Illegal street vendors and prostitutes are rampant on the streets of Roosevelt Avenue in Queens
Democrat politician chased away in AOCs district after backing police crackdown on open-air prostitution
Former New York state Senator Hiram Monserrate was chased out of a public square in New York City Tuesday after he backed a recent police crackdown on illegal sex work plaguing the area.
More police in crime-ridden neighborhood in Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s district actually makes the area "less safe," according to a prominent socialist group in Queens.
The Queens chapter of the New York City Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), made the claims while blasting a major police crackdown on crime in the borough which was launched to tackle out of control prostitution and illegal street vending.
The socialist group released a scathing statement Wednesday panning what it calls the "militarized violence" against migrant workers on Roosevelt Avenue, a two-mile commercial strip which has become a hotbed for open-air prostitution and illegal vendors who clog the streets selling food and other merchandise without permits.
The statement was released 24 hours after a Democrat politician was accosted in the area by demonstrators after he publicly supported the police operation which has seen more than 200 police officers – including state troopers – descend on Roosevelt Avenue.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., has previously been endorsed by the New York City Democratic Socialists of America (DSA). Ocasio-Cortez is pictured gesturing before speaking at the Democratic National Convention (DNC) in Chicago, Illinois on Aug. 19, 2024. (REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque)
"Queens DSA condemns Governor Hochul and Mayor Adams' violent tactics to surveil, destroy and steal the livelihoods of immigrant workers along Roosevelt Avenue, Queens," the statement reads. "With rollbacks to New York City's right to shelter and continued scapegoating of immigrants to justify Mayor Adams austerity politics, this escalation of militarized violence against immigrant workers must end."
The group claims that more police boots on the ground makes the community "less safe" and claims the NYPD has "stolen from street vendors, harassed community members" and "destroyed their livelihoods" by shutting them down.
The chapter did not specifically say it opposes police clamping down on prostitution in the area, which has become so rampant it’s widely known as a "Red Light" district, garnering the nickname, the "Avenue of the Sweethearts." Over the last week, the NYPD has raided several brothels in the area.
Fox News Digital reached out to the DSA for comment on its position on prostitution in the area but did not immediately receive a response for publication.
The Roosevelt Avenue strip is represented by "Squad" member Ocasio-Cortez, who the New York City chapter of the DSA endorsed over the summer for re-election, and fellow Democrat Rep. Grace Meng. Ocasio-Cortez, and the DSA, have called for the police to be defunded several times following the death of George Floyd in 2020.
A street vendor in Queens on Tuesday, Oct. 22, 2024. (Michael Dorgan/Fox News Digital)
Illegal vendors often overrun sidewalks on Roosevelt cooking hot food out in the open devoid of any health certifications or inspections. The vendors, nearly all of whom are migrants, say they have no choice but to sell items on the street to survive, given they lack work permits or proficiency in English to secure legitimate work.
The DSA chapter in Queens maintains they should be left to operate there.
"Queens workers deserve investment, not policing. We need fully funded schools, affordable housing, libraries open seven days a week, resources for English-limited speakers, and reliable transit," the statement continues. "Increased policing makes our streets and communities less safe. We stand in solidarity with workers and demand their livelihoods be returned and reimbursed."
"Mayor Adams and Governor Hochul must withdraw New York State troopers and NYPD Officers along Roosevelt Avenue, end militarized violence, and invest in our communities."
Last week, New York City Mayor Eric Adams launched "Operation Restore Roosevelt," which aims to crack down on miscreant behavior over the next 90 days by deploying more than 200 extra police officers to the area, including state troopers.
WATCH: New York City street lined with prostitutes soliciting sex:
The statement came the day after Hiram Monserrate, a former New York state Senator who is running for state Assembly, was chased out of a public square in the neighborhood while speaking to the press praising the operation. Monserrate was set upon by protesters who had been holding a rally opposing the police crackdown.
"Roosevelt Avenue has been under a crime wave, it's an urban crime zone. And these police officers that we got from the city and the state troopers are incredibly necessary to just get a handle on the crime in this community, which has been unprecedented," Monserrate told Fox News Digital following the fiery
"We have more brothels than bodegas. We have brothels in front of schools, next to churches, 24-hour sex workers walking the streets freely at all hours of the day while parents are taking their kids to school. It's unacceptable," Monserrate told Fox News Digital.
Used clothes and other used items for sale along a clogged sidewalk in Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's district in Queens. (Michael Dorgan/Fox News Digital)
Michael Dorgan is a writer for Fox News Digital and Fox Business.
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