BALTIMORE — Kenny Ebron played on a Baltimore City playground with his grandson Friday evening. Only a few other children were on the same playground at the time. "Normally this playground is full of children," said Ebron."They're empty because of the violence. Parents are afraid to let their kids run freely."
With school out in just days, Ebron is even more concerned. In his neighborhood, they have a free summer camp called Safe Zone at Belmont Elementary School. He said now is the time for schools, churches and businesses to step up.
"Show the kids they care and we want to keep them safe," said Ebron.
He wants to keep everyone safe in the community and especially help the troubled teens. Just last weekend, teenagers were running rampant at the Inner Harbor. Body Camera footage from Batlimore City Police and CitiWatch footage showed crowds of young people fighting, running on cars and in traffic. One clip even showed someone being kicked in the head as he passed by a teenager.
READ MORE: City Police release video of Inner Harbor weekend incident that led to arrest of six juveniles
"If they can come together and do something negative, they can come together and do something positive," said Ebron.
To get to that "something positive," Ebron said we have to deal with the issues inside.
"The children are suffering. Hurt people, hurt people and they don't have a way to escape from that pain. The only way they can is to hurt someone else, to make them feel good because we're not taught to deal with the pain," said Ebron.
He said he really wants the city leaders to help these young people.
"We're seeing plans for bike lanes. We're seeing plans for speed and red light cameras, but we're not seeing a solution or a plan for our children," said Ebron.
