In the heart of New York City's district represented by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a tumultuous scene unfolded on Tuesday.
Hiram Monserrate, a former New York state Senator and current state Assembly candidate, found himself at the center of a heated protest due to his support for a recent police crackdown on illicit sex work and unlicensed street vendors in the area.
Monserrate was in the midst of media interviews, lauding the police efforts, when he was confronted by irate protesters. These individuals had been rallying against the NYPD and state troopers' actions to close down brothels and unlicensed vendors who peddle hot food and other merchandise without permits. The neighborhood, known as a "Red Light" district, has been likened to a "Third World" country due to its unsanitary and seedy conditions, according to Fox News.
The protesters argued that the community should accept prostitution and vendors as a part of the neighborhood's fabric. "More resources, no more raids," they chanted, encircling Monserrate who was conducting a press interview a short distance away from the rally at Corona Plaza.
As the chants escalated, Monserrate paused, hoping the crowd would calm down. However, Mateo Guerrero, who had been leading the rally for a local migrant nonprofit, confronted Monserrate. The former lawmaker attempted to leave, but Guerrero and other protesters pursued and taunted him.
Demonstrator Biney Garcia, wearing a T-shirt emblazoned with "Here to stay," confronted Monserrate with a sign reading, "Do not decide for sex workers." Garcia, a former sex worker on Roosevelt Avenue, known as the "Avenue of the Sweethearts" due to the high number of sex workers, told Monserrate, "You are against me, against my community and you have been doing that for many years." Garcia further warned Monserrate, "You are never going to get our vote, never You can leave now," and directed him away from the square.
Monserrate, accompanied by local activist Ramon Ramirez, eventually left the square. As they departed, the crowd shouted "sex work is work," while another protester declared, "God does not exist" in both Spanish and English.
Fox News Digital later spoke with Monserrate and Ramirez, who had sought refuge on the next block, out of sight from the angry crowd. "There was actually more cameras than activists and the majority of the people there weren't even from this community," Monserrate said, downplaying the heated confrontation.
He emphasized the crime wave plaguing Roosevelt Avenue and the necessity of the police officers from the city and state troopers to control the crime in the community. "Roosevelt Avenue has been under a crime wave, it's an urban crime zone. And these police officers that we got from the city and the state troopers are incredibly necessary to just get a handle on the crime in this community, which has been unprecedented," Monserrate stated.
Recently, New York City Mayor Eric Adams initiated "Operation Restore Roosevelt," a 90-day plan to curb unruly behavior by deploying over 200 additional police officers to the area, including state troopers. Fox News Digital cameras last month captured at least 19 alleged sex workers on a single block of Roosevelt Avenue, with more around the corner and a woman offering sex for $60 on the next block.
"We have more brothels than bodegas. We have brothels in front of schools, next to churches, 24-hour sex workers walking the streets freely at all hours of the day while parents are taking their kids to school. It's unacceptable," Monserrate told Fox News Digital.
Monserrate urged residents to attend a rally in support of the police who have been actively raiding brothels since the operation began. He also expressed disappointment at the lack of response from fellow Democrats Rep. Grace Meng and "Squad" member Ocasio-Cortez to his requests for their presence at rallies to clean up Roosevelt Avenue.
The conflict between proponents of law and order and sex workers and illegal vendors has been simmering in the neighborhood for years. Many of these sex workers and vendors are migrants who, due to limited English proficiency and difficulty accessing legitimate work, claim they are forced onto the streets to survive.
Guerrero, originally from Colombia and the trans justice and leadership program manager for Make The Road New York, the nonprofit that organized the rally, condemned the police crackdown, stating, "State troopers in our streets are terrifying." Guerrero remained unapologetic for confronting Monserrate and called for an end to the raids.
"He's not listening to our communities. What our communities are saying is we need housing, we need health care, we need employment, we need education, we don't need more police," Guerrero told Fox News Digital.
After the rally, Garcia and other Make The Road activists were seen distributing leaflets in support of Proposition 1, a measure that critics argue could pave the way for illegal migrants to vote in elections. Garcia stated, "No work is illegal," adding that trans people often resort to sex work due to difficulties securing regular employment.
This sentiment was echoed by Cathy Lopez, a trans woman and current sex worker who has been working the streets of Roosevelt Avenue for 10 years. "Sex work is good because you are not doing nothing bad for nobody," Lopez said.
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