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WEBVTT WN THEROAD.>> WONDERING WHAT IN THE WORLDSHOULD I DO?LISA: JIM AND RUTH BURGE WENT TOTHE LYRIC SUNDAY TO SEE THE U.S.ARMY FIELD BAND.ON THEIR WAY HOME, THEUNEXPECTED HAPPENED WHEN THEYWERE STOPPED IN THE 800 BLOCK OFMCCULLOH STREET.>> AND THERE WERE SQUEEGE BOYSIN THE LANE IMMEDIATE TO THELANE WE WERE GOING TO BE IN, SOI PULLED INTO THAT LANE TO MAKEA LEFT HAND TURN AND THEYSURROUNDED THE CAR AND STARTEDSCRUBBING THE WINDSHIELD.LISA: JIM BURGE THEN DECIDED TOGIVE THEM A FEW BUCKS.>> I ROLLED MY WINDOW DOWN TOABOUT THIS POSITION AND HAVEHIM THE TWO DOLLARS ANDIMMEDIATELY HE WAS ABLE TO GRABTHE $2 AND GET HIS HAND BETWEENMY LEGS AND AND GRAB MY WALLETWHICH WAS SITTING ON THE SEATAND ESCAPE.LISA THE INCIDENT LEFT THE: COUPLE UNSETTELED.>> I HAD NEVER BEEN AFRAID TODROP UP THERE BEFORE BUT ITMAKES YOU NEVER'S TO BE IN THOSEAREAS ANYMORE SO WE'RE GOING TOBE CAREFUL FROM NOW ON.LISA WHILE MAYOR CATHERINE PUGH: SAYS THIS IS A POLICE MATTER,SHE KNOWS IT'S A MATTER OFKEEPING YOUNG PEOPLE ENGAGED.SHE JUST ANNOUNCED A $17 MILLIONPROGRAM CALLED ROCA THAT FOCUSESON REDUCING VIOLENCE AMONG YOUNGPEOPLE.THIS PAST SUMMER SHE HIGHLIGHTEDTHE SQUEEGEE BOYS ASENTREPRENEURS, FORMING THESQUEEGE CORPS WHERE THE YOUNGPEOPLE WASHED CARS USING ANORGANIZED BUSINESS STRATEGY.>> WE HAVE TO GET YOUNG PEOPLEOFF OUR CORNERS.WE TRIED TO GET YOUNG PEOPLE OFFOF THE CORNERS AND WE HAVE TO BEFOCUSED ON GETTNG THEM INTOMENTOR PROGRAMS AND NOT GIVINGTHEM MONEY ON THE COURT --CORNERS BECAUSE WE DO NOT WANTTO PUT ANYONE IN DANGER IN OURCITY.LISA BALTIMORE POLICE HAD NO ONE: AVAILABLE TO TALK ABOUT WHATCITIZENS SHOULD DO IN THESETYPES OF SITUATIONS.BUT JEFFREY IAN ROSS, APROFESSOR IN THE SCHOOL OFCRIMINAL JUSTICE AT THEUNIVERSITY OF BALTIMORE OFFEREDTHE FOLLOWING.IF YOU'RE AT AN INTERSECTION ANDYOU'RE APPROACHED BY SOMEONESEEKING SPARE CHANGE KEEP THE, PERSON IN YOUR LINE OF SIGHT.DON'T BE DISTRACTED LOOKING FORMONEY IN YOUR CONSOLE.DON'T PUT YOUR CAR IN PARK.BE PREPARED TO DRIVE AWAY IF YOUFEEL THREATENED AND IT IS SAFETO DO SO.THE RESPONDING OFFICER TOLD HIMHE SHOULD NOT HAVE ROLLED DOWNTHE WINDOW AND SHOULD NOT HAVE

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A Crownsville couple had a scare over the weekend after attending an event in Baltimore City when they had an encounter with some squeegee boys."I was wondering what in the world I should do," Jim Burge said.Jim and Ruth Burge went to the Lyric Sunday to see the U.S. Army Field Band. On their way home, the unexpected happened when they were stopped in the 800 block of McCulloh Street."There were squeegee boys in the lane immediate to the lane we were going to be in, so I pulled into that lane to make a left-hand turn, and they immediately surrounded our car and started scrubbing on the windshield," Jim Burge said.Jim Burge then decided to give the boys a few bucks."I rolled my window down ... and gave him the $2, and immediately he was able to grab the $2 and get his hand between my legs and grab my wallet, which was sitting on the seat, and escape," Jim Burge said.The incident left the couple unsettled. Jim Burge said the officer who took his report said he should have never given the money or opened his window."I've never been afraid to drive up there before, but it makes you kind of nervous to drive in those areas any more. So I think we're going to be very careful from now on," Ruth Burge said.While Mayor Catherine Pugh said the incident is a police matter, she knows it's a matter of keeping young people engaged. She just announced a $17 million program to focus on reducing violence among young people. This past summer, she highlighted the squeegee boys as entrepreneurs, forming the squeegee corps, where the young people washed cars using an organized business strategy."We got to get young people off of our corners. We started squeegee corps this summer trying get young people off the corner. We've got to focus on getting them into mentor programs and not giving them money on the corner because we don't want to put anybody in danger in our city," Pugh said.Baltimore police had no one available to talk about what people should do in similar situations.Jeffrey Ian Ross, a professor at the School of Criminal Justice at the University of Baltimore, offered the following advice: If you're at an intersection and you're approached by someone seeking spare change, keep the person in your line of sight, don't be distracted looking for money in your console, don't put your car in park and be prepared to drive away if you feel threatened and it is safe to do so.