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Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
L.A. landlord stops blasting "Baby Shark" tune to drive off homeless following complaints
An otherwise ordinary commercial building at the corner of 11th and Main streets in downtown Los Angeles captured the attention of Los Angeles officials recently for blasting "Baby Shark" to deter homeless people. Shalom Styles, owner of Styles Barber Lounge and one of the building's tenants said the landlord began playing the song on Thursday over a speaker on Main Street just a few feet from a homeless encampment that's been in place on the sidewalk for more than a year. The situation marks the latest attempt by property owners to keep homeless individuals from loitering or sleeping in commercial zones, an issue they say threatens business. 'These are thriving businesses, we don't need to have that stuff over here," he said of the homeless encampment. But by Monday, the children's song—a frequent earworm—was no more. Styles said the landlord told him that police had received complaints about the music and was at risk of being cited for disturbing the peace. He said the landlord wanted to meet with city officials before agreeing to turn the music off. The landlord could not immediately be reached for comment. The Los Angeles Police Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment. But a spokesperson for Councilwoman Ysabel Jurado, whose district includes the area in question, said a meeting with the landlord and LAPD had taken place but provided no further details. 'Our housing and homelessness crises impact everyone in this city—as we navigate this, I implore everyone to lead with care and compassion,' Jurado said in a written statement. 'My team and I are focused on looking at tackling these issues holistically and plan to create long-lasting solutions to support our unhoused population but it's important that as we move through this we don't lose sight of each other's humanity.' It was a sentiment echoed by Dennis Oleesky, chief executive officer of the Los Angeles Mission, who on Monday announced that it planned to team up with Styles to host an event to provide free haircuts and grooming services to unhoused people in downtown. 'We know the homelessness crisis has created strain on all sides — for individuals living on the street and for the business owners trying to operate in challenging conditions,' Oleesky said. "We commend Shalom for turning a moment of frustration into an opportunity to serve.' Oleesky said outreach workers will be at the event to help people who want to get off the street. 'We all see what's happening downtown and sometimes it feels overwhelming,' Styles said. 'This is our way of helping, not just talking.' Tensions between business owners and the homeless population have grown over the past few years. In 2019, 7-Eleven made headlines when it began playing loud classical music to chase away homeless people from its stores. Other businesses have deployed planters and fences. Although the unsheltered population in the city of L.A. decreased last year from 32,680 to 29,275, and is projected to decline again this year, residents and business owners continue to express frustration with the city's handling of the homelessness crisis. Those frustrations reached new levels recently with the findings from a court-ordered audit of the Los Angeles homeless services that found the city and the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority lacked adequate data systems and financial controls to monitor contracts for compliance and performance. Recent investigations by the Times into Skid Row Housing Trust and Aids Healthcare Foundation revealed properties managed by the two nonprofits were plagued by heating, elevator and electricity failures as well as vermin infestations. More than a week ago, tenants from a building providing permanent supportive housing in Westlake filed a lawsuit against the current and former landlords and property managers for creating what they described as 'abysmal living conditions.' Still, city officials maintain progress is being made. When Styles arrived in L.A. to open his barbershop in 2020, the pandemic stymied his plans. A year later, he said he was able to start cutting hair, but by 2022 he and other barbers at his shop began to have issues with homeless people in the area. He said the children's song that the landlord had been playing was an attempt to bring the city's attention to homelessness problem in the area. Nearby, at Rage Ground, where people pay to vent their anger by breaking dishes and smashing cars, at least one homeless man has defecated and urinated outside the business. Karla Maldonado, 25, an employee at the business, said the man also tried to start fires using trash during January's Palisades and Eaton fires. 'We tried to call 911 but they just hung up on us,' she claimed. Maldonado said she used buckets of water to douse the flames. She said other homeless people in the alley along the warehouse have stolen brooms and coveralls that she said cost up to $100 each. She estimates at least 20 have been stolen. Around the corner from Styles' barbershop there's a small encampment where about half a dozen people have been living. Bicycle parts lay in a pile on the sidewalk. Kenneth Moore, 68, expressed anger and frustration that the business was casting blame on him and others at the encampment for problems that he says have nothing to do with the group. "If it's about the break-ins, that's not us,' Kenneth Moore, 68, said. 