'No squeegee zones' go into effect in high-traffic areas of Baltimore
BALTIMORE -- After years of concern and a deadly shooting in the summer, Baltimore City is enforcing a squeegee ban in six high-traffic areas starting Tuesday.
For years people complained about squeegee workers and how unsafe their practice was, especially when it became tied to the fatal shooting of Timothy Reynolds, a man who allegedly confronted a group of workers wielding a baseball bat last July. A 15-year-old boy is charged with the shooting.
The intersection at Light and Conway Streets where the shooting happened is just one of the six areas in the city that will now be deemed as a "no squeegee zone."
Other zones include President Street, MLK Boulevard, Sinclair and Moravia, Northern Parkway and Wabash Avenue.
In those zones, enforcement will include a two-strike warning system before a citation is issued.
The zones were determined based on the emergency calls police received from people reporting times when there were assaults and when squeegee workers were hit by traffic.
It's all part of the Squeegee Collaborative Working Action Plan, an 18-point plan that includes increased outreach to underage squeegee workers, more caseworkers, and accountability for drivers who stop cars to engage with the workers.
This comes after the city launched a job fair last week to help squeegee workers find a different career path.
Cory Luster, of the Downtown Partnership, told WJZ he's hired several former squeegee workers to help clean up downtown.
"It's critical to the success of the city that we start people with gainful employment, full-time employment and it helps them give back to the city," Luster said.
The zones were determined based on the emergency calls police received from people reporting times when there were assaults and when squeegee workers were hit by traffic.
After squeegeeing for three years, 22-year-old Tyemaur told WJZ last week he's ready to take a new step.
"I want to focus on my future more," Scott said. "I know I've got dreams and goals that I want to do and I know I want to accomplish something."
