MORNING, THE THIRD ANNUAL SAFE SUMMER PROGRAM IS UNDERWAY AS CITY LEADERS HOPE TO ENCOURAGE MORE ACTIVITIES FOR YOUNG PEOPLE. AND IT COMES AS A NEW CURFEW IS NOW IN EFFECT. MAYOR BRANDON SCOTT IS JOINING US LIVE THIS MORNING WITH MORE. GOOD MORNING, MAYOR SCOTT. GOOD MORNING. YEAH, SO WE KNOW THAT OVER THE SUMMER, YOU KNOW, THESE KIDS NEED SOMETHING TO DO. EXPLAIN TO US HOW THIS NEW CURFEW WORKS. WELL, LISTEN, FIRST, LET ME SAY WE HAVE THE FIRST AND SECOND NIGHT AND WE HAD NO MAJOR INCIDENTS OVER THOSE LAST TWO NIGHTS. WE WILL CONTINUE REALLY TO TAKE THE MEASURES NECESSARY TO MAKE SURE THAT SAFE, WHILE PROVIDING FUN ACTIVITIES TO ACT BY THE TIME BUT JUST TO GIVE YOU A QUICK FACTS ABOUT IT. RIGHT. AS YOU JUST HEARD FROM YOUR COUNTERPART, YOUNG PEOPLE, 13 AND UNDER CANNOT BE OUT. THEY WILL RETURN AFTER NINE, THOSE 14 TO 16 AFTER 11. WE WILL BE WORKING IN A WAY WHERE WE’RE NOT USING LAW ENFORCEMENT TO BE THE LEAD ON THIS. BUT YOU YOU COUNTERPARTS, OUR PUBLIC SAFETY FOLKS WILL BE ON THE SEPARATE PORTION OF THIS. BUT WE ALSO ARE GOING TO HAVE SOCIAL WORKERS AND SCHOOL SYSTEM AND EVERYONE HELPING TO PROVIDE TRANSPORT TO OUR YOUTH CONNECTION CENTERS ARE AT TWO REC CENTERS, RITA CHURCH IN EAST BALTIMORE AND JACKSON IN PARK HEIGHTS, WHERE WE’RE GOING TO BE ABLE TO PROVIDE THOSE YOUNG PEOPLE NOT JUST WITH A PLACE TO BE AND EAT AND THINGS WHILE WE WAIT FOR THEIR PARENTS, BUT ALSO CONNECT THEM WITH THOSE RESOURCES THAT THEY AND THEIR FAMILY WILL NEED. THIS IS NOT A PUNISHMENT. THESE ARE NOT DETENTION CENTERS. IT’S THE OPPORTUNITY TO CONNECT AND ENGAGE OUR YOUNG PEOPLE IN A WAY THAT KEEPS THEM SAFE AND ALSO FIGURE OUT WHAT THEY AND THEIR FAMILIES NEED FROM US FOR THEM TO BE SUCCESSFUL. AND I LOVE HOW THE CITY IS TAKING A NON NEGATIVE APPROACH TO THIS BY USING THESE NON LAW ENFORCEMENT TEAMS THAT ARE GOING TO BE DEPLOYED TO THE DIFFERENT NEIGHBORHOODS THAT YOU JUST TALKED ABOUT. HOW ARE YOU GOING TO ENCOURAGE THESE KIDS TO GO TO THESE CENTERS OR IS IT ONLY YOU CAN GO IF YOU GET PICKED UP? WELL, NO, LET ME BE VERY CLEAR. IF A YOUNG PERSON DECIDES TO JUST WALK IN, WE’LL TAKE WALK INS LIKE WE ALWAYS HAVE AT THESE CENTERS. RIGHT. I KNOW SOME OF THE STORIES THAT I’VE SHARED WITH MEMBERS OF YOU GUYS, MEDIA TEAM, THE MEDIA IN BALTIMORE THE PAST FEW WEEKS HAVE BEEN WALK INS AND PARKS EXPERIENCE. WE’RE GOING TO BE TRANSPORTING THEM PEOPLE THERE, OBVIOUSLY, BUT WE WANT ANY YOUNG PERSON TO COME. WE WANT THEM TO BE THERE BECAUSE WE KNOW IT’S SAFE. WE KNOW THAT WE CAN HELP THEM IN MANY DIFFERENT WAYS. I’VE TOLD THE STORIES ABOUT HELPING YOUNG PEOPLE GET CONNECTED AND THEIR FAMILIES GET CONNECTED TO TRAINING, FAMILY TRAINING PROGRAM AND FIGURE OUT WHAT THEY AND THEIR FAMILIES NEED. GET YOUNG PEOPLE RECONNECTED TO SCHOOL. ALL OF THOSE THINGS CAN HAPPEN AT THE CENTERS. WE CAN GET THAT WORK GOING AS WELL, AND THEY CAN GET FOOD, HAVE A SAFE PLACE TO BE THERE AS WELL. BUT WE WILL BE BRINGING YOUNG PEOPLE THERE WHO ARE IN VIOLATION OF. AND THERE’S AN EVENT THIS EVENING AT FIELD AND IT’S PART OF THE SUMMER SAFETY PROGRAM, WHAT’S HAPPENING AND WHAT’S PLANNED FOR LATER IN THE SUMMER. SO WE’RE GOING TO HAVE TO BE MORE THIS SUMMER FOR OUR YOUNG PEOPLE. TONIGHT, WE’RE STARTING OFF TO BE MORE LIT SUMMER SERIES AT GRASS FIELD FROM 6 TO 10. WE’RE GOING TO HAVE A DJ, A FREE FOOD, ALL OF THAT. BUT THAT IS JUST A PART OF OUR LARGER SUMMER STRATEGY FOR OUR YOUNG PEOPLE, AND ESPECIALLY TARGETING TEEN. WE’RE GOING TO HAVE POOL PARTIES AT