'We don't tolerate that over here, we fix bikes to survive.' Passing through the area with his dog, Billy Copeland, 55, became interested in the group's conversation over homeless services. Copeland said a few months ago he was sleeping on a street between Pico Boulevard and 15th Street when cleaning crews came by his block. Fed up, he refused to move. 'All they do is come by and clean up and document where people are,' he said. Copeland said he didn't budge until workers could help him access a shelter. He said he's now at a tiny home in Eagle Rock, awaiting permanent housing. 'That was the only way I could get help,' Copeland said. 'I was out here forever, giving my information and all that happened was them coming out to take my stuff.' Moore and others say they have been waiting to be placed into permanent housing in some cases for more than two years. A spokesman for LAHSA said an outreach team was at the encampment a month ago. He said some people were placed in interim housing but left. It was unclear where they went. LAHSA is expected to return to the encampment on Tuesday. Moore has grown tired of sitting on a wait list and being shuffled around by the city. 'You think we like living like this?' Moore said. 'We don't.' Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Los Angeles Times
20-05-2025
- Politics
- Los Angeles Times
L.A. commercial landlord ends 'Baby Shark' tune to ward off homeless amid meeting with officials
An otherwise ordinary commercial building at the corner of 11th and Main streets in downtown Los Angeles captured the attention of Los Angeles officials recently for blasting 'Baby Shark' to deter homeless people. Shalom Styles, owner of Styles Barber Lounge and one of the building's tenants said the landlord began playing the song on Thursday over a speaker on Main Street just a few feet from a homeless encampment that's been in place on the sidewalk for more than a year. The situation marks the latest attempt by property owners to keep homeless individuals from loitering or sleeping in commercial zones, an issue they say threatens business. 'These are thriving businesses, we don't need to have that stuff over here,' he said of the homeless encampment. But by Monday, the children's song—a frequent earworm—was no more. Styles said the landlord told him that police had received complaints about the music and was at risk of being cited for disturbing the peace. He said the landlord wanted to meet with city officials before agreeing to turn the music off. The landlord could not immediately be reached for comment. The Los Angeles Police Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment. But a spokesperson for Councilwoman Ysabel Jurado, whose district includes the area in question, said a meeting with the landlord and LAPD had taken place but provided no further details. 'Our housing and homelessness crises impact everyone in this city—as we navigate this, I implore everyone to lead with care and compassion,' Jurado said in a written statement. 'My team and I are focused on looking at tackling these issues holistically and plan to create long-lasting solutions to support our unhoused population but it's important that as we move through this we don't lose sight of each other's humanity.' It was a sentiment echoed by Dennis Oleesky, chief executive officer of the Los Angeles Mission, who on Monday announced that it planned to team up with Styles to host an event to provide free haircuts and grooming services to unhoused people in downtown. 'We know the homelessness crisis has created strain on all sides — for individuals living on the street and for the business owners trying to operate in challenging conditions,' Oleesky said. 'We commend Shalom for turning a moment of frustration into an opportunity to serve.' Oleesky said outreach workers will be at the event to help people who want to get off the street. 'We all see what's happening downtown and sometimes it feels overwhelming,' Styles said. 'This is our way of helping, not just talking.' Tensions between business owners and the homeless population have grown over the past few years. In 2019, 7-Eleven made headlines when it began playing loud classical music to chase away homeless people from its stores. Other businesses have deployed planters and fences. Although the unsheltered population in the city of L.A. decreased last year from 32,680 to 29,275, and is projected to decline again this year, residents and business owners continue to express frustration with the city's handling of the homelessness crisis. Those frustrations reached new levels recently with the findings from a court-ordered audit of the Los Angeles homeless services that found the city and the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority lacked adequate data systems and financial controls to monitor contracts for compliance and performance. Recent investigations by the Times into Skid Row Housing Trust and Aids