Latest news with #RestoreRooseveltAvenueCoalition
New York Post
9 hours ago
- Politics
- New York Post
FBI urged to probe NYC's seedy 'Market of Sweethearts'
Queens activists are demanding the FBI investigate the 'foreign national' crime syndicates turning seedy Roosevelt Avenue into a 'gangland' — claiming the criminals pose a national security threat. 'We request that you initiate an investigation into what we understand are gangs engaging in criminal enterprises including human trafficking, illegal narcotics sales and the mass distribution of fraudulent documents which poses a national security threat,' wrote Rosa Sanchez, head of the Restore Roosevelt Avenue Coalition, and Democratic district leader Hiram Monserrate in an Aug. 14 letter to FBI Director Kash Patel. Federal intervention is required because state and local laws are limited and inadequate to address the problem, the activists said. Advertisement 5 A suspected sex worker seen outside of a brothel on Roosevelt Avenue near 89th Street in Queens on Aug. 17, 2025. NY Post 5 Local activists are calling on the FBI to investigate 'foreign national' crime syndicates operating on Roosevelt Avenue. NY Post In their missive, Sanchez and Monserrate thanked the FBI and other agencies in the Trump administration for prosecuting members of migrant gangs — including the Venezuelan-based Tren de Aragua and the 18th Street gang, which regularly extort brothels, beat rivals and sell drugs and phony IDs to finance an illicit network based in El Salvador. Advertisement 'However, both gangs continue to operate in our community and we impress upon you that more needs to be done to keep our community safe,' they told the FBI director. They noted that the NYPD has made more than 500 prostitution-related arrests thus far this year along what is called 'The Market of Sweethearts,' but brothels continue to operate. 5 Suspected sex workers on the sidewalk in the 'Market of Sweethearts' on July 27, 2025. New York Post Many of them are controlled by Chinese gangs, Sanchez and Monserrate said. Advertisement 'According to our sources several locations are being operated and controlled by Chinese organized crime. … The information we have continued gathering is unsettling,' the Corona-Elmhurst neighborhood leaders said. Monserrate said the Triads are one of the Chinese groups involved in sex-trafficking. 5 Illegal street vendors seen on Roosevelt Avenue near 89th Street in Jackson Heights on Aug. 17, 2025. Gregory P. Mango 5 Vendors set up on the sidewalk in Jackson Heights near the 'Market of Sweethearts' on Aug. 17, 2025. Gregory P. Mango Advertisement The 18th Street Gang members are still selling fraudulent green cards, Social Security and driver's licenses on Roosevelt Avenue between 80th and 84th Streets, too, the letter writers said. 'Organized crime by both Latino and Chinese foreign nationals continues to wreak havoc in our community,' Sanchez and Monserrate said. 'We urge your agency to respond and rid our community of modern slavery and a dangerous criminal element that operates flagrantly.' They forwarded suspected addresses of brothels to the FBI. In the past year, The Post has exposed the seediness, crime, drug-peddling and illegal vending along the Roosevelt Avenue corridor. Gov. Kathy Hochul last year even dispatched state troopers to assist the NYPD to crack down the lawlessness.
New York Post
06-08-2025
- Politics
- New York Post
AOC blasted for ignoring crime-plagued strip in her district while pushing ‘X' gender option in newsletter
Residents of Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's congressional district slammed the lefty pol for ignoring a crime-plagued strip while sending a newsletter reminding locals they could list 'X' as their gender on passports. Shop owners and residents along the Roosevelt Avenue corridor in Queens — nicknamed 'The Market of Sweethearts' — have criticized the liberal darling for ignoring quality of life issues in the area she represents while chasing national attention. 'We are more focused on the bigger issues,' said Rosa Sanchez, head of the Restore Roosevelt Avenue Coalition. 4 Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is catching flak for ignoring quality of life concerns along portions of Roosevelt Avenue in her recent congressional newsletter, while letting people know they can list their sex as 'X.' Ron Sachs – CNP for NY Post 'We need our congresswoman's help to stop crime, drugs, gangs, sex trafficking. I would love for her to address these issues.' Her Corona neighborhood is 'open and diverse' and supports LGBT residents, Sanchez said — but AOC has to take more interest in the issues in her own district. 'Public safety is the big issue along Roosevelt Avenue. We need her help.' AOC's July newsletter advised Queens and Bronx constituents how to update their 'Passport's Gender Marker' if they don't identify as male or female. President Trump has issued an executive order saying Americans must list their biological sex of birth on government documents. But a federal judge issued a preliminary injunction blocking enforcement of the order, pending a final ruling 'Due to a U.S. District Court's decision last month, the State Department is honoring requests to update the gender marker on passport applications for the time being. To request this update, the State Department requires an attestation form along with your passport application,' AOC said. 4 Business owners and residents who reside in the area around Roosevelt Avenue in Queens, dubbed 'The Market of Sweethearts,' criticized AOC for ignoring the ongoing issues in the area while chasing national attention. For the New York Post She then provides links to the State Department website. 