Queens

Queens is NYC’s largest and most ethnically diverse borough, home to immigrants from across Asia, Latin America, and beyond (residents speak 150+ languages). This diversity shapes Queens abolitionist work: immigrant justice and language accessibility are at its core. Community organizing often focuses on resisting ICE raids, demanding language support in schools, and fighting wage theft rather than directly on police. However, Queens also grapples with Rikers (located on the Queens–Bronx border) and hosted one of the city’s notorious ICE detention centers in Jamaica. Abolitionist trends include strong neighborhood mutual aid (e.g., in Astoria and Jackson Heights, especially during COVID), tenant organizing against greedy landlords, and youth-led climate justice (given environmental racism in areas like Willets Point). The DefundNYPD movement resonated in Queens, as seen in budget battles over the new NYPD academy in College Point. A mix of legacy immigrant rights groups and new radical formations (e.g., Queens Against Empire) collaborate across communities. Despite language barriers, Queens organizers embody “solidarity in every language,” expanding abolition’s reach beyond English-speaking circles and linking local struggles (street vendor harassment, over-policing of nightlife) to global anti-colonial movements.