This is not the biology lesson parents want for their children.
Some angry Queens residents are demanding the city padlock an alleged brothel operating brazenly across the street from the family-friendly New York Science Museum.
The spot, which operates out of Corona's family home on 111th Street, was promoted on TikTok a year ago as a “lover's market” where prostitutes roam and illegal traders sell their wares on the street. It's located a few blocks away from the infamous drug store.
“Customers sometimes urinate and threaten locals,” said Carlos Zapata, 63, who lives a few blocks away.
“That is why many residents did not come today, fearing reprisals,” he added at a press conference, calling for attention to this alleged dastardly act.
“They even leave condoms here on the street. I have grandchildren. What happens when they come to visit? I have to pick up plastic bottles and tequila bottles every day.”
NYPD and state police are cracking down on illegal activity at the nearby Market of Sweethearts along Roosevelt Avenue, following a push by local residents and a report from the Post, but the secluded area This brothel is thriving and the neighbors are fed up with it.
“We have no room for this kind of stupidity. Enough is enough,” said Corona native Jonathan Carson.
“You see men of all races and types coming in and out day and night. There's no other building where people come in and out like this.”
Carson said Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz should “stop viewing sex workers as victims and prosecute them as criminals,” adding that sex trafficking is a federal crime.
Maria Giraldo, 48, who lives around the corner from the brothel, said the brothel is just a few blocks from PS 28 and PS 14.
“Please shut this place down,” Giraldo said.
“Children and mothers are walking here to drop off their children, and they're seeing people coming in and out of this house…This is insane.”
Democratic district leader Hiram Monserrate, a former city councilman and state senator, said authorities have failed to address the sex trafficking problem despite increased enforcement.
“Everyone has let us down. The NYPD, the state, the governor, all our elected officials have let us down,” Monserrate told reporters.
“We're here to demand that you don't fail us anymore. Take advantage of this community. We need that.”
He estimates that at least 10 women have left the brothel over the past year, and Johns said more women show up between 10pm and 2pm.
“We appreciate the additional police resources, but clearly we're here to send a message to both the state police and the city police to step up,” Monserrate said.
“When we started two months ago, three months ago, we said we live in an urban crime zone with unprecedented illegality. Even with 200 more officers, we are still fighting this crime.”
He questioned why there were so few padlock orders to close brothels under the city's nuisance abatement scheme, which covers building code violations, including prostitution.
“Just enforcing the law will go a long way. We're here with a clear and simple message: Shut it down,” Monserrate said.
NYPD Deputy Commissioner Carlos Nieves said the department is “in the middle of a 90-day operation to address a number of concerns” in the Roosevelt area.
“When the NYPD began this 90-day enforcement operation based on community complaints along Roosevelt Avenue, some people criticized the NYPD's actions and called them harmful when it came to certain groups. , to that effect,” Nieves said.
“We are also aware of the community's concerns and are taking a balanced approach to addressing those concerns. If members of the community have further information to the NYPD, please contact your local precinct or Crimestoppers. We welcome anonymous submissions through our hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS.”
Mayor Eric Adams' office and Queens Attorney Katz's office did not respond to requests for comment.
