School children say they are being forced to walk past ‘Venezuelan prostitutes’ in broad daylight at NYC’s ‘Sweetheart Market’ – as nearby shops complain they are losing business
- Jalene Lugo, 14, says she regularly walks past sex workers on her way to school
- Elmhurst residents compared the area to a ‘red light district’ of Bangkok
- Businesses complain that they are losing money because customers are not visiting
New York schoolchildren have complained of being forced past “Venezuelan prostitutes” in broad daylight, comparing their neighborhood to a “red light district” in Bangkok.
High school students described encountering sex workers “almost on every block” along the route along the border between Jackson Heights and Corona.
Jalene Lugo, 14, said she passed several provocatively dressed women in a doorway on 93rd Street earlier this week, and not for the first time.
“They’re gone during school hours,” the high school freshman said PIX 11 News. “They’ll be out with their pimps and they won’t care.”
Other residents described the scene as a “red light district, similar to Bangkok.”
Sex workers have been seen on the streets during the day, with many asking aggressively, even as children come home from school or during lunch breaks
The mayor said the city has identified two locations of concern: one in East New York and the other on Roosevelt Avenue (photo above)
Jalene’s mother Massiel Lugo, a local activist who has previously held rallies on the issue, is calling for more to be done to keep the area safe for young people
Elmhurst resident Ramsay Frias told the outlet, “It’s scary that there is no moral compass anymore. It was never perfect when I was growing up, but right now it’s lawless.”
Jalene’s mother Massiel Lugo, a local activist who has previously held rallies on the issue, is calling for more to be done to keep the area safe for young people.
Lugo said: “We understand that these women need money, but they are not allowed to do this during school hours. We see more and more Latina women engaging in prostitution.”
She has created a petition to win back the community, which has collected more than 1,600 signatures so far.
Meanwhile, companies have warned that the activity is causing them to lose money. A mobile phone shop owner revealed that customers no longer want to come in due to the presence of sex workers outside.
But state Assembly member Cataline Cruz, who investigated sex trafficking in Queens before her election, opposes the criminalization of prostitution.
“Whatever way we choose to enforce the law, remember that they are people,” Cruz said. ‘They deserve dignity. They deserve protection.’
She said she would support decriminalization if the right support was in place.
However, Mayor Eric Adams has remained steadfast in his opposition to decriminalizing prostitution. He said the huge increase in requests is linked to the migrant crisis.
New York City’s red light district is being fueled by the migrant crisis, Mayor Eric Adams said
“There are real problems around illegal sex work,” he said. “Not just because of STDs (sexually transmitted diseases) – sex trafficking, young girls getting involved.”
He confirmed that police had stated that many of the sex workers were Venezuelans.
He added: “This is what happens when you create an atmosphere where people can’t take care of themselves.”
He also denounced “elected officials who are fighting against us and trying to legalize sex work.”
Elmhurst residents have previously described how brothels in the area are “an open secret.”
In June, a branch in Woodside was closed following an undercover police operation. Two women in their sixties were arrested for prostitution.
Neighbors had been calling for its closure for some time, saying there were other brothels operating in the area Jackson Heights Post reports.