BALTIMORE — Panhandling is soon coming to an end and organizers of the squeegee collaborative, that’s been working to make it happen, said they want to help provide better opportunity to all of those who squeegee.
Squeegeeing has been a controversial tradition in Baltimore for decades. For some people, working as a squeegee person is their only way of surviving, but city leaders said they’re working to change that.
“We're not trying to eradicate young people, we're going to eradicate the idea that squeegeeing is the only way forward,” Bundley said.
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At many corners and intersections throughout the city, for decades, drivers have seen young people squeegeeing which is a form of panhandling to make ends meet.
Dr. Andrey Bundley, who's the Director for the Mayor's Office of African American Male Engagement, said people often judge the squeegee workers, but don't stop to think about why they do it.
“We're building structures in Baltimore, to address the issue of disconnected youth. We can't point our fingers at our young people who have inherited a situation that forces them into a space, basically just to survive,” Bundley said.
It's why since the deadly shooting between a squeegee worker and a driver, they’ve created a squeegee collaborative. It’s where business owners, city leaders, philanthropists and squeegee workers brainstorm solutions.
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Victoria Thompson was one of those squeegee workers, she started at 13-years-old. She worked as a squeegee worker for five years, but now serves as part of the squeegee collaborative.
Thompson said serving on the collaborative is helping to be a voice for many just like her while shifting the ways young people think about survival.
“It helped me grow a lot. My mindset, I can say I became more mature, since all this happened. It's a good opportunity for them, I look forward to it and I have an open mind because it'll really benefit them in the long way, keep them out of trouble, stuff like that,” Thompson said.
Addressing the deeper-rooted issues of what drives people to squeegee and then providing them with alternatives to make a living for themselves while thinking of the long term. Organizers said that’s part of the main mission of this collaborative. And they’re prepared to continue promoting the positive shift that’s in the works.
“Laws have been broken on the behalf of motorists and youth, and now we have to address the breach of law. And so we want them to know that they have individuals who care about them, who will listen to them, and particularly listen for them, articulating what it is that they want to become,” Bundley said.
