Advocates have accused Home Depot of installing high-pitch noise-emitting machines outside a store in Los Angeles to deter day labourers from gathering there, causing headaches and nausea. The Instituto de Educacion Popular del Sur de California (Idepsca) called for the removal of the devices from the Cypress Park location during a press conference on Wednesday.
Maegan Ortiz, Idepsca's executive director, alleged that the machines were deployed to drive day labourers from the parking lot. 'We have been here and remain open through global pandemics, providing services and creating community,' she said. 'We're not going to let sound machines, gates and intimidation get rid of us.'
One day labourer said he now wears earplugs to block the noise, which he described as penetrating his bones. Los Angeles city councilwoman Eunisses Hernandez said the devices were 'used as torture against our people' and noted they were placed on land owned by the California Department of Transportation.
Advocates also demanded that Home Depot speak out against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids in its parking lots. The Cypress Park location has seen extensive ICE activity, with about 50 people detained there this year, according to Ortiz. Home Depot spokesperson George Lane denied cooperating with immigration enforcement, stating the company is not informed of such operations and cannot legally interfere.
Another Home Depot spokesperson insisted the noise machines are a safety initiative to deter illegal overnight parking, with no connection to immigration enforcement. The machines were reportedly turned on shortly after the press conference concluded.