Healthcare Foundation revealed properties managed by the two nonprofits were plagued by heating, elevator and electricity failures as well as vermin infestations. More than a week ago, tenants from a building providing permanent supportive housing in Westlake filed a lawsuit against the current and former landlords and property managers for creating what they described as 'abysmal living conditions.' Still, city officials maintain progress is being made. When Styles arrived in L.A. to open his barbershop in 2020, the pandemic stymied his plans. A year later, he said he was able to start cutting hair, but by 2022 he and other barbers at his shop began to have issues with homeless people in the area. He said the children's song that the landlord had been playing was an attempt to bring the city's attention to homelessness problem in the area. Nearby, at Rage Ground, where people pay to vent their anger by breaking dishes and smashing cars, at least one homeless man has defecated and urinated outside the business. Karla Maldonado, 25, an employee at the business, said the man also tried to start fires using trash during January's Palisades and Eaton fires. 'We tried to call 911 but they just hung up on us,' she claimed. Maldonado said she used buckets of water to douse the flames. She said other homeless people in the alley along the warehouse have stolen brooms and coveralls that she said cost up to $100 each. She estimates at least 20 have been stolen. Around the corner from Styles' barbershop there's a small encampment where about half a dozen people have been living. Bicycle parts lay in a pile on the sidewalk. Kenneth Moore, 68, expressed anger and frustration that the business was casting blame on him and others at the encampment for problems that he says have nothing to do with the group. 'If it's about the break-ins, that's not us,' Kenneth Moore, 68, said. 'We don't tolerate that over here, we fix bikes to survive.' Passing through the area with his dog, Billy Copeland, 55, became interested in the group's conversation over homeless services. Copeland said a few months ago he was sleeping on a street between Pico Boulevard and 15th Street when cleaning crews came by his block. Fed up, he refused to move. 'All they do is come by and clean up and document where people are,' he said. Copeland said he didn't budge until workers could help him access a shelter. He said he's now at a tiny home in Eagle Rock, awaiting permanent housing. 'That was the only way I could get help,' Copeland said. 'I was out here forever, giving my information and all that happened was them coming out to take my stuff.' Moore and others say they have been waiting to be placed into permanent housing in some cases for more than two years. A spokesman for LAHSA said an outreach team was at the encampment a month ago. He said some people were placed in interim housing but left. It was unclear where they went. LAHSA is expected to return to the encampment on Tuesday. Moore has grown tired of sitting on a wait list and being shuffled around by the city. 'You think we like living like this?' Moore said. 'We don't.'
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Barbershop blasts out ‘Baby Shark' in order to deter homeless people
A Los Angeles barbershop is blasting the popular children's song 'Baby Shark' outside its storefront to deter homeless people from gathering outside. Shalom Styles, CEO of Styles Barber Lounge, told local outlet KTLA he has security cameras installed outside his store that make a noise when someone moves nearby. Originally, the cameras just beeped, but Styles said that wasn't enough. Now, he has a speaker above his shop that blasts the song. 'When people are walking past and forth and loitering, the cameras beep, but the camera sound isn't loud enough,' he said. 'There's cars going by at all hours of the day, also not loud enough. So the speaker playing 'Baby Shark' is gonna make everybody move, or bring the news and have the city do something about it.' The speaker is pointed toward an encampment near his store, KTLA reports. Styles also has locations in New York City and Las Vegas, according to the studio's website. He founded the business in 2018. Styles described a recent incident in which a nude woman began yelling outside his store when he asked her to leave. 'She started screaming at the top of her lungs, she kicked her shoes off, threw them and screamed for probably 10 minutes,' he told KTLA. This isn't the first time a business has used 'Baby Shark' as a sonic deterrent. The Waterfront Lake Pavilion, a luxury venue in West Palm Beach, Florida, played 'Baby Shark' and other children's songs in 2019 to deter people from sleeping on their patio, CNN reports. Other businesses across the country have similarly opted to use a device called a Mosquito, which emits a high-pitch noise. The noise can only be heard by people under 25, NPR reports, and has been used to ward off young people from gathering in certain areas. Those who support sonic deterrents, like the Mosquito, say they're necessary for preventing loitering and vandalism, but others say they're discriminatory and can disturb nearby residents, according to NPR. The Independent has contacted Styles Barber Lounge for comment.
