Civic leaders are calling on Gov. Cathy Hochul to help clean up the “urban crime zone” of Roosevelt Avenue, a degrading section of Queens that is rife with brothels, illegal businesses and crime. They are calling for 100 state police to be sent in.
“This is an urban crime zone and as a result there are more brothels than brothels,” leaders of the group Improve Roosevelt Street said in a letter to Hochul on Tuesday.
Group leaders say the NYPD's 100th and 115th precincts are “overcrowded and understaffed,” and that the area is vulnerable to organized crime, including drug cartels, human traffickers, pimps, prostitutes, and shoplifting rings. He said it was occupied.
The letter was signed by group president Ramon Ramirez Baez and Democratic district leader and former state senator and city councilman Hiram Monserrate.
The paper published a series of articles exposing brothel explosions and shoplifting along Roosevelt Avenue, a thoroughfare that runs through Jackson Heights, Corona, Elmhurst, and Woodside. A brothel was also discovered opposite two public schools.
Local leaders also complained about the proliferation of unlicensed food vendors.
“Our streets are dirty and our community cannot wait any longer,” they wrote. “Our quality of life has been eviscerated. New York State needs to intervene.”
Hochul's office said the state police are working closely with the NYPD and will provide assistance if requested.
“As the Governor has often noted, the New York State Police is in constant communication with the New York City Police Department, and the Governor is committed to all public safety efforts, from gun violence prevention to retail theft. Coordination between local, state and federal law enforcement agencies is at the heart of “subway safety,'' said Maggie Halley, a Hochul spokeswoman.
“The Governor's team has been in contact with the NYPD to provide necessary assistance.”
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