Open drug use, used needles and illegal dumping are common sights in the Hub in the South Bronx.

Community members say the issues have persisted for years, driving commuters and customers away from the corridor.

Concerned small business owners, the Third Avenue BID, Rep. Ritchie Torres and Bronx Borough President Vanessa Gibson gathered in the Hub on Wednesday to call on the city to take action.

In a letter to Mayor Eric Adams, Torres wrote, "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."

He goes on to say there is an open-air drug market in the Hub, impacting both the community and local businesses.

Local leaders placed partial blame on the drug clinics in the area, claiming the district is oversaturated.

"The plaza has become a waiting room for a lot of folks that are visiting the clinic," said Pedro Suarez, the executive director of the Third Avenue BID.

During a walkthrough of the Hub, News 12 cameras captured New Yorkers in a comatose state, some lashing out, a block riddled with garbage and used syringes scattered on the ground.

Sharon Jenkins, a longtime resident of the South Bronx, said she specifically avoids the plaza, doubling her commute every day.

"It's ridiculous... it just gets worse and worse and worse," said Jenkins. "I pass by a guy in that awkward collapsed position that they do when they overdose... and it's more and more frequent."

Part of East 149th Street now has multiple empty storefronts. Advocates say the conditions are driving away business.

Luis Tirado, owner of the People's Choice Meat Market and Grill, tells News 12 his business is the "last man standing" on the block. He has owned the business for three years.

"I'm losing business by the day, by the month," he said. "I wake up every day with anxiety because I have to fight this every day. I'm on the verge to lose everything because the business is just not making it."

Torres said his responsibility as an elected leader is to hold those responsible for public safety accountable. He said that leader is the mayor.

Elected leaders and the BID are calling on the mayor to take action, inviting him to walkthrough of the plaza and see the conditions firsthand.

"Making sure that the South Bronx is allocated the right amount of resources for the severity of the issue," said Suarez.

They said the condition of the Hub is a complex issue. There isn't a simple solution.

"The plaza needs to be completely reset... it needs to be temporarily shuttered, and we need to redesign and remove the seating... because that seating is only allowing people to sit, overdose, and just wait for an ambulance to come and get them," said Suarez.

The BID said the corridor needs consistent resolutions to help New Yorkers battle addiction, rehabilitate them fully, find them housing and job opportunities to end the vicious cycle.

"Until people feel like it has changed.... until people see and hear that it has changed. Because until then, we're going to continue this revolving circle that has been going on for decades," said Suarez.