Politics

Ignore Trump’s tale of a gang taking over this apartment building and hear the residents

Published

2 years ago

November 12, 2024

Ignore Trump’s tale of a gang taking over this apartment building and hear the residents

We might expect former President Donald Trump, in Tuesday night’s debate with Vice President Kamala Harris, to claim that Tren de Aragua, a gang based in Venezuela, has taken over an apartment complex in Aurora, Colorado. That’s not true, as firsthand accounts from residents of the apartment complex, the Aurora Police and an editorial in The Denver Post attest.

But the truth doesn’t matter to Trump.

Trump and the Republican Party are determined to scare us all, and they intend to do all they can do to conjure up images of marauding brown invaders who are here to destroy the United States.

“If you look at Aurora, Colorado, they’re taking over the place; they took over buildings,” he said last Friday. “This is just the beginning.”

“Getting them out will be a bloody story,” he said this weekend at a rally in Wisconsin. “They should never have been allowed to come into our country. Nobody checked them.”

Trump and the Republican Party are determined to scare us all, and they intend to do all they can do to conjure up images of marauding brown invaders who are here to destroy the United States.

The idea that members of Tren de Aragua, TdA, are taking over an apartment complex in Aurora originated with a video posted by a Denver news station that went viral. The images of gun-toting Venezuelans was confirmed by Aurora Police. Nobody is disputing the fear that residents are facing from the violence they are seeing. However, interim Aurora Police Chief Heather Morris visited the complex and saidcontrary to reports and even a statement from Aurora’s mayor, that members of the gang had not taken over and weren’t forcing residents there to pay rent to them.

After residents of the building held a news conference to dispute the claims of a gang takeover, Republican Mayor Mike Coffman, a former congressman, acknowledged that he was “not sure where the truth is in all of this” and he said that reports that Aurora is unsafe are not true.

But despite that fuller context, the video suggesting a TdA takeover was picked up by Trump-friendly outletsand Republicans amplified it.

“Kamala Harris has managed to import the worst of Latin American gangs right in Colorado,” Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Col., said on X. “And we’re not even a border state. This is pure insanity. I was raised in Aurora. This is something that we never had before. How are children supposed to grow up with this mess around them?”

“Colorado is under violent attack,” the Colorado Republican Party said in a fundraising email about the news, noting that “Tren de Aragua, or TdA, a transnational gang based out of Venezuela, is terrorizing Aurora residents.”

“The gang, which boasts about 5,000 members, has a motto of ‘real until death.’’ Law enforcement is largely allowing TdA terrorists to do whatever they want,” the email added.

Republicans want us to believe that Venezuelans are taking over. Republicans want us to believe that the United States isn’t safe. That is the narrative Trump wants. It is the narrative his supporters want to hear, and the right-wing media distribution network has helped make that narrative go mainstream.

But here’s what The Denver Post argued in a Sept 3. editorial: “The Denver Post and other mainstream news outlets have covered the emergence of this gang in America, but also have maintained perspective on the size, threat and activities of the gang, unlike some who are using incidents in Aurora and Denver to fuel fear of other Venezuelans and asylum seekers.”

The owners of an apartment beset with crime in Aurora are using the gang as a scapegoat for the unsanitary, unsafe and unhealthy conditions of their apartments that were condemned by the city this month

editorial in the denver post

The editorial continues: “Others, like the owners of an apartment beset with crime in Aurora, are using the gang as a scapegoat for the unsanitary, unsafe and unhealthy conditions of their apartments that were condemned by the city this month.”

It’s all coordinated. Whipping up fear about a Venezuelan gang taking over is a campaign strategy, and the Aurora example is not just an isolated incident. Days after the Venezuelan gang video got millions of views, there was a similar misrepresentation, from Libs of TikTok, that TdA had taken over a building in Chicago. That lie caught Elon Musk’s attention, who responded on X with two exclamation points. Though there have been reports that members of the gang are in Chicago, police say there was no attempted takeover of a building and that police responded to a “call of service” at the building that was logged as a noise disturbance with “no police service necessary.”

With less than two months before the presidential election, such narratives must be confronted. As much as Republicans want you to believe the opposite, rampant migrant crime is a myth. Homicides and violent crime in the U.S. continue to decrease.

