The courtyard at 1568 Nome St., Aurora. Photo courtesy of the East Colfax Community Collective

Chalk messages from residents lined the streets in front of a northwest Aurora apartment complex that has become the center of attention. Aurora Police blocked off nearby streets while neighbors snapped photos.

The residents of the Fitzsimons Place apartments were ordered to be out of their homes by 7am on August 13. The building at 1568 Nome St. was closed by the city due to poor living conditions.

Front Porch was at the building at 9am and some residents were still in the streets. Aurora Police had a mobile command center set up and roads were blocked throughout the area. Traffic was being directed away from the building.

The city said all 98 units were vacated by 11am. The water and power at the property have also been turned off.

The City of Aurora says the property on Nome St. is not up to code for safe living conditions. Photos courtesy of the City of Aurora

By noon, some residents were still outside, standing under canopies during the hottest part of the day. Some sat in their cars. Nearby, they could watch utility trucks that had arrived along with a dumpster being filled with trash and debris from inside the complex with a backhoe. Contractors also boarded up and fenced off the property.

Many of the displaced families are migrants from Venezuela and they have small children. The East Colfax Community Collective said there are more than 66 children who were living at the complex who are students in Aurora and Denver Public Schools.

One resident, Carolina, told Chalkbeat her 8-year-old daughter had been excited about the start of school.

“School is an escape where she can forget about her problems here,” Carolina said. “But she’s scared. She keeps asking where we’re going to go.”

On August 12, some of the families held a news conference at the Aurora Municipal Building asking for more time to vacate the property, but Mayor Mike Coffman told 9NEWS that the city has been working with the owners for years and the building has not been maintained. He said the municipal code dictated the deadline for vacating the building.

The out-of-state building owners, CBZ management, said in a news release the problems on Nome Street have been caused by a Venezuelan gang that took over the complex and “several communities in the Denver area.”

So, while the finger pointing of blame for the poor conditions continues, the chalk messages will be washed away and dozens of families are looking for new places to call home.

The City of Aurora offered help in the form of hotel vouchers to cover stays until the end of the month, and the city will pay security deposits for new housing once that housing is secured.

The city has so far placed residents into 60 hotel rooms and is working with partners to secure additional hotel rooms for eligible individuals in need.