BALTIMORE — On Monday, Baltimore Mayor Jack Young released plans for the city to try to get Squeegee Kids off the streets and into a more stable economic situation through a new mentor-focused program.
The Squeegee Alternative Plan, which is a million dollar plan that the Mayor’s Office of Children and Family Success will oversee, states the path to getting rid of squeegeeing as a way of life for kids can not include criminalizing poverty.
The short term plan includes deploying bike patrol police officers to intersections that have received the most complaints, while the long term plan includes adding cameras at those intersections. The City also plans to create a protocol for drivers who have a run-in with Squeegee Kids to call 311.
A mentoring program, as well as ways to help the kids get steady jobs, was also included.
The City also plans on making sure the Squeegee Kids are doing well in school and/or helping them graduate or get their GED.
However, the overall goal of this plan is to set the kids up with potential job offers with businesses in the city that are interested in hiring entry-level workers.