The Independent
19-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Independent
Barbershop blasts out ‘Baby Shark' in order to deter homeless people
A Los Angeles barbershop is blasting the popular children's song 'Baby Shark' outside its storefront to deter homeless people from gathering outside. Shalom Styles, CEO of Styles Barber Lounge, told local outlet KTLA he has security cameras installed outside his store that make a noise when someone moves nearby. Originally, the cameras just beeped, but Styles said that wasn't enough. Now, he has a speaker above his shop that blasts the song. 'When people are walking past and forth and loitering, the cameras beep, but the camera sound isn't loud enough,' he said. 'There's cars going by at all hours of the day, also not loud enough. So the speaker playing 'Baby Shark' is gonna make everybody move, or bring the news and have the city do something about it.' The speaker is pointed toward an encampment near his store, KTLA reports. Styles also has locations in New York City and Las Vegas, according to the studio's website. He founded the business in 2018. Styles described a recent incident in which a nude woman began yelling outside his store when he asked her to leave. 'She started screaming at the top of her lungs, she kicked her shoes off, threw them and screamed for probably 10 minutes,' he told KTLA. This isn't the first time a business has used 'Baby Shark' as a sonic deterrent. The Waterfront Lake Pavilion, a luxury venue in West Palm Beach, Florida, played 'Baby Shark' and other children's songs in 2019 to deter people from sleeping on their patio, CNN reports. Other businesses across the country have similarly opted to use a device called a Mosquito, which emits a high-pitch noise. The noise can only be heard by people under 25, NPR reports, and has been used to ward off young people from gathering in certain areas. Those who support sonic deterrents, like the Mosquito, say they're necessary for preventing loitering and vandalism, but others say they're discriminatory and can disturb nearby residents, according to NPR.
Hindustan Times
19-05-2025
- Business
- Hindustan Times
LA business owner plays ‘Baby Shark' on repeat to deter homeless encampments
In downtown Los Angeles, a business owner resorted to an unconventional method to prevent homeless people from camping near his property: playing the children's song 'Baby Shark' continuously through a loudspeaker aimed at the encampment. Tracy, who lives in a nearby encampment at the corner of West 11th and Main streets, described the experience to NBC4 Los Angeles, saying, 'They played 'Baby Shark' all night long. They're doing everything they can to make us move or drive us crazy. But it's doing the latter. It's driving people crazy.' She added that the persistent noise had kept her and others awake throughout the night. 'This is ridiculous. We can't get any sleep. We can't get housing. We can't eat. And now they're trying to drive us crazy with children's music,' Tracy said. Also read: 'No jobs in USA for international students': Founder says honeymoon period is over Shalom Styles, owner of Styles Barber Lounge located nearby, defended the decision, emphasising that business owners are simply trying to survive in challenging circumstances. 'It's not always about being kind, because when people are taking away from business, and all the stores are going out of business, we're still here surviving, trying to put up for our family,' Styles told the outlet. The situation unfolds against the backdrop of California Governor Gavin Newsom's ambitious plan to tackle the state's homeless crisis. Last week, Newsom unveiled details of a multi-billion-dollar initiative designed to prompt cities and counties into immediate action. On Monday, Newsom introduced a model ordinance urging local governments to 'immediately address dangerous and unhealthy encampments and connect people experiencing homelessness with shelter and services.' 'There's nothing compassionate about letting people die on the streets,' the governor said in a news release. The proposed ordinance is supported in part by $3.3 billion in new funding from Proposition 1, with Newsom's office stressing the urgency for local authorities to respond swiftly. In addition to financial support, Newsom is encouraging municipalities to exercise their legal authority—affirmed by the US Supreme Court—to manage homeless encampments effectively. 'The Governor is calling on every local government to adopt and implement local policies without delay,' his office stated. Newsom's administration has actively held communities accountable when state laws addressing homelessness are ignored. For example, in 2024, the state sued the City of Norwalk over its unlawful ban on homeless shelters. While national homelessness increased by nearly 7% last year, California's rise was a comparatively modest 0.45%, lower than that of 44 other states. 'Governor Newsom is the first governor to actively address this issue in our state, and he is reversing a crisis that was decades in the making,' Newsom's office said. Also read: 'Real Engineering' YouTuber says 'won't praise India again' after incorrect map controversy
