Baltimore mayoral candidate Keiffer Mitchell Jr. announced plans Sunday to improve after-school programs as a way to combat crime and reform education.
“We won?t settle for the status quo or low expectations for children,” said Councilman Mitchell, D-District 11, at a news conference at Mount Royal Intermediate School in the city.
He said he planned to create public/private foundation consisting of local businesses to help fund after-school programs and volunteers to teach subjects such as music and photography.
“This [effort] will ensure kids are not recruited to drugs and street crime, but that they are recruited to colleges and universities,” Mitchell said.
He said he finds the city?s 38 percent high school graduation rate unacceptable and that in the wake of more than 200 murders that have occurred this year, the city is in the midst of a crime crisis.
“There?s not enough being done to provide better projects for after school,” Mitchell supporter Edward Morseley said. “Every time you open up the paper there?s something based on test percentages and no real emphasis on the actual life issues our children face.”
Paul Blair, president of the Fraternal Order of Police of Baltimore City, said the Police Department used to offer summer programs.
“It?s like they?ve all stopped and that the only groups reaching out to kids nowadays is gangs,” he said.
