Hollywood strip mall uses music to deter homeless people

What was meant to be a peaceful deterrent has become an unexpected neighborhood nuisance, residents say.

The owner of a strip mall near the intersection of Hollywood Boulevard and Gower Street has been blasting classical music overnight in an attempt to prevent loitering and camping in the parking lot — a strategy that’s drawing mixed reactions from the community.

The owner, who asked to remain anonymous, began playing the music about three weeks ago. The playlist, which runs from 9 p.m. to 9 a.m., is meant to discourage people from sleeping or engaging in illicit activity on the property.

Before the nightly concerts began, business tenants would often arrive to find the complex littered, vandalized, or used for drug activity, he told KTLA. He described the tactic as the only approach t