QUEENS, N.Y. (PIX11) – A major crackdown on prostitution and sex trafficking has those who live and work in a neighborhood in Queens breathing a sigh of relief.
The NYPD shut down several sex trafficking operations on Roosevelt Avenue in Queens in a coordinated bust Thursday, police said.
Some business owners in Jackson Heights said they have been caught in the middle of the sex trade for years, with brothels and massage parlors hindering them from running legal businesses.
"Every day, seven days, 24 hours, you would see them right there," said Moose Mohammad, who runs a smoke shop in the area.
Some of the women tied to the illegal massage shops and brothels were allegedly trying to get back to work on Friday.
"They definitely were coming back to work here. I saw her with the work dress with the prostitute stuff going on," Mohammad said.
Mohammad’s security camera showed what he describes as one of the women scoping things out until police arrived.
"That's when the cops came at 9 a.m. and then they all started moving, then they came back and the cops made a U-turn and told them to leave,” Mohammad said.
Police showed up by the dozens to shut down the brothels along Roosevelt Avenue Thursday. Women were being exploited, and in many cases, forced to sell their bodies, according to police. The conditions inside were inhumane, police said, which included a row of beds divided by curtains under red light.
A woman who runs a clothing store in the area said at times she would hear people having sex. To see the place shut down is a relief to her.
“It’s disgusting because they don't respect the children and this area is full of children. Their mothers come to buy something and they come with the babies and what the children see," a local business owner said.
NYPD officials said it’s just the beginning of the crackdown. Their efforts to stop the sex trade in Queens, Brooklyn and other boroughs will continue until they see a difference. Police said they are not targeting the women, who are seen as the victims.
The fear now is that with the locations in Queens shut down, the women will be forced to work elsewhere.
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