Armed security pilot program quietly rolled out to boost squeegee kids, motorist safety
BALTIMORE MD August 18th, 2022 As tensions continue to rise between elected leaders, community members, motorists and squeegee kids, a new security guard pilot program was quietly rolled out at a high-trafficked intersection downtown.
Mayor Scott has made it clear his administration is looking for ways to protect the safety of squeegee kids and drivers as more and more instances of violent interactions surface. Despite current laws on the books prohibiting the squeegee behavior, Mayor Scott and his team have said squeegeeing is a form of panhandling and it’s protected under the First Amendment.
Monday morning before noon, Baltimore Police Officers responded to the 100 block of President Street for a disorderly conduct call near the intersection of President and Lombard streets, according to an agency spokesperson.
A spokesperson for Mayor Scott confirmed to FOX45 News that security guards are contracted by the Downtown Partnership of Baltimore “as part of a pilot initiative in partnership with BPD and the Mayor’s Office of African-American Male Engagement.”
The program launched the week of August 1 “to ensure improved safety for both motorists and squeegee workers at that intersection,” the statement continued.
The Mayor’s Office directed further questions about the pilot to the Downtown Partnership of Baltimore.
In a lengthy statement from the Downtown Partnership of Baltimore, the pilot program at President and Lombard will run until August 10, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday and from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.
“This detail is under a pilot program that includes a mix of armed and unarmed security officers, BPD and We Our Us,” the statement continued.
There is another deployment at the intersection of Light and Conway, according to the statement, that operates from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. The Downtown Partnership said the Light and Conway deployment does not include members from We Our Us, which is a community-based violence intervention organization that focuses on “consistent and collective action to strategically assist people, especially boys and young men, in obtaining resources to help guide them to productive pathways and move their goals forward from a unified energy,” according to its website.
Two guards were seen at the intersection Tuesday, though they were sitting in the shade, on the other side of the street from the median where the squeegee kids often stand.
In 2018, a similar program was rolled out through the Downtown Partnership, though the guards at that time were unarmed and were considered ambassadors.
David Williams, president of the Taxpayers Protection Alliance, said adding more security to corners with officers may not be the best option for the city.
“This seems to be window dressing on a bigger problem,” Williams said. “Just putting a few security guards in an area does not fix the problem and quite frankly, it could escalate tensions and cost taxpayers a lot of money.”
Through a detailed breakdown of spending and salaries, the Downtown Partnership said the funding comes from the agency’s Downtown Management Authority budget. The agency was also awarded $1.5 million in the state’s fiscal year 2023 budget “to support expanded safety services,” it said.
Mayor Scott’s Office did not respond to questions about why the program seemed to be rolled out quietly. According to Williams, the timing “is problematic because it seems like it was sprung on the people of Baltimore.”
The Downtown Partnership said the President and Lombard pilot is “intended to increase safety while the Mayor’s Squeegee Collaborative Initiative is seeking long-term solutions.”
According to a statement from Mayor Scott’s Office, the squeegee group “is working expeditiously to develop solutions that advance a shared vision to address this issue centered around the safety of everyone involved, alternative economic opportunities, and the lived experience of squeegee workers. We hope to have recommendations and a workable plan in place by the Fall.”
