Activists outside an alleged brothel in Corona on Tuesday. Photo: Shane O’Brien
Nov. 20, 2024 By Shane O’Brien
Several Corona residents and local activists gathered outside an alleged brothel on 111th Street Tuesday afternoon to demand that authorities permanently shutter the establishment.
Activists led by Let’s Improve Roosevelt Ave. President Ramon Ramirez-Baez and former Council Member Hiram Monserrate gathered at the site of the alleged brothel at 50-14 111th St., almost directly opposite the New York Hall of Science and the Terrace on the Park.
Protesters placed placards bearing the slogan “Shut it Down” in the property’s front yard and said the brothel has been operational for over a year despite multiple complaints from members of the local community.
Locals said the alleged brothel attracts numerous drunken johns to the neighborhood in the early hours of the morning, stating that johns sometimes knock on the doors of the wrong property while searching for the establishment. Others said they frequently find condoms on the ground outside the property.
Corona resident Carlos Zapata, who lives on the same block as the alleged brothel, said he recently looked out of his window to find an apparent John urinating on his car in the middle of the night.
Zapata said numerous johns urinate or even defecate in the neighborhood when they visit the alleged establishment, stating that some johns even threaten local residents.
“A lot of residents here didn’t come today because they fear reprisals,” Zapata said. “We are here to show you that the community is standing up.”
Carlos Zapata (left) with Ramon Ramirez-Baez and Hiram Monserrate. Photo: Shane O’Brien
Maria, a Corona resident who lives around the corner from the property but asked for her second name to be omitted, demanded that the alleged brothel be closed down. She pointed to the fact that two schools are located within a few blocks of the property—PS 28 at 109-10 47th Ave. and PS 14 at 107-01 Otis Ave.
“Let’s do it for the kids,” Maria said on Tuesday.
Several school-aged children passed by the premises during Tuesday’s protest, while a number of men approached the door beforehand, though it remained closed.
Ramirez-Baez said local activists have sent a letter with more than 100 signatures to the NYPD calling for the alleged brothel to be closed down.
Ramirez-Baez said it was “unacceptable” that the alleged brothel has remained open for more than a year and called for more enforcement from the NYPD.
Monserrate, meanwhile, called for the NYPD to close the alleged brothel and urged the City to enforce padlock orders at the premises. The City’s Padlock Unit can investigate illegal commercial or manufacturing use at locations throughout New York City. The unit can padlock premises if it finds evidence of illegal activity and the occupant does not discontinue the illegal use.
Monserrate alleged that city authorities are “well aware” of the activities at 50-14 111th St., stating that the issue has been well publicized on social media over the past 12 months.
A video posted on TikTok last November by Zombies in NYC, an account dedicated to tackling prostitution in New York City, appears to show footage from inside the alleged brothel. The New York Post published an article related to the video shortly afterward.
He said local residents who had been living in the community for over two decades are now “living next to a nightmare” and called for the establishment to be closed down.
“There are men coming to this location at 1 or 2 a.m., drinking, using drugs and urinating on our streets in front of the homes,” Monserrate said on Tuesday.
Monserrate said several men entered the premises around 30 minutes before Tuesday’s protest began, adding that he believed the men were unable to leave due to the presence of several local activists.
“There are probably some clients in there right now who cannot come out,” Monserrate said. “We have a clear message to the police department and to all our elected officials; we do not want these businesses in our communities. They are illegal, they are indecent and we are calling for them all to be shut down.”
Monserrate praised the efforts of Mayor Eric Adams and Gov. Kathy Hochul to address crime along Roosevelt Avenue with Operation Restore Roosevelt, a 90-day policing plan that aims to improve quality of life and public safety in Jackson Heights, Elmhurst and Corona. However, he said the area is “still confronting crime” and called for more action to be taken against alleged brothels in the area.
“This particular brothel is troublesome because it’s been publicly exposed and it’s operated for over a year,” Monserrate said.
Monserrate said activists have not yet received a response from the NYPD to the petition bearing over 100 signatures.
He reiterated his call for the property to be padlocked, stating that other alleged brothels in the community have opened almost immediately after being raided by the police.
“Without the padlock order and the civil penalties associated with it, they will reopen,” Monserrate said. “We believe that that will help curtail the bad actors.”
Monserrate believes there are around 10 sex workers inside the premises at any time but said the property becomes busier later at night.
The New York Post reported last year that the property is owned by Fresh Meadows Park Phoenix LLC. However, the Department of Housing Preservation and Development does not list any owner for the property.
NYPD Assistant Commissioner Carlos Nieves said in a statement that the NYPD is in the middle of a 90-day policing operation and is addressing a host of different concerns along Roosevelt Avenue. However, Nieves also noted that some individuals demonstrated against the policing plan last month, describing it as harmful to vulnerable groups.
Make the Road New York led a protest against the policing plan last month, stating that the measures go too far and that the plan will lead to the over-policing of vulnerable groups.
Nieves said the NYPD is balancing a wide range of community concerns in its approach to the policing plan.
“We are also aware of community concerns and are addressing those concerns with a balanced approach. If area residents have further information for the NYPD, we will gladly accept it anonymously, either at the local area precincts or via our Crimestoppers hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS,” Nieves said in a statement.
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