A Queens brothel is selling sex across the street from two public elementary schools near the notorious migrant “Market of Sweethearts”. Fed-up locals are mounting a campaign to shut it down.
The illegal sex shop is the latest example of criminal activity around the infamous strip in Jackson Heights. Law-enforcement sources suspect this area could be affiliated with the cutthroat Tren de Aragua gang.
“No good,” neighborhood mom Maria Gonzales told The Post of the brothel Sunday. “The school is just there. C’mon, no good. My husband go and say to them, ‘Not here. Too close, the ninos.’ They say, ‘OK, OK, OK.’
“Crazy,” she said. “We need police. Everyone calls, but no police coming.”
Roosevelt Avenue and the “Market of Sweethearts”
The situation publicly surfaced after the NYPD raided a 24-hour prostitution operation near Roosevelt Avenue, where the so-called “Market of Sweethearts” hooker strip is located.
But locals near the latest uncovered brothel say this situation is worse because the sex shop is across the street from PS 19 and PS 307.
“As a mother, we always worry about the safety and welfare of our children,” said Ileana Martinez, whose two children attend the schools.
“What we see near Roosevelt Avenue now is terrifying. Hopefully someone will respond to the CEC resolution.”
We are shutting you down! The people who use Roosevelt Avenue are tired of lawlessness. This is the first step in our plan to improve quality of life on Roosevelt Avenue. Stay tuned more to come! pic.twitter.com/DVyoHHYu6a
— NYPD Deputy Commissioner, Operations Kaz Daughtry (@NYPDDaughtry) January 26, 2024
What the resolution entails
The resolution is due to be submitted to Community Education Council 24 at its meeting on Tuesday. It will call for city schools officials, police and Mayor Eric Adams to shut down the brothel and crack down on other criminal activity in the neighbourhood.
“This request aligns with the NYC [Department of Education’s] commitment to ensuring that all students are provided a safe and supportive environment, crucial for fostering their academic success and social-emotional growth,” the resolution reads.
Images from the brothel scene show that a wooden panel and a wooden door have been built at the rear of the business. Apparent prostitutes sit nearby, hoping to lure in customers.
“It’s been there for a while,” said a local resident who would only identify himself as Luis, 67.
“It used to just be just a bodega and the part where they sell the girls now, they used to sell the flowers,” he said.
“Some groceries inside now but not like before. Before it was a big store with everything. The hot food, the groceries. Now they closed it off to half the size.
“They don’t have many things. They needed room for the beds maybe.”
. #NYC Mayor Adams and @nypdnews close down a sextet of alleged brothels on Roosevelt Avenue in #Queens. @franciscomoyany said the city will use every tool it has to close such establishments.https://t.co/nnSHB5yJf9
— Queens Chronicle (@QueensChronicle) January 26, 2024
Previous criminal activities
Several reports about the illegal migrant open-air market along Roosevelt Avenue, where stolen goods are sold on the sidewalk and women walk the street peddling themselves have emerged.
The unruly strip comes as tens of thousands of migrants have flooded into the Big Apple since 2022. The hordes are resorting to shoplifting and prostitution to make ends meet or pay off their debt to human smugglers.
Queens Democratic district leader Hiram Monserrate has been among those blowing the whistle on the seedy goings-on in his borough — and has now raised concerns about the newly exposed brothel.
“Our community is crying out for help,” Monserrate said. “Rescue Roosevelt Avenue. Protect our children. We do not need backpack giveaways, we don’t need political rhetoric. We need more cops, counsellors and a massive intervention for this community.