PARK FOODS TO EVERY FRIDAY NIGHT THROUGHOUT THE SUMMER. WE’RE GOING TO HAVE MIDNIGHT BASKETBALL IS GOING TO BE BACK. AND IF YOU’RE IF YOU’RE A TRUE BALTIMORE BASKETBALL HERE. BUT OBVIOUSLY GOING TO HAVE OUR SUMMER CAMPS, WE’RE GOING TO HAVE OVER 7000 YOUTH AND YOUTH WORKS. WE ARE PROVIDING OPPORTUNITIES FOR YOUNG PEOPLE OF ALL AGES ACROSS THE BOARD TO GET ENGAGED IN ANY WAY. AND WE WANT OUR FAMILIES TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THAT. AND THEY CAN GET THAT INFORMATION AT BE MORE CHILDREN THAT I LOVE THAT THE WAY THE CITY IS GOING ABOUT THIS IS USING, LIKE I SAID, POSITIVE REINFORCEMENTS, GIVING THEM SOMETHING TO DO. AND IT’S SOMETHING FUN. AND WE KNOW HOW MUCH YOU LOVE BASKETBALL. SO ARE YOU GOING TO GO SHOOT HOOPS WITH ANY OF THESE TEENS? THIS SUMMER? WE THEY KNOW IT AND THEY DON’T WANT THE SMOKE WITH THE MAYOR. THEY KNOW THAT THAT YOUNG PEOPLE KNOW WILL GIVE OUT ALL THE SMOKE, EVERY BODY CAN GET A THREE POINT SHOT AND FACE. NICE. AND THEN WE KNOW THE ORIOLES UNVEILED THEIR NEW CITY CONNECT JERSEYS. ONE, DO YOU HAVE ONE? WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE NEW DESIGN? SO YOU SEE, I LOVE THE NEW DESIGN, OBVIOUSLY, AS I’M WEARING A T SHIRT RIGHT NOW, I PICK UP MY MY CUSTOMIZED I WENT AND PAID FOR MY CUSTOMIZED MAYOR SCOTT CITY CONNECT JERSEY WILL PICK THAT UP TO DATE ON THE WAY TO THE GAME I’LL BE GOING TO THE GAME TODAY AND WE HAVE NOT LOST WITH ME BEING THERE THE WHOLE GAME SO I WILL BE THERE. THERE. WE’RE GOING TO GET ANOTHER WIN. OKAY. GOOD LUCK. CHARM AND THE CHARM CITY. WE SEE WHAT’S GOING ON HERE GOES. BUT WHAT HAPPENS ON THE OTHER SIDE? IF YOU HAVE A GROUP OF TEENS, YOU HAVE THESE ACTIVITIES SET UP FOR THEM AND THEN THEY DON’T WANT TO GO OR THEY DON’T WANT TO COMPLY WITH THESE TEAMS THAT YOU SEND OUT. WHAT’S THE NEXT STEP AFTER THAT? SO, YEAH, I’M GLAD YOU ASKED THAT QUESTION. SO THIS IS SOMETHING THAT I THINK IS REALLY IMPORTANT FOR FOR BALTIMOREANS TO HEAR AND KNOW AS A YOUNG PERSON WHO HAD TO INTERACT WITH LAW ENFORCEMENT BACK IN THE 90S WHEN THEY WERE DOING CURFEW THE FIRST TIME AROUND, RIGHT. EVEN BACK THEN, IT WAS NEVER A FORCE THING. SO FOR, FOR FOR THE RESIDENTS OF BALTIMORE, WE WON’T BE FORCING YOUNG PEOPLE. BUT WHEN YOU HAVE THEIR PEER PEER AMBASSADORS, WHEN YOU HAVE SOCIAL WORKERS AND YOU HAVE PEOPLE IN SCHOOLS THAT ARE USED TO WORKING WITH THESE YOUNG PEOPLE, MOST OF THEM ARE GOING TO FOLLOW THE DIRECTION OF THOSE FOLKS AND TAKE THE ADVANTAGE OF THEM OR THEY’LL JUST GO HOME BECAUSE WE’RE GOING TO BE THERE. WE’RE NOT GOING TO MOVE JUST BECAUSE THEY’RE NOT GOING TO MOVE. RIGHT. WE’RE GOING TO BE THERE WHEREVER WE NEED TO BE TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY KNOW. AS YOU AS THE GENTLEMAN SAID IN THE CLIP LEADING UP TO US, THERE’S SOMEONE LOVES THEM AND CARES ABOUT THEM, WHICH IS SOMETHING THAT MANY YOUNG PEOPLE IN BALTIMORE SOMETIMES DON’T FEEL AND DON’T GET FROM US BECAUSE FOLKS VILIFY THEM AND SO MUCH OUR YOUNG PEOPLE DO SOME AMAZING THINGS. I’M GOING TO BE CELEBRATING THOUSANDS OF YOUNG PEOPLE WHO WILL BE GRADUATING FROM BALTIMORE CITY HIGH SCHOOLS AND GOING OFF TO COLLEGE OVER THE NEXT FEW WEEKS. AND I WANT EVERYONE TO UNDERSTAND THAT WE HAVE TO HIGHLIGHT THE MAJORITY OF OUR YOUNG PEOPLE AND NOT THE MINORITY MAJORITY OF THEM ARE DOING EXCEPTIONAL THINGS WITH THEIR LIFE. WE HAVE TO CELEBRATE THEM AND LET THEM KNOW THAT THAT’S WHAT THEY ARE. EXCEPTIONAL. I LOVE IT. CITIES WRAPPING THEIR ARMS AROUND THE MAYOR.