South Bronx Leaders Demand Mayor Address Open-Air Drug Market

Impact on Local Businesses

• 📈 Lewis Toronto, owner of People's Choice Meat Market and Grill, reports a significant negative impact on foot traffic due to the open-air drug market.
• 🚶 Drug users reportedly harass customers, ask for money, and sleep in front of his store, requiring him to move them when opening.
• 📉 Toronto states his business is going downhill monthly, highlighting the urgent need for help.

Community Concerns and Demands

• 🗣️ Congressman Ritchie Torres and community leaders gathered to address the ongoing open-air drug market plaguing the Third Avenue hub in the South Bronx.
• ⚖️ Torres questioned why the Bronx should tolerate open-air drug markets and public drug use, especially in the presence of children, when wealthier areas would not.
• 📢 Leaders are calling on Mayor Eric Adams to take serious action to clean up the area.

Ineffective City Response

• 📞 Community members have reached out to the city via 311 and 911.
• 🤷 The response has been described as ineffective, with reports of city services coming but nothing changing on the ground.
• 🏢 The owner of Plaza Discount also shared concerns about the lack of resolution.

Call for Urgent Action

• 🆘 The community is seeking urgent help to clean up the area and restore stability.
• 🌃 The situation is described as a daily battle for local business owners and residents.