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The once-vibrant commercial district of “The Hub” in the Bronx, often called the “Broadway of the Bronx,” has become an open-air theater of despair, according to NYPost

This area, encompassing Melrose and Mott Haven and centering on Roberto Clemente Plaza, is now overrun by drug use, homelessness, and lawlessness, despite years of city officials’ promises to address the crisis.

Addicts openly shoot heroin and smoke K2 in public spaces, leaving syringes, drug paraphernalia, and human suffering in their wake.

Emilio Morales, the general manager of the landmark Opera House Hotel, paints a grim picture. “These streets are full of zombies. It has never been as bad as it is now,” he told NYPost

The plight of “The Hub” reflects a troubling pattern seen in cities across the United States. In Philadelphia, Kensington Avenue has become infamous for its open-air drug markets, where addicts inject themselves on sidewalks and sleep under bridges.

Despite cleanup initiatives, critics argue that without addressing poverty and addiction, such efforts are merely surface-level fixes.

San Francisco’s Tenderloin District faces similar struggles, with streets filled with tents, needles, and suffering individuals.

Despite millions in funding and harm-reduction programs, the crisis continues to escalate.

Seattle’s Pioneer Square and Los Angeles’ Skid Row tell equally grim tales, where encampments and rising fentanyl use have overwhelmed efforts to restore order. Portland, Oregon, has seen a sharp rise in public drug use since decriminalizing small amounts of hard drugs in 2020, leading to complaints about open-air drug dens and spiking overdose rates.

The Bronx struggles are embodied by Edwin Gonzalez, a 43-year-old addict who described his daily regimen of heroin, speedballs, and K2, purchased from dealers near the Third Avenue subway station.

“The dealers are everywhere,” he said, as he sat in St. Mary’s Park surrounded by used syringes.

Despite such stories, calls for help have gone unanswered. In 2021, business owners in “The Hub” wrote to then-Mayor Bill de Blasio pleading for intervention against drug-dealing, homelessness, and rising crime, but no significant action followed.

Revitalizing neighborhoods like “The Hub” requires a comprehensive strategy. Stronger law enforcement must crack down on open-air drug markets, while addiction treatment, mental health services, and affordable housing must be expanded to address root causes. Community investment in education, job training, and infrastructure is equally critical to breaking cycles of poverty and despair.

“The Bronx deserves better,” Morales said. So do Philadelphia, San Francisco, Seattle, Los Angeles, and Portland. Without bold, coordinated efforts, the “zombie streets” haunting America’s cities will continue to grow, leaving despair in their wake and communities pleading for relief.

Source:New York Post /Bronx Post