Welcome to Vice City, 2026.
NYC Democratic mayoral frontrunner Zohran Mamdani has been a passionate supporter of decriminalizing prostitution — leaving many critics fearful the Big Apple will devolve into a hedonistic den of iniquity if he wins November’s general election.
As far back as when he was running for state Assembly in 2020, Mamdani has cheered that hookers should be able to turn tricks with impunity.
“Not only must we decriminalize sex work, we need a comprehensive platform of justice for all,” Mamdani said on the campaign trail in May 2020.
And as a Queens assemblyman, he’s co-sponsored multiple versions of legislation to decriminalize sex work statewide that remain stalled, supports them annually, and has spoken out in favor of the proposed law change many times.
“I would like to register my support for [decriminalizing sex work] legislation, my eagerness for that debate and for my fundamental belief that sex work is work,” he said at a February 2021 Assembly meeting.
Yet Mamdani has barely said a word on the topic during his mayoral run, leaving many critics fearful he’s ready to roll out a Trojan Horse-style plan should he win the election.
“The public needs to be fully aware that Mr. Mamdani wants a New York City where selling sex, buying sex, and promoting the sale of sex is completely normal and legal,” warned Sonia Ossorio, executive director of National Organization for Women NYC, which works to advance women’s rights, policy and leadership.
“But unlike many of his most concerning and controversial positions, he’s not out there talking about this because he knows it shocks the conscience.”
“The consequences” of decriminalizing prostitution would mean the Big Apple “becoming a sex tourism destination,” potentially rivaling the red-light district in Amsterdam and parts of Belgium and Nevada where selling sex is legal, she added.
Proponents of decriminalizing sex work claim allowing legal sex work leaves hookers — especially those who are trans, illegal migrants or people of color — less vulnerable to violence and exploitation by pimps, johns and even police officers.
But many studies of countries and cities where prostitution is legal — including in Europe and parts of Nevada — show it typically leads to increases in crime, including human trafficking, organized crime and violence against prostitutes. Similar studies that were inconclusive found no significant drops in crime.
Ossorio said decriminalizing prostitution in other parts of the world has historically led to sex work and sex trade expanding there, something she fears could happen in the Big Apple if Mamdani becomes mayor.
“What happens when you have more paying customers?” she said. “You have to go to the poorest neighborhoods and recruit young girls, and you have to import younger people from other countries. That is not in line with Mr. Mamdani’s slogan [of providing] ‘dignity for everyone.’”
If elected mayor, Mamdani would still need to go through the state Legislature to decriminalize sex work, but he’d be in a prime position to better advocate for such changes as well as ensuring that cracking down on prostitution is a low priority for the NYPD.
Clusters of New York City have been inundated with an influx of hookers and pimps brazenly peddling flesh on public streets since legislation repealing a state statute prohibiting loitering for the purpose of prostitution was signed into law in February 2021 by then-Gov. Andrew Cuomo, critics said.
They include Queens’ infamous migrant “Market of Sweethearts” along the Roosevelt Avenue corridor in Jackson Heights, Corona and other surrounding neighborhoods; seedy Penn Track in East New York, Brooklyn; and a sleazy section of the South Bronx called “The Hub.”
Both Rosa Sanchez, president of the Restore Roosevelt Avenue Coalition, and former Queens Councilman Hiram Monserrate – who used the represent the neighborhoods encompassing the “Market of the Sweethearts” – said the area will only get worse under Mamdani.
“I strongly believe crime will rise even more here,” said Sanchez. “Our community is already suffering with all the crime and prostitution and all the gangs affiliated with prostitution. We’ve seen Roosevelt Avenue deteriorate with young ladies on corners. What example are we setting for our children?”
The NYPD did put a dent in the lawlessness earlier this year during its 90-day Operation Restore Roosevelt operation, with Mayor Eric Adams in June announcing crime had dropped 28% along the seedy strip compared to the previous year.
However, the department scaled back its presence after the surge, Monseratte said.
Republican mayoral candidate Curtis Sliwa painted an even gloomier picture.
“If Zohran Mamdani becomes mayor, what we see now in Corona, Elmhurst, Jackson Heights, and downtown Flushing could spread to all 350 neighborhoods in New York City, and he would do nothing to stop our streets from becoming red-light districts,” barked the founder of the Guardian Angels crime watchdog group.
Adams said he believes decriminalizing sex work would only make it easier for prostitutes to be exploited while emboldening “those who profit off the pain of others.”
“Our administration will never turn a blind eye to the abuse, violence, and human suffering that comes with this trade,” said Adams, a retired NYPD captain, in a statement to The Post.
“We are cracking down on traffickers and illegal operations, while offering real resources and a path forward for those trapped in this life. That’s the balance — compassion for victims, zero tolerance for exploitation. New Yorkers deserve safety and dignity, not policies that handcuff law enforcement and open the door to more abuse.”
Cuomo put out a press release Friday — after being contacted by The Post — touting that he “spent years” as governor opposing legislative attempts by Mamdani and other far-left pols to decriminalize sex work.
