While Mayor Brandon Scott continues to work with his squeegee collaborative, made up of squeegee kids, business community members and his administration, the problems and tensions continue to rise among motorists and the kids in the community.
Police scanner audio from Oct. 4 highlight a call for service at the intersection of Mt. Royal and North Avenues. It’s the same intersection where a woman described several violent interactions over the last few months.
“He said to me a couple times, don’t f---ing test me, don’t f---ing test me, I’ll bust your window,” the woman told FOX45 News, who wanted to remain anonymous.
A police report from a later incident also described what appeared to be damage to the woman’s vehicle, something she said the squeegee kid did during an interaction. Now, criminal charges have been filed.
“He walked up to my car, even though I said no, and he started spraying my car as usual,” she said. “The moment I hit the gas, he hit my car with his squeegee thing.”
But these incidents aren’t isolated. According to data from the Baltimore Police Department, there have been 166 squeegee-related calls from Sept. 13 through Oct. 5. That number is on top of the 485 squeegee calls made since July 1.
The tensions have been highlighted by a string of violent attacks: Timothy Reynolds was shot and killed in July after he got out of his car with a baseball bat to confront a group of squeegee kids who, according to Reynolds’ family, damaged his vehicle.
Two squeegee kids were shot in May in what police indicate was a revenge shooting after the suspect – who has been arrested and charged with attempted homicide – said squeegee kids stole from his mom.
Another squeegee kid was shot in August and died.
Meanwhile, Mayor Scott’s squeegee collaborative continues to meet and discuss solutions. It’s unclear when exactly the results will be made public, but a spokesperson for Mayor Scott said on Oct. 5 that the plan wouldn’t likely be finished until late fall.