AOC’s District Looks Like a Third-World Country

(RightWing.org) – Radical congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) (AOC) portrays herself as a champion of ordinary Americans. Unfortunately for her progressive reputation, residents of her own district say it’s starting to look like a third-world country. Illegal markets, street crime, and open-air prostitution are turning whole neighborhoods into filthy, lawless messes.

On April 15, the New York Police Department (NYPD) launched a massive raid on illegal market vendors in AOC’s district, which covers parts of Queens and The Bronx. Many streets in the district are lined with vendors selling clothes, toys, and household goods — many of them counterfeit or stolen. Officers confiscated a truckload of goods, and NYPD Deputy Commissioner of Operations Kaz Daughtry said the operation had been mounted to resolve “quality of life complaints” from local residents.

However, the raid’s effects didn’t last long. The next day the illegal vendors were back, and residents are furious. One told Fox News that “we see this as a third-world market” and said the vendors aren’t just taking trade away from legitimate businesses in the district; they’re also stealing their stock and reselling it. They also complained the illegal sellers “get a free pass,” and that crime is rising in the neighborhood.

Illegal markets aren’t the only problem. Roosevelt Avenue, the district’s main business street, has been nicknamed “the market of sweethearts” because it’s so infested with prostitutes. The sex workers loiter in broad daylight, picking up clients and taking them to beds set up among legitimate businesses. Guardian Angels chief Curtis Sliwa says the city isn’t doing anything to crack down on the illegal trade.

Some Democrats are trying to shift blame for the mess. NYC Mayor Eric Adams (D) says it’s caused by allowing thousands of migrants into the city and then not letting them work. Others are blaming AOC and her fellow Progressives. Former Democrat Ramses Frias, who’s now running for the NY State Assembly as a Republican, says the area is now “an open-air flea market” and wants radical change — and that means GOP control.