Nonprofits caught in the crossfire of a public spat between Aurora Mayor Mike Coffman and Denver Mayor Mike Johnston stress that neither of their organizations forced migrants to move to Aurora, and are not responsible for the city’s gang controversy that the two mayors have been trading blame over.
Papagayo and ViVe Wellness have been the principal nonprofits tasked with helping Denver respond to the influx of nearly 43,000 migrants, mostly from Venezuela, who have arrived in the city over the past two-plus years. However, Yoli Casas, the founder and executive director of ViVe Wellness, and Marielena Suarez, the CEO of Papagayo, both say they’re tired of being reeled into Aurora’s Venezuelan gang controversy.
“It’s kind of getting annoying,” Suarez says. “What has been happening is a lack of information. There are accusations that we’re sending people [to Aurora], but let’s clear this up because it’s getting old.”…