They finally arrested a couple of squeegee kids... (Baltimore, Riverside: for sale, houses)

[feck]

So urban kids armed with spray bottles
and windshield cleaners are Baltimore's
biggest threats? 700+ people died of
drug overdoses in Baltimore City in
2019. 1000+ shot. Hundreds stabbed.
Hundreds killed by being shot or stabbed.
All of that is ignored because (mostly)
white commuters can't stand the sight of
urban black youth asking them for dashboard
change in return for a windshield wash.
Oh, I forgot about the predatory local television
and press, who, desperate for ratings, escalate
the situation to operatic heights.

[skeddy]

what's worse is some pee in the bottles and spray it on your car and ask for money. a health risk for all

[John Williams]

Originally Posted by james777

And the squeegee thug problem continues to get worse:

https://foxbaltimore.com/news/local/...baltimore-city

Sounds like the problem won't be taken seriously until some squeegee guy gets aggressive with the wrong person and is subsequently shot to death. Cue the rioting.

[RowingFiend]

Originally Posted by feck

So urban kids armed with spray bottles
and windshield cleaners are Baltimore's
biggest threats? 700+ people died of
drug overdoses in Baltimore City in
2019. 1000+ shot. Hundreds stabbed.
Hundreds killed by being shot or stabbed.
All of that is ignored because (mostly)
white commuters can't stand the sight of
urban black youth asking them for dashboard
change in return for a windshield wash.
Oh, I forgot about the predatory local television
and press, who, desperate for ratings, escalate
the situation to operatic heights.

The squeegee kids are one of many reasons I am thrilled to be leaving Baltimore City after 22 years. I worked downtown. People who work downtown have the right to go to and from work every day without being accosted by aggressive grifters, which is exactly what these kids are. The city's response, none or we need to pay them, is laughable. I'm already paying $10K in property taxes for failed city schools that operate as liberal indoctrination centers and gravy trains for the overpaid teachers that work there and graduate kids who can't read.

[maineguy8888]

Originally Posted by feck

So urban kids armed with spray bottles
and windshield cleaners are Baltimore's
biggest threats? 700+ people died of
drug overdoses in Baltimore City in
2019. 1000+ shot. Hundreds stabbed.
Hundreds killed by being shot or stabbed.
All of that is ignored because (mostly)
white commuters can't stand the sight of
urban black youth asking them for dashboard
change in return for a windshield wash.
Oh, I forgot about the predatory local television
and press, who, desperate for ratings, escalate
the situation to operatic heights.

Can you not see that if you allow feral 11 year-olds to think that they can do anything they want, that it contributes to violent, feral 16-year olds thinking that they can do whatever they want?? Nothing happens in a vacuum.

If a city can’t stop a problem like squeegeeing, how in hell can any one imagine they will ever be able to do anything about murders??

[pappjohn]

If a city can’t stop a problem like squeegeeing, how in hell can any one imagine they will ever be able to do anything about murders??

Very true!

[HandsUpThumbsDown]

Originally Posted by skeddy

what's worse is some pee in the bottles and spray it on your car and ask for money. a health risk for all

Never heard of this in my life.

[HandsUpThumbsDown]

Originally Posted by maineguy8888

Can you not see that if you allow feral 11 year-olds to think that they can do anything they want, that it contributes to violent, feral 16-year olds thinking that they can do whatever they want?? Nothing happens in a vacuum.

If a city can’t stop a problem like squeegeeing, how in hell can any one imagine they will ever be able to do anything about murders??

"Feral"

Very nice gov LaPage

[santafe400]

I think one of the worst intersections for squeegee nuances is Conway and Sharp Street right off of I-395. Man I swear every-time I get to that intersection I hit the red light at the beginning of the cycle. And boy are they aggressive on that corner. The leaving enough space and pulling forward trick when one approaches only seems to work with the homeless people. The kids are already aware of the rational and will mark your car as an easy target once you pull forward.

President/Lombard is also a terrible intersection. Every so often that intersection is monitored but the BCPD, but the second they leave - the angels come back to terrorize.

I'd assume that white and asian folks are "targeted" more so than black folks for their services.

[westsideboy]

I dunno. We (meaning non-city folk) are always told that crime and other negative aspects of urban life are confined to certain places and certain social groups. Avoid neighbors X,Y,Z and you will not be become a victim. Don't associate with those in the drug trade and you will not be exposed to its negatives.

It seems like this advice is not valid if you have groups of kids harassing and damaging cars at intersections right off of interstates and in the central business district.

I agree with Feck that this problem is not the most important when compared to murder and crushing poverty. That said, it is a problem that should be fixable! When a city loses control of the neighborhoods they actively WANT people to go visit, work in, spend tourism dollars, how can anything be turned around? Like it or not, declining communities need the good will and outside investment from people not from there. That means showing these individuals that working, visiting, and living in the city can be a positive experience.

How does a city ever get there if commuters and tourists feel harassed and threatened at stop lights in the "good parts" of the city? How do you get people to believe positive changes are possible, or already happening, when relatively simple problems cant' be solved?