Roosevelt Avenue in Jackson Heights has become a corridor of chaos and a magnet for criminals – Statement by NYC Council Member Daniel Dromm

Roosevelt Avenue in Jackson Heights has become a corridor of chaos and a magnet for criminals. The shooting today is the just latest tragedy to occur on this neglected and troubled street. An atmosphere of lawlessness and urban breakdown has taken hold on Roosevelt Avenue because of decades of failure by government agencies to provide basic services.

This is not the first time a shooting like this happened here. In 2008, five innocent people were shot standing on the corner of 80th Street and Roosevelt Avenue while waiting for a bus. The area has become blight on our neighborhood.

I am demanding action. I am calling for additional police protection and constructive police outreach to our immigrant communities. The best policing occurs when the community is involved. But law enforcement is just one part of the solution.

The physical environment on Roosevelt Avenue between 69th Street and 114th Street is a sad, dangerous symbol of urban decay. The conditions are so despicable that law abiding citizens avoid the street, which in turn, attracts criminal activity.

To improve our community, I am also demanding that the MTA correct the blight they have caused this community to suffer. We immediately need additional lighting under the elevated subway line to improve visibility for pedestrians. We need the elevated subway line to be painted because it hasn’t been painted in over 30 years. And we need the MTA to rent its vacant storefronts.

We also need sufficient sanitation services, street vendor regulation, and economic development in this area. Roosevelt Avenue in many ways is the “World’s Main Street” but the failure of the MTA and city agencies has made it into a gutter for gangs and a back-alley of blight.Press Release.