Still, no matter how many facts are presented to counter Republican hysteria, the online push has already convinced people to accept falsehoods as truth. Stories get picked up. Then we have to prove why a falsehood is a falsehood.

Oscar Rojas, a Venezuelan tenant in the Aurora apartment complex in question, told local Denver7 last week that he “was scared to go out” because “they’re accusing all of us at the complex of being in gangs, and this is completely false.”

“It’s completely false. There are good people here, families. There’s always going to be crime everywhere,” Rojas said.

“There weren’t 32 armed people here last night. That’s a lie. Look, there’s no one outside,” a resident from Venezuela told the Chicago Tribune about the building in question there. “We all know each other. No one is hurting anyone.”

No matter how many facts are presented to counter Republican hysteria, the online push has already convinced people to accept falsehoods as truth.

Who are you going to believe? A right-wing media machine known to share misinformation to prop a Republican presidential candidate who continues to say that immigrants have “poisoned” the countryor actual brown and Black people who live in the places that are allegedly being “overrun?”

The right-wing media machine knows that fear of a changing country is an outrage winner. That machine will keep manufacturing and amplifying it in hopes of electing Trump.

If Trump repeats the lie about Aurora or Chicago tonight, then Harris needs to be ready to counter with the facts and demonstrate that we can never let such lies become accepted truths.

Julio Ricardo Varela

Julio Ricardo Varela is an award-winning journalist and the founder of The Latino Newsletter.

Politics

Inside FIFA’s plans to commemorate Juneteenth

Published

23 minutes ago

June 19, 2026

Blue Light Newsroom

FIFA rang in Juneteenth, the country’s newest federal holiday, with a video that played in Seattle ahead of the U.S. team’s pivotal showdown with Australia.

It stars Seattle Supersonics legend and NBA Hall of Famer Gary Payton and features iconic Seattle locations.

“Some remember, some reflect, while many others celebrate,” Payton says in the video, which highlights landmarks including the Northwest African American Museum and Pike Place Market. “This day means freedom, black liberation, joy, jubilation and celebration. And today, we are definitely celebrating.”

Leonardo Santiago, head of media relations for FIFA26 Inc., said the organization plans to commemorate the holiday marking the end of slavery at each World Cup match taking place on Friday. Separate videos personalized to Foxborough, Massachusetts, which hosts Scotland and Morocco, and Philadelphia, where Brazil and Haiti will face off, and Santa Clara, California, are also dropping to mark the holiday.

“FIFA worked with each Host City to ensure the video is personalized for each stadium, featuring imagery specific to that city while recognizing the nationwide holiday and its importance,” Santiago said. “As the video plays, the stadium will also have complementary graphics on the ribbon boards as well.”

Politics

Where Massachusetts wants to take its Scottish love affair next

Published

53 minutes ago

June 19, 2026

Blue Light Newsroom

FOXBOROUGH, Massachusetts — Boston is bouncing and the Massachusetts governor wants to thank thousands of kilted Scottish soccer fans who have taken over the city between Scotland’s first match against Haiti last weekend and its second, against Morocco, today.

The tournament’s shock love affair is sparking delight in Gov. Maura Healey’s office as the supporters plow cash into the local economy, star in feel-good viral videos and drink copious quantities of Sam Adams Boston Lager.

Earlier this week, the governor — who’s seeking what stands to be an easy reelection this year — spoke with Blue Light News about which of Massachusetts’ World Cup wins can be made permanent, including extended hours for bars and service along mass-transit networks.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Were you expecting this?

Oh, yeah, what do they say? No Scotland, no party? [Author’s note: This is, indeed, what they say.] I would say the Tartan Army’s reputation precedes them in the best of ways. So we knew that they would bring a ton of energy and joy and the noise. The bagpipes, the partying in our restaurants and bars, it’s just been great, and to think — it’s very warm here, of course — half of them are doing it in kilts. It’s really amazing to see.

What has stood out to you?

In just a matter of days, the Tartan Army has become part of the Massachusetts family. We have seen them become regulars at our local restaurants and our pubs. We’ve seen them take over Fenway Park. 5,000 fans marching with bagpipes into the games. We loved the viral videos of them trying hot dogs […] inside Fenway. The videos of them taking over the cruise ships in Boston Harbor. We even had a Boston police officer kicking a soccer ball with them at the fanfest. So it’s just been really wonderful for us in Massachusetts, and we’re thrilled to have them here.

