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Home Depot in LA installs noise machines that ‘penetrate bones’ to deter day laborers
(www.theguardian.com)
this post was submitted on 19 Dec 2025
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I don't understand. If they want people to stop seeking temp jobs there, wouldn't just always turning people away when they ask for day labor work? (And maybe put up a sign that says "we'll never give you day labor".) And given that they've gone to the length of installing machines, surely they already do always turn people away, in which case why are people braving the noise machines to wait to be turned away?
Is this people hoping that Home Depot customers will hire them for a day job for like... assistance with building a deck or whatever? The article makes it sound like they're asking the Home Depot itself for work, though.
Whatever the case, Home Depot is clearly bigoted assholes who are willing to be assholes to their customers so long as they can also be assholes to latinx folks, but I don't get quite what their motive here is, nor how they expect these machines accomplish whatever they're hoping.
Literally the day laborers are waiting for a customer to hire them. (Usually a contractor or whatever needs extra hands)
For customers to hire them. Yeah, ok. That makes more sense. I mean, in the same way hostile architecture makes sense, but at least now I understand what they're trying to accomplish and how the machines further their fucked-up goals.
Imagine you want several trenches dug. You could spend all weekend doing back breaking work. Or drive down and grab a load of day labor guys and spend a few hundred dollars to be done by lunch.
Customers to hire them. This is so common that the writers assume everyone knows.