Dan Rodricks: Squeegee kids, weird Baltimore politics, Larry The Lawman and a baby hornbill | STAFF COMMENTARY

Nobody asked me, but Baltimoreans who complained week after week about squeegee crews might want to look around. The boys and young men who clean car windshields at busy intersections are not as visible as they once were, and that’s owing in large measure to the work of the Squeegee Collaborative, convened by Mayor Brandon Scott, to get squeegee guys off the streets, into jobs or back in school.

Matthew Cooper, whose friends in West Baltimore included squeegee guys, joined the collaborative and made a 26-minute film about the effort. He thought the public could benefit from “understanding the misunderstood,” which is the subtitle of his documentary, “Squeegee Kids.” Though his documentary arrives well after the tragic height of the squeegee controversy, I admire what Cooper set out to do. He’s in the camp of people who, instead of just complaining or just listening to the uproar, got involved.

Cooper’s documentary follows a teenager, Corey Thompson, as he explains why he sometimes picks up a squeegee and spray bottle — to help his mother and siblings with household expenses. “I consider myself the man of the house,” he says, at the age of 13. The film, while offering some of the hard-line views we heard about squeegee crews, is crafted with genuine empathy, something sadly lacking in too many realms of life.

As the years go by, it’s easy to grow tired of the long, sad story of generational poverty and less sympathetic to those who struggle. You have to push yourself to understand and be mindful. Cooper’s film helps that way. There’s a screening of it on Thursday, May 23 at 7 p.m. at the Senator Theatre. -o-

Nobody asked me, but Gov. Wes Moore’s decision to praise Scott but not endorse the mayor for re-election was pretty weird.

Even weirder was Baltimore Sheriff Sam Cogen’s endorsement of Sheila Dixon for mayor because of disagreements with Scott. “I sort of feel like I’m not getting anything from him [Scott] — he’s the eating bear,” Cogen said. “So when the bear comes to eat you, you don’t play dead for that bear, you fight that bear. And that’s sort of like where I am right now.”

Who knew Baltimore had a sheriff into Zen? So cool.

Nobody asked me, but the only thing more nightmarish than his campaign commercials would be Robin Ficker, the disbarred attorney and perennial candidate, actually winning an election.

Ficker’s “border crisis” spot seems to be running as frequently as those for his most prominent opponent in the Republican Senate primary, Larry Hogan. The former Maryland governor deserves special thanks. His “border crisis” commercial — with Larry The Lawman sporting a flak jacket, baseball cap and shades while patrolling the Rio Grande — provides perfect comic relief to counter Ficker’s dystopian nightmare.

Nobody asked me, but it appears that a Fox-owned-and-operated TV station in Washington resorted to hyperbole to make a Democratic politician look bad. There’s a shock for ya! Apparently, Senate candidate David Trone was not happy with the way a FOX 5 reporter focused on Trone’s assertion that the U.S. criminal justice system is “systemically racist.” Trone used those two words last week in the second part of a 120-word thread on X. He said the system “doesn’t work for everybody, and things like increased police presence don’t make everyone feel safer. We must work to rebuild trust between communities and law enforcement.” Commentators on X immediately hammered Trone for wanting to “defund the police.” Of course, that’s the typical reaction whenever someone suggests, as Trone did, that there are complex problems at the root of crime — mental illness, poverty, drug addiction — that more policing won’t solve. Trone should know that. He should know that raising racism annoys people who believe they live in a post-racial America. He also should know that FOX thrives on, and sometimes contrives, controversy.

Nonetheless, when confronted after a speech in a Rockville synagogue, Trone accused the FOX 5 reporter of ignoring the context of his comments when they were first reported. It was captured by camera, and the story appeared under this headline: “Rep. David Trone explodes in anger at FOX 5 when asked about his social media posts.”

Please. Trone hardly “exploded.” I’d say he objected strongly to the lack of context in the news report, and I’d further say that, if he expected context, he expected way too much. The only person who could have given context on camera to his reasonable thoughts about crime was David Trone, and he should have at least tried.

Nobody asked me, but Anthony Santander is one of the most underrated players in Major League Baseball.

Nobody asked me, but it’s grand that Hood College is starting a women’s Division III ice hockey team. The Blazers will compete in the United Collegiate Hockey Conference, starting in the fall, and play their home games at the Skate Frederick rink. Hood will be the second women’s NCAA team in Maryland. Stevenson University’s women also compete in the UCHC. They play at the Reisterstown Sportsplex.

Nobody asked me, but spring is a particularly good time for a weekday visit to the Maryland Zoo in Baltimore. I give three reasons: Druid Hill Park, where the zoo is located, looks great; you could see the ground hornbills and their new baby — the first in 10 years; and because it’s a pleasure to watch little kids on field trips react to seeing exotic animals for the first time.