In this Thursday, Oct. 24, 2019 photo, Nathaniel Silas squeegees a windshield of a truck stopped at a red light in Baltimore. A debate over Baltimore's so-called squeegee kids is reaching a crescendo as the city grapples with issues of crime and poverty and a complicated history with race relations. Officials estimate 100 squeegee kids regularly work at intersections citywide, dashing into the street as red lights hit to clean windshields in exchange for cash from drivers. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
Aniya Faulcon is The Spark Host/Producer for WITF. She has a passion for shining a light on unique people, experiences, and perspectives within the community.
Previously she worked as the People and Social Trends Reporter/Video Anchor for LancasterOnline | LNPNews. During her time there, she created video packages, provided Facebook Live coverage at community events, and wrote data-driven stories with census data and feature stories on local leaders, non-profit organizations, events, and people with unique talents and experiences within Lancaster County.
Aniya also worked at WMAR ABC 2 News as a Sales Assistant and at the AFRO American Newspapers as an Executive Assistant and Media correspondent. Aniya interned at WEAA Gospel Grace 88.9 and worked at her alma mater’s radio station, WWPJ at Point Park University, where she gained skills and a passion for radio.
Aniya grew up in Baltimore, Maryland and attended the Baltimore School for the arts for high school with a concentration in acting. She continued to hone her skills and passion for storytelling and later graduated from Point Park University in 2018 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Acting and Broadcast Reporting. Aniya is eager to continue her journey with storytelling in her role with WITF, as she aims to shed a light on real people and real stories within Pennsylvania in a variety of mediums.
In this Thursday, Oct. 24, 2019 photo, Nathaniel Silas squeegees a windshield of a truck stopped at a red light in Baltimore. A debate over Baltimore's so-called squeegee kids is reaching a crescendo as the city grapples with issues of crime and poverty and a complicated history with race relations. Officials estimate 100 squeegee kids regularly work at intersections citywide, dashing into the street as red lights hit to clean windshields in exchange for cash from drivers. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
Airdate: July 15, 2022
Listen to Smart Talk every weekday at 12 p.m. and 8 p.m. on WITF 89.5 & 93.3. You can also stream WITF radio live on our website or ask your smart speaker to “Play WITF Radio.”
A tragedy that shocked many people last week was the killing of a motorist in downtown Baltimore by a squeegee worker. The confrontation ended with a fatal shooting after the motorist pulled a baseball bat on the squeegee workers. A 15-year-old was arrested in the murder earlier this week.
Squeegee workers, also known as squeegee kids, are mostly teenagers from low-income neighborhoods who clean drivers’ windshields at intersections for money.
Squeegee workers are common in major cities across the country and some complain they are too aggressive, while trying to make a couple bucks.
We’ll here from Robert Lang, Reporter/Anchor at WBAL Radio on Tuesday’s Smart Talk to discuss the squeegee workers and the recent Baltimore tragedy.
