‘Everyone’s going to be together’: Mayor Scott, business leaders and squeegee workers hold meeting to develop solutions

BALTIMORE — Mayor Brandon Scott on Thursday convened a meeting of small business homeowners, town leaders and squeegee employees, hoping to find options for the window washers.

Scott reported squeegee employees have been an issue for many years, but what is new this time is that all the stakeholders are coming to the table. 

“This is about Baltimore –Baltimore failing to deal with this challenge, from a governing administration standpoint, from a enterprise standpoint, group standpoint, every person has unsuccessful to handle this challenge,” he stated.

Metropolis Councilman Kristerfer Burnett, who was in the meeting, stated about 50 men and women, including some squeegee personnel, had been present and attendees mentioned transitioning window washers into positions and how to maintain both equally youthful persons and motorists secure.

#Information: @MayorBMScott held a meeting (shut to media) addressing squeegee employees.

For each @CouncilmanKB within:

-about 50ppl (including squeegee employees) attended

-conferences will be weekly

-talks provided transitioning employees into positions + how to hold personnel/drivers safe and sound NOW@wjz pic.twitter.com/ycWlnzF7cv

— Annie Rose Ramos (@AnnieRoseNews) July 14, 2022

Donte Johnson, normal manager of Lodge Revival in Mount Vernon, was also within the place. 

“There was a respectable amount of time just spent receiving to know who was in the home,” he said.

Meetings will be held weekly going forward.

Scott explained stakeholders will hold a discussion with squeegee workers “about why they were out there, what happens when they go out there, what factors led to them becoming out there.”

The mayor’s press convention arrived on the very same working day Baltimore police declared a 15-yr-old had been charged in the loss of life of Timothy Reynolds, the 48-year-outdated person killed previous 7 days in a confrontation with squeegee staff near Baltimore’s Interior Harbor.

Law enforcement in the beginning claimed Reynolds swung a baseball bat at the squeegee staff but would not remedy concerns Thursday pertaining to Reynolds’ specific actions. 

And whilst some town council customers have stated these personnel have to go, all those washing home windows have stated it is tricky to walk absent from the a lot-required dollars.

The mayor reported moving them off the corners is not the answer.

“Moving Black men and women since they are there is what received Baltimore in the consent decree,” he claimed.

Johnson wrote an Op-Ed in the Baltimore Banner entitled: ‘Squeegee kids’ are Baltimore. They are our young people. And we have unsuccessful them.

In it, he explained how Resort Revival has partnered with the city’s Mayor’s Place of work of African American Male Engagement to generate work options for squeegee young ones. 

In May possibly, WJZ spoke to Tavon Chavious, who squeegeed for 5 yrs in Baltimore. But now, through a partnership with the Mayor’s workplace Business of American American Male Engagement, he’s a dwelling attendant at Resort Revival. Chavious states he loves his career. 

#Tale:

This is Tavon Chavious.

He was a squeegee worker in #Baltimore for 5 several years.

Now he is effective at Resort Revival in Mt. Vernon.

He’s just one of 19 males used by way of @MayorBMScott’s 90-Day Squeegee Program by way of @aamebaltimore

“I love this job” claimed 21yo Tavon@wjz pic.twitter.com/LQUcuZttXZ

— Annie Rose Ramos (@AnnieRoseNews) Might 28, 2022

Johnson, the hotel’s standard manager, claimed Thursday’s conference and subsequent conferences ought to end result in “an instruction for both of those the community and the youthful folks, and ideally some behavioral improvements on both sides.” 

Johnson explained the summit as encouraging.

“This was the beginning of a discussion that I assume is likely to be extended and difficult and complicated, and ideally not comfortable but successful,” he stated.