AOC’s District Spirals Into Lawlessness as Residents Demand Action: “We Feel Like Prisoners”
Once known for its rich cultural diversity, Queens’ Roosevelt Avenue has now devolved into a dystopian corridor of open crime, prostitution, and gang violence—right under the watch of progressive darling Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Despite countless pleas from her constituents, the socialist congresswoman has remained largely absent as her district transforms into what some now call a “Red Light District” and “third-world flea market.”
Fox News reports that Roosevelt Avenue has become a haven for sex workers who openly solicit customers next to vendors selling grilled meats, counterfeit Apple electronics, and suspected stolen goods. The scene is not just disturbing—it’s criminal. Yet it continues with impunity.
“All the criminal activity has reverted to the way it was last year,” said Republican City Council candidate Ramses Frias. “Our residents feel like prisoners in their own homes while criminals walk freely, preying on helpless victims.”
Frias pointed to violent transnational gangs like 18th Street and Tren de Aragua, which have reclaimed territory through intimidation, graffiti, and brutal acts of violence. Their presence is not a rumor—it’s documented, and it's deadly.
Following one of Ocasio-Cortez’s recent town halls, Fox News Digital surveyed just a single block along Roosevelt Avenue and counted no fewer than 30 women appearing to offer sex in public—while families and children passed by. On Ocasio-Cortez’s side of the strip, vendors peddled street food stored in dubious containers and counterfeit tech gear. On Rep. Grace Meng’s side, the prostitution racket flourished.
In a damning indictment released June 16, eight members of the 18th Street Gang—seven of whom are in the country illegally—were charged with unleashing terror across this commercial zone. The charges include violent beatings, stabbings, narcotics trafficking, extortion, distributing counterfeit currency and passports, and smuggling illegal firearms.
Founded by illegal immigrants in 1960s Los Angeles, the 18th Street gang has evolved into a criminal hydra with tentacles stretching from Central America to New York City. And in AOC’s district, they’ve found fertile ground, thanks to soft-on-crime policies and local leadership unwilling to confront the hard realities of border failure and sanctuary politics.
According to prosecutors, Roosevelt Avenue has become their operational stronghold. What was once a vibrant neighborhood is now marked with gang graffiti and fear. Despite a winter police crackdown that disrupted rival gangs like Tren de Aragua, the vacuum was quickly filled by 18th Street thugs, emboldened by the lack of sustained law enforcement presence and political will.
Frustrated residents are no longer quiet. They’ve turned their anger toward Ocasio-Cortez and Meng, accusing them of ignoring the crisis. While the progressive congresswoman makes headlines for championing climate initiatives and social justice buzzwords, her own constituents live in fear, dodging gang members and sex traffickers on their way to work or school.
FBI Assistant Director Christopher Raia didn’t mince words:
“Those arrested… acted and behaved with callous and cruel disregard for those around them. Our actions today represent yet another example of the FBI’s commitment to crushing the violent transnational gangs plaguing our communities.”
But where is AOC?
As Roosevelt Avenue spirals further into chaos, one question grows louder among her constituents: Will she finally act—or will she continue to protect the policies enabling this nightmare?