First appearance on Fox: Squad member Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s neighborhood is a thriving American neighborhood, with desperate immigrants blocking sidewalks selling food and clothing and prostitutes openly soliciting sex from passersby. In contrast, it is said to resemble third world countries. Including teenagers.
As video obtained by Fox News Digital shows, the neighborhoods of Corona, Jackson Heights and Elmhurst – once vibrant communities in northwestern Queens – are now filled with garbage on street corners, creating unpleasant and unsanitary conditions. It has turned into a large-scale flea market. .
Meanwhile, the area’s main thoroughfare along Roosevelt Avenue has become notorious for prostitution, with locals calling the area a “lover’s market,” and videos on the internet show the services of sex workers there. He advises future marriage seekers on how to take advantage of this.
A group of sex workers lined up on the streets of Queens, represented by Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. (Fox News Digital)
New York City police begin door-knocking on illegal prostitutes in Queens
Exclusive photos from Fox News Digital show sex workers standing in storefronts on Wednesday soliciting men. Residents said prostitutes typically take customers to makeshift brothels for sex. These alleged sex workers are open all day and often hang out in front of local supermarkets, even as families walk by with children in strollers. Prostitution is against the law in New York.
In a video obtained by Fox News Digital, one local resident, Ramses Frias, takes a short walk along two streets in his neighborhood to shed light on the situation in the area.
The video shows an almost endless line of vendors with piles of clothes along the road, while others sell things like sneakers, pots and pans, toys and photo frames.
The end of the clip shows three people sitting in the trunk of a car. The trio have invaded pedestrian crossings and set up their stalls, with used boxes blocking the path of pedestrians crossing the road. Only licensed vendors may sell food and merchandise in public spaces in New York.
“Like most like-minded residents, we consider this a Third World market,” Frias, 43, told Fox News Digital. “Basically, you just see clothes being thrown on the floor…Items are being stolen from donation bins, stolen from stores, or just setting up shop outside of brick-and-mortar stores. They take trade away from people and don’t pay their taxes. ”
“There are no consequences. You can pass for free,” Frias said. Streets are filled with illegal street vendors, and crime is steadily increasing in the neighborhood, he said.
People block roads in Queens in September. (Ramses Frias)
New York man accused of raping 10-year-old girl he met online at home: police
The video was shot on the edge of Ocasio-Cortez’s 14th Congressional District. The area is primarily represented by progressive politicians, including Congresswoman Grace Meng, Congresswoman Catalina Cruz, Steve Raga, Jessica González-Rojas, and City Councilmember Shekhar Krishnan. Fox News Digital contacted Ocasio-Cortez’s office but did not receive a response for publication.
The neighborhood is often touted as the most diverse neighborhood in Queens and has long been a melting pot of immigrants, although some of the immigrants who live there are reportedly in the United States illegally. They have no choice but to work, as they do not have permission to work. Residents say they take to the streets to earn a living.
Meanwhile, Frias said prostitutes openly flaunt their bodies on the streets all day long.
Report of sex workers on the streets of Corona, Queens, March 13, 2024. (Fox News Digital)
“They do whatever they want. They’re open about it and they’re not picky about it,” Frias says. “They’re lined up along 90th Street in front of pizzerias and 99-cent stores, just trying to get the men out. You see multiple women in scantily clad clothing. It’s cold right now, so They have a little bit of cover, but it’s going to get worse in the summer.”
In January, the New York City Police Department raided six suspected prostitution establishments and ordered them closed. The attack was widely publicized and attended by New York Mayor Eric Adams.
“Inside these legitimate businesses, there are single beds. It’s clear what’s going on there, and this is really degrading the quality of life in this community. This is a victimless crime. “People who say, ‘You really have to understand that inhumane conditions exist,'” Adams said at the time. “Sex trafficking is real…and we’re not going to sit by and pretend it’s not happening.”
At the time, Adams was joined by City Councilman Francisco Moya, who has been a vocal opponent of prostitution and illegal vendors in his neighborhood, often at odds with his fellow Democrats.
NYPD officers raided a brothel in Queens on Thursday, January 25, 2024, the first of several to become targets of sex trafficking. (Peter Garber)
New York State also looks to decriminalize prostitution after Maine takes similar action
Guardian Angels founder Curtis Sliwa said the city was not being aggressive enough to tackle the prostitution issue, as police said no arrests had been made in connection with the raids.
“When the NYPD finally padlocked some of the prostitution houses, the prostitutes, Jones, and the madams were not arrested,” said Sliwa, who was approached by residents last year about his involvement in the situation. Told. …They did not impose fines on landlords who rented brothels. Many of the businesses whose spaces are now openly used by prostitutes are once again open 24/7. ”
“The police will not arrest the Johns, and the district attorney will not prosecute the Johns,” Sliwa added. “The area is now often promoted as a red-light district for immigrants. The girls are mostly Asian, and the Johns are mostly Hispanic, with some immigrants.
Ramses Frias (left), who is running for New York State Assembly, and Guardian Angels founder Curtis Sliwa. (Mr. Ramses Frias, left, Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images, right)
Nevertheless, Frias, a former Democrat, is furious about the situation and is running as a Republican for the House District 39 seat to take back the streets.
The seat is currently held by Cruz, who told Fox News Digital that a group of elected officials separate from Moya will work on “safe solutions to quality of life concerns.” He said he is meeting with city and state officials to do so. Cruz has previously called for more permits for street vendors and is a supporter of legislation to decriminalize prostitution. Ocasio-Cortez herself has called on the city to issue more vendor permits.
“Our goal is, and always has been, to establish solutions that ensure the economic and physical well-being of our communities,” Cruz said, adding that the January raid She added that it was a “city-controlled matter” and that police and the mayor’s office had not provided any information about it.
An alleged sex worker stands on the street in the Corona neighborhood of Queens on March 13, 2024. (Fox News Digital)
Click to get the FOX News app
But Frias says it’s time for Republicans to address the issue by bringing fundamental changes to the neighborhood. He is supported by Sliwa.
“I’ve lived here all my life and I’ve seen it change from good to bad to worse, but we’re at the worst peak right now and I don’t want it to go beyond that.” Frias says. added that he is very pro-immigration.
His father is from the Dominican Republic, and his mother immigrated from Haiti, where she worked as a lawyer for many years helping her neighbors obtain citizenship.
“I love the hustle and bustle of immigrants in this neighborhood, but people can’t do what they want, and this area has effectively become an open flea market,” Frias said. says. “Literally no matter which direction you step in, you end up in a different country. Different types of food, different cultures. You learn to accept everyone’s ideals of things. At the end of the day, everyone is safe. I’m just looking for a place to live. “
An alleged sex worker speaks to a man outside what appears to be a brothel in the Corona Plaza neighborhood of Queens, New York, on March 13, 2024. (Fox News Digital)
