an apparent “review bombing” where people left one-star reviews and negative comments about the restaurant.

In her Facebook post, Glover said, “The current national rhetoric around foreign gangs taking over Aurora is disheartening and flat-out wrong. Aurora is a wonderfully diverse place with amazing food and culture to match. Our neighborhood is a place that has proudly welcomes refugees from all over the world for years.”

Customers and neighbors have come to the support of Annette and other Aurora businesses.