Investigating a Claim
What I am choosing to look into is the claim that Venezuelan gangs are taking over apartments in Aurora, Colorado that has been widely shared on social media as well as through the news media.
The reason why this claim should be looked into is because of the viral nature of the story across social media that has spurred investigations by police and curious citizens as well as public figures like former President Trump asserting it to be true.
For this investigation the SIFT method of verification will be used to show how someone can conduct thorough research on a claim that he is unsure about.
Stop
We’ve just read the Colorado Politics article that touches on former President Trump’s claims that gangs are taking over the city of Aurora, Colorado and that other cities are having the same problems but are afraid to publicize it. In this moment, the best thing to do is to be still and not immediately act. I probably should not leave a favorable or blistering comment on the article or immediately go post the article on my X account with my opinion only influenced by this one article. It probably would be best for me to take a break and get some fresh air, honestly.
Investigate the Source
I’m not very familiar with Colorado Politics, so I will do a little research into this publication’s credentials. Wikipedia directs me to the page The Colorado Statesman as that was the previous name of the publication until 2017( Hutchins, 2017). From an archive of The Statesman, I can see that it has been in publication since 1898 and touts that it provides news for all political leadings. That reminds me that the original article I read provided perspectives from both the Republican and Democratic representatives in Colorado. I also took a look through the citations provided on the Wikipedia page and found that most just talked about the history behind the page and its various name changes over the years, but also how it may have been previously owned by a Republican who was supportive of former President Trump. This is all good information to know.
Find Better Coverage
In order to find more discussion on the topic, I am going to use the Google Fact Check tool. I input the words ‘gangs colorado‘ into the search tab and the results that come up are articles by USA Today and Politico debunking claims that the Hells Angels were riding to Colorado to show force against the alleged gangs and that a shelter-in-place order was initiated as well.
From the Fox News article on the story ( linked first on this blog post) I am going to take a screenshot of the photo showing armed men in front of a residential door and run it through the TinEye image search to see if any respected news sources are running the same photo. The majority of the search engine results include Fox News and the first two results that do not state “Fox News” in the name link to unrelated stories.
A New York Post article shows up around page 4 of the search results that reports that a landlord had to sell an apartment complex because of gang activity that has been in effect since 2023. Additionally, it is stated that the problem was elevated to the police and other officials in June 2024, with the viral video starting to circulate in August.
On X, I decide to look up the Aurora Police Department’s account. What catches my eye is a post the account shared September 11 showing pictures and detailing police contacts with over 10 Tren de Aragua gang members over the past year. This seems to call into question some of the earlier statements about there not being any gang activity around various apartments in the area.
Trace Claims
While I have had a chance to get a little background information through the previous step, I also want to see who originally made the claim. The video in the residential area was taken by Edward Romero’s security camera. Fox 31 KDVR News made contact with Edward and Cindy Romero and were able to get statements from them on the situation as well as were shown the bullet holes in their vehicles and other verifiable evidence of rampant criminal activity. That account gives quite a bit of credibility to the claim.
Conclusion
The research around this story turned out to provide me with quite a few insights. I was initially doubtful if the story was even true, just because quite a few reputable media sources and government officials alike were reporting that it was false. But throughout this research process, several eyewitness testimonies and even credible police reports were shown that seem to tell a different story. While the initial claims may have been exaggerated, there may be some truth to some of it after all, and further research would need to be done.
What this process has shown me and should teach others is that we often are too quick to create or denounce a claim without proper evidence. If anything, just simple checks on the sources reporting the stories and finding where the initial claim ( video, picture etc.) originated from could help curb a lot of misinformation that is circulated across the web.
