{"id":51225,"date":"2025-07-09T11:07:09","date_gmt":"2025-07-09T11:07:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/51225\/"},"modified":"2025-07-09T11:07:09","modified_gmt":"2025-07-09T11:07:09","slug":"rep-ritchie-torres-blasts-nyc-for-failing-to-clean-up-broadway-of-the-bronx-as-report-finds-its-overrun-with-junkies","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/51225\/","title":{"rendered":"Rep. Ritchie Torres blasts NYC for failing to clean up &#8216;Broadway of the Bronx&#8217; as report finds it&#8217;s overrun with junkies"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>US Rep. Ritchie Torres blasted city authorities for failing to clean up the \u201cBroadway of the Bronx\u201d which has descended into a notorious <a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2024\/12\/22\/us-news\/the-hub-in-the-bronx-is-still-overrun-with-addicts-despite-city-cleanup-pledge\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">open-air drug market <\/a>full of junkies and prostitutes.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe City of New York has fundamentally failed to deliver a durable solution to a crisis that continues to spiral out of control,\u201d Torres said in a report released Wednesday on the South Bronx \u201cHub\u201d commercial district. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe City\u2019s response has amounted to little more than a game of whack-a-mole\u2014briefly suppressing illicit activity, only for the drug market to re-emerge with greater intensity,\u201d said Torres, a Democrat whose district includes the area.<\/p>\n<p>New York City authorities have failed to clean up the notorious open-air drug market in the commercial \u201cHub\u201d in his South Bronx District, claims Rep. Ritchie Torres. Getty Images<\/p>\n<p>Roberto Clemente Plaza and other streets are \u201coverwhelmed\u201d by drug use and sex workers in broad daylight, Torres claimed \u2014 which is driving away foot traffic and creating an atmosphere of \u201clawlessness and disorder.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The Hub \u2014 overseen by the Third Avenue Business Improvement District \u2014 is the central commercial corridor between Melrose and Mott Avenues that includes Roberto Clemente Plaza and encompasses more than 300 storefronts, 50 commercial properties.<\/p>\n<p>It draws over 3.3 million annual visitors.<\/p>\n<p>The Post reported last December that The Hub had become a drug-ridden wasteland taken over by zonked-out junkies.<\/p>\n<p>Torres claims areas such as the Roberto Clemente Plaza are \u201coverwhelmed\u201d with drug users and prostitutes during broad daylight. James Keivom<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWith a commercial vacancy rate of 15%, the Third Avenue BID cannot afford to stand by passively as an unfettered open-air drug market decimates foot traffic and paralyzes local business activity,\u201d Torres said in a letter sent to Mayor Eric Adams.<\/p>\n<p>The congressman\u2019s report found that:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Roberto Clemente Plaza has become a de facto waiting room for addicts enrolled at Samaritan Daytop Village, a nearby drug abuse treatment provider.<\/li>\n<li>Emergency responders are dispatched to the plaza multiple times per day, with as many as 20 overdoses reported in a single week.<\/li>\n<li>The plaza\u2019s design\u2014particularly its permanent seating\u2014has turned it into a magnet for loitering, drug trafficking, and opioid overdoses.<\/li>\n<li>The surrounding sidewalks and streets are littered with syringes. Those distributing them must assume responsibility for cleanup rather than allowing them to accumulate as a public health hazard, Torres said.<\/li>\n<li>Repeat drug offenders with multiple open criminal cases continue to roam the streets with impunity, \u201cfurther eroding community confidence in the rule of law.\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>\u201cThe plaza needs a complete reset\u2026 it needs to be temporarily shuttered, and we need to<br \/>redesign and remove the seating\u2026 because that seating is only allowing people to sit, overdose, and just wait for an ambulance to come and get them,\u201d said Pedro Suarez, executive director of the Third Avenue BID.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe drug dealers don\u2019t even have to try hard. It\u2019s a captive audience. Even if there are folks trying to get over their addiction, they\u2019re being re-exposed to the trauma again and again,\u201d added Suarez.<\/p>\n<p>The area by the plaza known as The Hub attracts over 3.3 million visitors each year. James Keivom<\/p>\n<p>Torres appealed to the mayor to intervene with a consistent, prolonged multi-agency campaign to revitalize The Hub.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDespite repeated announcements of multi-agency operations\u2014often launched with great fanfare\u2014the City of New York is no closer to solving the public health and safety crisis that has taken hold of the Hub. The mission is far from accomplished. If anything, conditions on the ground have gotten worse,\u201d Torres told the mayor.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe City of New York must demonstrate a renewed whole-of-government commitment to reclaiming the Hub from the grip of drug trafficking and return it where it rightfully belongs: to the people of the Bronx.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Executive director of the Third Avenue BID, Pedro Suarez, said, \u201cThe plaza needs a complete reset.\u201d James Keivom<\/p>\n<p>The mayor\u2019s office insisted City Hall is on the case.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe Adams administration agrees that the decades-long issues plaguing \u2018The Hub\u2019 in the Bronx are unacceptable, which is why we brought our \u2018Community Link\u2019 model to the neighborhood \u2014 a multi-agency operation of surged resources to address substance abuse, mental health, homeless outreach, sanitation, and other quality-of-life issues that prevent this part of the South Bronx from reaching its full potential,\u201d an Adams spokesperson said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe have responded to thousands of complaints, issued more than 3,600 summonses, placed dozens of homeless individuals in shelter, removed more than 730 syringes from our streets, made more than 1,000 arrests, and much more. But let\u2019s be clear: this work is not done \u2014 our priority is to ensure safety. Progress is measured, but feeling safe is what truly matters. We will continue working until every individual feels safe and secure.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Torres previously criticized to<a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2025\/01\/12\/us-news\/ritchie-torres-blasts-kathy-hochul-over-nycs-the-hub\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> Gov. Kathy Hochul <\/a>for not stepping in to bust up the drug haven.<\/p>\n<p>The concerns stretch back years. Merchants and local business leaders in 2021 <a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2021\/07\/25\/bx-biz-leaders-jeer-de-blasio-over-crime-quality-of-life-ahead-of-tour\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">sent a letter <\/a>to then-Mayor Bill de Blasio, pleading for action on the drug-dealing, homelessness and crime consuming The Hub.<\/p>\n<p>Torres announced last week that he\u2019s likely not running for governor and <a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2025\/07\/02\/us-news\/rep-ritchie-torres-says-hes-not-running-for-governor\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">will seek re-election <\/a>to his 15th District House seat next year.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"US Rep. Ritchie Torres blasted city authorities for failing to clean up the \u201cBroadway of the Bronx\u201d which&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":51226,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5122],"tags":[5229,14872,5289,5248,405,403,5226,5225,5228,5227,38451,5305,67,586,132,5230,68,1154,2969],"class_list":{"0":"post-51225","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-new-york","8":"tag-america","9":"tag-drug-overdoses","10":"tag-eric-adams","11":"tag-metro","12":"tag-new-york","13":"tag-new-york-city","14":"tag-newyork","15":"tag-newyorkcity","16":"tag-ny","17":"tag-nyc","18":"tag-ritchie-torres","19":"tag-the-bronx","20":"tag-united-states","21":"tag-united-states-of-america","22":"tag-unitedstates","23":"tag-unitedstatesofamerica","24":"tag-us","25":"tag-us-news","26":"tag-usa"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/114822961494941487","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51225","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=51225"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51225\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/51226"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=51225"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=51225"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=51225"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}