'If you are a class member, you are eligible to receive a passport with your sex marker of choice (M, F, or X),' the State Department said. State Conservative Party leader Gerard Kassar said AOC 'wants to be a national figure, not a local congressperson' and the focus on transgenderism is an 'example of ultra-liberalism.' The Post has highlighted the sleaze and lawlessness along Roosevelt in a series of stories over the past year. Locals and store owners there have begged for help as the area has been plagued by rampant prostitution and illegal street vendors — fueled in part by gangs who got a foothold in the area due to the city's migrant crisis. 4 The latest controversy from the liberal representative shows in her latest monthly newsletter on how Queens and Bronx constituents can update their 'Passport's Gender Marker' if they don't identify as male or female. Jen Golbeck/SOPA Images/Shutterstock Despite efforts of the NYPD and the city to clean up the troubled corridor, illegal vendors still have a foothold — sometimes peddling items stolen from local stores, locals said. In June, the feds charged a gang of illegal migrants with extorting brothels, beating up rivals and selling drugs and phony IDs along Roosevelt Avenue to finance an illicit network based in El Salvador. Though she didn't mention Roosevelt Avenue in the newsletter, AOC did plug some important local issues. Under the 'In Our Community' section of the newsletter, AOC noted that she and Rep. Tom Suozzi had hosted a press conference celebrating Vaughn College's admission into the Enhanced Air Traffic Collegiate Training Initiative, a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) program. The program will help address the demand for more air traffic controllers in the New York City area, one of the most important air traffic hubs in the world. 4 AOC's latest agenda shows that she 'wants to be a national figure, not a local congressperson,' according to state Conservative Party leader Gerard Kassar. Michael Nagle Her office also helped a constituent seeking Social Security Disability Insurance obtain $35,131 in backpay, the newsletter said. A spokesperson for AOC didn't address the criticisms over Roosevelt Avenue, but instead questioned if The Post would report on the distinction for Vaughn. 'I'm glad you caught the newsletter and saw the Congresswoman's announcement about helping Vaughn get admitted into an FAA program that will pump out more air traffic controllers and make flying safer for all Americans,' the spokesperson said. Last month, AOC defended her advocacy to improve the quality of life along Roosevelt Avenue in Corona-East Elmhurst, particularly citing a meeting the congresswoman attended with constituents about the proliferation of vendors in and around Corona Plaza.
Yahoo
08-04-2025
- Yahoo
‘It has become a gangland': Officials call for federal aid on Roosevelt Avenue
JACKSON HEIGHTS, Queens (PIX11) — Although illegal brothels and suspected drug sales have attracted significant law enforcement attention to Roosevelt Avenue, local officials and community groups are requesting additional support. On Tuesday, the Restore Roosevelt Avenue Coalition called on the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration to take action as a result of the 'ever-worsening situation.' More Local News The coalition alleges that the 18th Street 'Sureños', a gang affiliated with the Mexican mafia, has been providing drugs to members of El Tren de Aragua, who have been selling the drugs on the streets. The coalition also alleges that the gang might be the source of fraudulent green cards and social security cards, stolen goods, and guns. The letter to the FBI and the DEA reads in part: 'The NYPD's Operation Restore Roosevelt did lead to arrests, but our street sources say the gangs replaced their foot soldiers within days. This isn't just a Queens problem. It's a blueprint for how gangs, cartels, and traffickers can take over a community in plain sight, and those in the know see it as it really is, a well-oiled criminal machine using Roosevelt Avenue as its marketplace. Roosevelt Avenue doesn't just have a gang problem. It has become a gangland.' For years, the areas of Jackson Heights have also had an influx of human trafficking and prostitution concerns. Complaints about Roosevelt Avenue's brothels and outdoor solicitations have only increased, causing the NYPD to raid storefronts allegedly being used as brothels. More: Latest News from Around the Tri-State More recently, former Councilman Hiram Monserrate and the Restore Roosevelt Avenue coalition highlighted a bar that allegedly operates a brothel in its basement. 'Why are street walkers still on 82nd Street and Roosevelt Avenue in Jackson Heights? Why is the Bodega Brothel still operating on 99th Street and Roosevelt Avenue in Corona? Why does this rowdy bar even have a license to operate next to a church? Message to the City and State. Mission Incomplete on Roosevelt Avenue,' said Monserrate. Ben Mitchell is a digital content producer from Vermont who has covered both local and international news since 2021. He joined PIX11 in 2024. See more of his work here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
