Rep. Ritchie Torres Calls on New York City to Finally, Once and For All, Clean Up The Hub

Since the summer of 2024, Congressman Ritchie Torres (NY-15) has been sounding the alarm about the sheer persistence of an open-air drug market in the Hub of the South Bronx. Despite repeated pleas for intervention, the City of New York has fundamentally failed to deliver a durable solution to a crisis that continues to spiral out of control. The City’s response has amounted to little more than a game of whack-a-mole—briefly suppressing illicit activity, only for the drug market to re-emerge with greater intensity. Roberto Clemente Plaza and surrounding streets remain overwhelmed by open drug use and trafficking in broad daylight, driving away foot traffic, deterring business investment, and creating a pervasive atmosphere of lawlessness and disorder.

Today, Rep. Torres is releasing a report based on direct, on-the-ground observations, documenting a crisis that represents nothing less than a systemic failure of governance, one that threatens the foundations of quality of life, public safety, and public health in the commercial heart of the South Bronx.

Yesterday, he sent the following letter to New York City Mayor Eric Adams regarding the persistent open-air drug market in the Hub of the South Bronx:

“I am writing to express serious concerns about the sheer persistence of the open-air drug market in the Hub of the South Bronx.

“The Hub—overseen by the Third Avenue Business Improvement District (BID)—is the central commercial corridor of the South Bronx. It encompasses more than 300 storefronts, 50 commercial properties, and draws over 3.3 million annual subway visitors. With 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.

“Despite repeated announcements of multi-agency operations—often launched with great fanfare—the 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.

“Residents and businesses alike continue to witness individuals injecting opioids in full public view—including in front of children—creating a climate of lawlessness and disorder in the commercial heart of the South Bronx. The Department of Transportation has effectively lost control of Roberto Clemente Plaza, which has become a nightmare for quality of life, public health, and public safety—delivering no benefit to pedestrians. The so-called “public plaza” effectively exists for the benefit for drug dealers and their customers.

“When my office and I met with the Director of the Third Avenue BID, he made several sobering observations that merit the City’s immediate attention:

1. Roberto Clemente Plaza has become a de facto waiting room for clients of Samaritan Daytop Village, a nearby substance abuse treatment provider.

2. Emergency responders are dispatched to the plaza multiple times per day, with as many as twenty overdoses reported in a single week.

3. The plaza’s physical design—particularly its permanent seating—has turned it into a magnet for loitering, drug trafficking, and opioid overdoses.

4. 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.

5. Repeat drug offenders with multiple open cases continue to roam the streets with impunity, further eroding community confidence in the rule of law.

“The 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.”