Illegal commercial sex has grown easier to arrange along Roosevelt Avenue in Queens since Zohran Mamdani became New York mayor this year, a New York Post report said. Street solicitation has increased there while related arrests fell 59 percent through September 13, to 193 from 468 in the same period last year.

A 40-year-old customer said he pays 60 to 80 dollars in Queens versus 200 to 300 in Manhattan and finds talks straightforward. Some workers operate from upstairs rooms in two-story commercial buildings, and the corridor runs about two miles through Jackson Heights and Corona.

New York repealed its loitering-for-prostitution law in early 2021, after which street activity rose and officers focused more on traffickers, pimps, and buyers.