Noise Blasts Aimed At Keeping Homeless Away From SF Music Venue
SAN FRANCISCO (CBS 5) - You can forget abut getting a good night sleep in one San Francisco neighborhood. Operators of the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium are blasting sounds onto the streets around the concert venue to prevent people from sleeping on the sidewalk.
People in the area said the sounds include jackhammers, chain saws, revving motorcycles and even wailing noises.
Concert promoter Another Planet had previously posted keep out signs, but they didn't work, so the company started with the heavy sound effects. The blasts of noise go on throughout the night.
"It's just noise to get us out of there," said one homeless man who did not identify himself, but confirmed that the noises are working. "Yea…nobody's over there."
Bevan Dufty, the mayor's homeless czar, is working to find beds for all of the people who sleep on the streets, but said he also sympathizes with the auditorium's operators.
"You have a stakeholder in Another Planet that's a lessor in the Bill Graham…they're bringing entertainment here, and they want to show well for people."
Dufty said he has no plans to take action against Another Planet for the noises.
So far the plan seems to be working. Our cameras didn't find a single person sleeping in front of the building Wednesday night.
(Copyright 2012 by CBS San Francisco. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
