Best views, weather, etc. How to test them 👓 SC, Ala. sites look back Betty Ford honored
West Palm Beach

Florida officials play 'Baby Shark' on repeat to keep homeless people out of local park

Joshua Bote
USA TODAY

"Baby Shark," the popular and repetitive hit children's  song, is being used in a campaign to drive homeless people away from a Florida waterfront park.

Officials in West Palm Beach, Florida, are temporarily playing "Baby Shark" and another children's song, "Raining Tacos," on loop overnight in an effort to keep homeless people away from the Lake Pavilion — an event space by the city's waterfront.

West Palm Beach parks and recreation director Leah Rockwell told the Palm Beach Post that the plan is a temporary solution that will give way to a more thorough plan to introduce formal hours to the waterfront park.

That, she said, would allow police to enforce trespassing laws more easily.

"Music is also played overnight on a loop by our pavilion to discourage congregating and, if appropriate, to encourage people to seek safer, more appropriate shelter through the many resources that are available," West Palm Beach communications director Kathleen Walter said to CBS News in a statement.

More on 'Baby Shark':Are the creators of 'Baby Shark' bringing videos to Netflix?

Tour:'Baby Shark Live' concert experience heads to 100 cities this fall. Greeeaaaat?

Rockwell told the Post that the pavilion makes around $240,000 a year from events, such as weddings.

Megan Hustings, the managing director of the National Coalition for the Homeless, told USA TODAY that strategies such as playing music to disturb homeless people are dehumanizing.

"There's been many other places that have played music of some sort to drive folks out," Hustings told USA TODAY. "It's awful that we have so little respect for the humanity of our homeless neighbors. When you hear things like songs being used, it's turning a blind eye to people who are a part of our communities."

It is not uncommon for local governments and businesses to instate "hostile architecture," such as spikes on storefronts and armrests on benches, or to play music to repel homeless people. Some Rite-Aid stories in California, for instance, played music by Barry Manilow to ward off loiterers.

Rockwell did not immediately respond to request for comment from USA TODAY.

Contributing: Associated Press

Follow Joshua Bote on Twitter @joshua_bote.

Featured Weekly Ad