There’s a new soundtrack on the streets of West Hollywood. There, property owners deployed motion sensors that trigger chirp sounds to prevent homeless people from sleeping outside the area.
The device is called the Blue Charger, created by Santa Monica resident Stephen McMahon, and said that the homeless came up with the concept after gathering outside the apartment complex near Reed Park, a seaside community. The blue box produces a chirp sound and flashes a blue strobe light when it detects movement.
People passing by business on Tuesday in the 8600 block of Santa Monica Boulevard in West Hollywood noticed a blue box perched on the aisle wall. Some people have made it annoyed, but it’s not as much trouble as stepping on people sleeping on sidewalks and stairs.
McMahon calls products listed on the company’s website for $400. The device can be found in locations around Southern California, including outside businesses located in Santa Monica’s third street promenade.
“We’re not trying to punish anyone,” he said. “We just deflect them.
“If you have cricket, it’s a sound you see naturally. And if you hold it at the decibel level that cricket is, there’s nothing they can do about it.”
NBCLA contacted the business owners at West Hollywood who had installed Blue Chirper but had not received a response as of Tuesday afternoon.
The city of West Hollywood said it had not received any complaints about the device. Law enforcement officials will assess the situation, the city said.
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