Queens activists demand crackdown on Roosevelt Avenue crime

Community leaders and activists in Queens are calling on Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Governor Kathy Hochul to address rising crime and human trafficking along the Roosevelt Avenue corridor. During a rally in Jackson Heights, demonstrators claimed that the area, often referred to as the ‘Market of Sweethearts,’ has seen an increase in street-level prostitution and illegal activity since the change in mayoral administration.

Former state Senator Hiram Monserrate and members of the group Restore Roosevelt Avenue expressed concerns that previous law enforcement initiatives, such as ‘Operation Restore Roosevelt,’ have been abandoned. Activists are demanding the enforcement of nuisance-abatement laws and stricter oversight of landlords who facilitate criminal activity in the neighborhood.