As Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez jets across the U.S. to battle oligarchy, her Queens district pleads with FBI chief Kash Patel to fight prostitution and drug chaos at home
What's really happening along Roosevelt Avenue?
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Why are Queens leaders turning to the FBI?
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As Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez pushes her national agenda, her own district is raising the alarm. Queens residents are pleading for federal assistance to combat rising crime, prostitution, and gang activity.Following a brief NYPD crackdown, locals now want the FBI to intervene to prevent what they call an escalating crisis.While AOC promotes her anti-oligarchy tour across the United States, her constituents in Queens beg for assistance at home.A former Democratic state senator and other local leaders wrote to FBI Director Kash Patel last week, urging him to deploy agents to address the raging problem along Roosevelt Avenue, a 2-mile commercial strip that has been compared to both a red-light district and a Third World Country, where it is common to see instances of prostitution, as quoted in a report by Fox News.They claimed that the gangs had transformed Roosevelt Avenue into the marketplace for their 'well-oiled criminal machine.' Roosevelt Avenue has more than just a gang issue. It is now considered gangland.They also assert that the brutal 18th Street Gang has taken over illicit activities there, displacing other gangs such as Tren de Aragua following a large-scale police operation that resulted in hundreds of arrests.Hundreds of city and state troopers descended on the neighborhood as part of that police crackdown, known as "Operation Restore Roosevelt," which began in October.With more than 1,800 arrests and more than 15,000 summonses, the NYPD told Fox News Digital that the crackdown has led to a 37% year-to-date decrease in crime in the Roosevelt Avenue zone.Former Democrat state senator Hiram Monserrate and the two organizations, Neighbors of the American Triangle and Restore Roosevelt Ave., urged Patel to look into the "ever-worsening situation" they are facing.Local leaders claim Roosevelt Avenue has become a hotspot for gangs, trafficking, and drug dealing, and they want answers. Now, all eyes are on FBI Director Kash Patel to take action.After leading the vigorous 90-day police blitz, New York City Mayor Eric Adams received a tonne of praise from local activists and residents.Locals, however, claim the blitz was short-lived and that bars have been transformed into makeshift brothels where prostitution can be easily negotiated in dingy rooms downstairs after a dance.According to the leaders, a large number of prostitution workers are immigrants."The NYPD's Operation Restore Roosevelt did lead to arrests, but our street sources say the gangs replaced their foot soldiers within days," the advocates said.The dance floors remained open, the money kept flowing, and the prostitutes returned in full force. This issue is not unique to Queens; it serves as a model for how traffickers, cartels, and gangs can easily take over a community, as per a report by Fox News.The 18th Street gang has marked their territory with gang insignia. According to Monserrate, the gangs are engaged in a wide range of violent crimes, illegal gun sales, identity theft, drug and human trafficking, and the distribution of fake Green Cards.According to his sources, there are at least 20 brothels in the region, some of which are located close to educational institutions.Rep. Grace Meng, D-N.Y., who represents the neighborhood in her district, told Fox News Digital that she keeps a close eye on the NYPD's continuous efforts to enhance the neighborhood's quality of life and public safety.Residents are urging the FBI and DEA to intervene and address the rising crime, sex trafficking, and gang activity that has taken over parts of Roosevelt Avenue in Queens.A 90-day NYPD blitz provided temporary relief, but residents report that the gangs quickly returned, and illegal activity resumed, transforming bars into brothels and streets into gang territory.
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