Notorious ‘bodega brothel’ closed in AOC’s district; locals criticize her inaction

QUEENS, N.Y. — A well-known local brothel near two schools in Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s red-light district has been shut down by the NYPD after months of advocacy by local leaders who say the progressive lawmaker did nothing to help them close it.

Nicknamed the “bodega brothel” by locals, the establishment was operating on the second floor of a local bodega just off the Roosevelt Avenue strip in Queens, where prostitutes are known for openly soliciting sex on sidewalks, local Democratic district leader Hiram Monserrate told Fox News Digital.

Video from inside the brothel reveals five cramped, makeshift rooms divided by wooden panels and shower curtains, each just large enough to hold a bed.

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The bodega is located across the street from two public schools, and students have been forced to walk past the sex workers outside the brothel on their way to and from class for months. An hour before Ocasio-Cortez’s town hall earlier this month, Fox News Digital observed children walking by with their parents as three women stood outside. 

On Monday, the NYPD removed the beds from the brothel and padlocked its makeshift wooden door. 

Monserrate, who led the campaign to shutter the location, stood outside and praised the police for acting.

“The shutting down of the ‘bodega brothel’ was long overdue, but it finally got done,” said Monserrate, who also toured the brothel and described the sleazy state of the quarters. 

“This place is clearly unsightly and unsanitary, and, quite frankly, disgusting,” said Monserrate, a former Democratic state senator and council member who said he organized four separate rallies to close down the brothel.

Beds inside the brothel (Hiram Monserrate)

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Monserrate said he and local groups have called on Ocasio-Cortez and other elected officials to advocate for the shuttering of the brothels, but few have helped.

“AOC did not play a role at all,” said Monserrate, who was chased out of a local square in October because he opposed protesters advocating for prostitution to be allowed in the neighborhood.

Ramses Frías, a local Republican city council candidate, also said Ocasio-Cortez never attended a demonstration.

“It took the people to come together and rally against this bodega brothel,” Frias said.  

Ocasio-Cortez’s office told Fox News Digital it is not commenting on the closure. 

Monserrate said the area is plagued by prostitutes, many working at the behest of migrant gangs like the 18th Street Gang and Tren de Aragua. He has called on the FBI to intervene along Roosevelt Avenue, citing drug trafficking, illegal gun sales, identity theft and violent crimes. He said he has yet to receive a response, adding his sources have identified at least 20 brothels in the area.

In October, New York City Mayor Eric Adams launched a sweeping police crackdown with more than 200 police and state troopers descending on the area.

Locals, including Hiram Monserrate, center, and Ramses Frias, blue and white jacket, protested the brothel recently. (Hiram Monserrate)

The NYPD told Fox News Digital last month that the clampdown, known as Operation Restore Roosevelt, had resulted in a 37% year-to-date drop in crime in the Roosevelt Avenue zone with more than 1,800 arrests and more than 15,000 summonses.

Police did not say if any arrests were made in relation to the shuttering of the location Monday.

The New York City Department of Buildings said the location was issued a partial vacate order in December, but Monserrate said it had been used for illicit purposes ever since then.

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Monserrate said the operation Monday was helpful, but many of the problems in the neighborhood still linger.

“While we are grateful to the NYPD, the NYC Buildings Department and the mayor’s office, we also understand that there is still much to do until we stabilize this community and make it safer and better for all,” Monserrate said. “We will continue to rally, call for more brothels to be closed and shine a light on the failed policies that our community has borne the brunt of.”