Do you have plans to capitalize on this beyond the World Cup?

Given that Scotland-Haiti was our first match, we were really thrilled. Massachusetts has a huge Haitian population. And then, of course, a lot of people in Massachusetts have ties with Scotland because many, many families here have ancestors who came from Scotland. And I have to say, I think Scotland just set the tone from the day the fans got into town. There was concern leading up to the World Cup, you know, how’s this all gonna work? And the media was covering a lot about security and transportation, and all these things about what could go wrong. And as soon as the Scottish fans arrived, they just laid the whole vibe for the World Cup. It’s gonna be about joy, energy, fun and bringing people together from all around the world. And I really credit them with establishing the vibe for our World Cup experience right at the outset.

Have the ticket prices charged by FIFA had an impact on that?

Well, one thing that I was really determined to do was to make sure that we were able to secure tickets for young people here in Massachusetts, which we did. 1,100 tickets that we distributed through Boys and Girls Clubs, so the kids who otherwise wouldn’t have a chance to see the game, were able to see the game — and for free. We’ve tried as a state to help out where we can, making $10 million available to communities around Massachusetts to host watch parties, because we know not everybody can afford to go to the game.

And as the governor of a blue state, how were your interactions with the Trump administration on planning for the tournament?

Well, when it comes to public safety that is something that it’s so imperative that local, state and federal authorities work together on. We did around transportation funding, security funding, that’s the way it should be. There should be that kind of work and coordination.

At the local level, would you support either a pilot program or a permanent extension of later last call and public drinking districts after the end of July? And would you encourage the legislature to start working on a bill about this?

We wanted to do that to create a welcoming environment, and I know that extension is helping our restaurants and bars and helping local businesses, and helping fans enjoy this experience. I’m certainly open to making some things more permanent, and I think this gives us a great opportunity to pilot it right now and see how it goes.

Do you see it as a runway for allowing happy-hour discounts, which have been banned in Massachusetts for decades, to become legal again? Because you’ve previously expressed problems with the concept.

I expressed support for happy hour the other day. We’ll see, we’ll have more conversations with the legislature.

And in terms of the transport would you consider keeping extended service hours on the MBTA?

I’ve always been for extended service hours. For us, it’s just a matter of budgeting and the labor costs associated with that. Also, you need a little bit of downtime so that trains can get repaired and maintained. We extended hours well before the World Cup on weekends, and it’s certainly something that I’d like to see us do across the system. But again, it’s just a matter of what we can do in terms of budget. But so far, transportation has been working really well. Trains have been made available, and selling out, and people have really enjoyed that experience; it’s been super easy, you know, getting to and from the match.

I think some Scotland fans would maybe dispute that it was easy getting back from the [Haiti] match, but I guess it’s all relative when the stadium is far away from the city.

I know. You can only run so many trains at once. But, hey, they won, so …

I understand it’s a challenge to keep young people in state. Are these measures you approved for a summer of intense tourism part of a longer-term solution?

I think that they’re really important to making sure that people know that we’ve got a great culture here and a great vibe for young people. That’s why I’m building homes […] so we can look at housing costs. Massachusetts is a place where people come to study from all around the world, and it’s a place that’s filled with young people, filled with opportunity. We’ve got an innovative economy, and doing so much in life sciences and robotics and AI, and cutting-edge industries. And it’s a very safe state and safe city. We’ve got the best schools in the country, best health care in the country. We got a lot going for us. And we’ve got great sports teams, too. So it’s a great vibe for young people, and we’re working always to try to make sure the message is out there around the globe. This is a great place to come and study, and start a business or raise a family.

Lisa Kashinsky contributed to this report.

Politics

Kennedy and Wright cheer on US

Published

1 hour ago

June 19, 2026

Blue Light Newsroom

The U.S. delegation in Seattle includes HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Energy Secretary Chris Wright, according to a FIFA official, along with White House FIFA World Cup Task Force czar Andrew Giuliani. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy were among those who attended the U.S.’ first match, against Paraguay.