City Plays 'Baby Shark' All Night To Keep Homeless From Spending The Night At Local Park

Jul 22, 2019 by apost team

"Baby Shark" exploded on YouTube over the last few years, driving parents nuts as youngsters sing along to the catchy hit! But who would have thought it would be used to battle homelessness? Well, that's just the case in West Palm Beach, Florida. Park officials are trying out what many believe is an ingenious idea to deter people from staying overnight.

As part of their plan, the park is playing the song "Baby Shark" along with other catchy children's songs through the night. According to CNN Kathleen Walter, a spokeswoman for the city of West Palm Beach explains the music is supposed to sway individuals from staying overnight and to seek another shelter. She reveals that at this point the city is only experimenting, as the volume is kept to city code, and they explore specific hours for the Pavilion and Great Lawn.

apost.com

Of course, there are going to be critics. Many people argue that the city should try to solve the issue of homelessness, rather than just pushing the individuals to a new location. According to 9News, Megan Hustings, a spokeswoman for the National Coalition for the Homeless said that the situation shows the city's lack of interest in individuals of the community who are going through a difficult situation. She goes to to argue that it's "immoral" and "disturbing" because of the basic need for humans to sleep. Meanwhile, Twitter users are commenting on the situation, referring to the effort to annoy the homeless as "psychological tactics" and wondering if this was really a big problem for the city from the start. While many have found humor in the situation, others are very saddened by the actions of the city.

Over the years, music has been used to discourage loitering in public places to prevent crime for other groups of people including teens. An article by the Seattle Times explains that when music is played that people dislike, their brains react by suppressing the chemical that releases positive feelings and emotions. Parents can probably relate as they hear the same children's songs over and over.

What do you think? Is the city right or wrong in their actions? Should they try to use their creative ideas in a way to benefit the homeless? Is it even their responsibility to do so? Let us know in the comments and ask others to weigh in.