Progressive Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez will tell you that her hometown district of Queens, NY is the epitome of working class Americans and is made up of struggling Americans just trying to make an honest buck.
But those who live in AOC’s district describe a much different scene.
Things like a third world country, and a lawless cesspool of open-air prostitution, robberies and illegal vending”, according to reports.
Thankfully, efforts to crack down on the rampant crime in her area are finally making things better.
But you won’t hear that from AOC.
According to a Fox News report, a massive police crackdown on crime in AOC’s district is being hailed as proof that more policing results in less crime — not the other way around.
Residents and local activists have been heaping praise on New York City Mayor Eric Adams after he spearheaded an aggressive 90-day police operation that has resulted in crime plummeting by 25% in a Queens neighborhood represented by Ocasio-Cortez and her Democratic colleague Rep. Grace Meng.
And while locals say they are feeling safer now – but reiterate more still needs to be done.
According to the report on the decreased crime, Adams’ office said AOC showed little interest in participating in the crime crunch and that she and her office never coordinated with the Adams administration’s efforts.
“She hasn’t even reached out for an update on the operation,” Adams’ press secretary Kayla Mamelak Altus told Fox News Digital.
“Our office has relationships with local leaders. But in this case, she really has been radio silent.”
The 90-day police operation, called “Operation Restore Roosevelt,” consisted of more than 200 NYPD officers and state troopers descending on the nearly two-mile commercial strip of Roosevelt Avenue in the Queens neighborhoods of Elmhurst, North Corona and Jackson Heights.
The immigrant-heavy area has been plagued by crime and the unsavory sights of illegal vendors overrunning sidewalks selling unlicensed food and hawking secondhand merchandise – scenes that garnered comparisons to third world country conditions.
Others have said the scores of prostitutes who have been openly soliciting themselves on sidewalks are akin to a “red light” district. The prostitutes have been known to chat up men on the sidewalks and then bring them into massage parlors or shuttered stores for sex.
The operation resulted in nearly 1,000 arrests, including more than 130 for prostitution-related offenses.
Nearly 300 buildings have been inspected, resulting in 18 vacate orders and two locations padlocked by the New York City Sheriff’s Office for illegal cannabis sales.
More than 520 vendors have been inspected, resulting in 94 propane tanks confiscated and more than 15,000 pounds of food taken off the streets. Elsewhere, 464 vehicles have been confiscated, including 419 illegal two-wheeled vehicles and ATVs.
The Queens District Attorney’s Office told Fox News Digital that 62 people have been charged with prostitution and 15 locations have been shut down.
AOC or her office has yet to publically address the crime crackdown.
But in 2023, she and other progressive Democrats took part in a rally in support of illegal vendors in the neighborhood, insisting they should be given licenses to operate.
This is a sneak peek at what AOC’s district looked like prior to the crackdown in illegal activity:
🚨NEW- AOC's District Descends into Third-World Conditions as Prostitution and Illegal Vendors Thrive📍Queens, NY |
Parts of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's district have been likened to a "Third World" environment, marred by the proliferation of illegal vendors and rampant… pic.twitter.com/Iqppp9eRfP
— Overton (@overton_news) March 16, 2024
As for the turnaround, Altus said the operation was a testament to more boots on the ground leading to less crime.
“That’s been Mayor Adams’ perspective from day one, right, he’s a former cop himself,” Altus said. “More police officers don’t only make people safer, but they make people feel safer. Maybe somebody illegally vending on the corner of the street is not putting them in physical harm’s way, but it makes them feel unsafe and makes them feel like there’s lawlessness in their streets. And if there’s cops enforcing that, that just makes quality of life better.”
But you won’t hear that from AOC!