A wall-mounted gadget designed to drive away loiterers with a shrill, piercing noise audible only to teens and young adults is infuriating civil liberties groups and tormenting young people after being introduced into the United States. Almost 1,000 units of the device, called the Mosquito, have been sold in the United States and Canada. The North America importer of the device sold under the company name Kids Be Gone. The high-frequency sound has been likened to fingernails dragged across a chalkboard or a pesky mosquito buzzing in your ear. It can be heard by most people in their teens and early 20s who still have sensitive hair cells in their inner ears. "It's horrible, loud and irritating," said, Eddie Holder, 15, who sprinted from his apartment for school one morning covering one ear with his hand to block out the noise. The device was installed outside the building to drive away loiterers. "I have to hurry out of the building because it's so annoying. It's this screeching sound that you have to get away from, or it will drive you crazy." The town of Great Barrington, Mass., banned the device last year after a movie theater owner installed one. "There was an outcry, and people didn't like the idea of torturing kids' ears like that," said Ronald Dlugosz, a town official. "People here don't tolerate that kind of stuff." Milford, Conn., faced similar resistance when the city announced plans to install the Mosquito in a park. They increased police patrols instead. Elsewhere, there have been few or no complaints. A mall in Maryland announced plans to introduce the buzz to disperse skateboarders, and officials and police said they haven't had any outcry. A school district in Columbia, S.C., recently installed one on the front grill of a school vehicle and another in a parking lot where students gather after high school games, with no complaints. "We'd have crowds gather in parking lots, and there'd be the usual trash talk, then you'd have fights," said Rick McGee, the school district's emergency services manager. "Now there's no confrontation at all, they just get aggravated and leave within a few minutes." A spokesman for the American Civil Liberties Union said the organization does not yet have a position on the issue. But James Alan Fox, a criminologist at Boston's Northeastern University, said crowd-monitoring devices in the hands of private businesses and citizens is "dangerous." What do you think???
15 comments:
Depending on where it's being used and if there is a logical reason or a need for it I suppose it'd be okay. It seems we're losing our freedom more and more everyday with the advancement of technology. Yes, teenagers can be a problem, but most of the time we outgrow this stage. I don't like the idea of being like a dog with a whistle only I can hear. I don't want to be "trained."
I do not think that I would appreciate this noise device if I were a kid. It is not up to private businesses to torture kids into not loitering. If they want kids to leave, they should have one of their employees tell them to leave. People who are not even loitering are subject to this noise that could possible even damage eardrums. I guess if there are not complaints then it does not affect me. I just hope that I do not have to ever deal with this noise.
It think it is a good thing. If store owners don't want loitering and this device is the only way to prevent then they should be able to install one. I would use it if I owned a business and loitering was a main concern. On the other hand one of these things sounds like it would drive me nuts but I would just move away from it then continue on. Not that big of a deal.
I think that this thing is kind of dumb but kind of good. Working at cenex, you see a lot of young kids just hang around outside the store and not come in and buy anything. It gets really annoying and a lot of customers complain. For businesses, I think it would be a good idea. In Eddie Holder however i think it is stupid becuase it is where he lives. I don't think it's fair for him to have to hear it all the time just becuase he lives there.
Loitering is not that big of a deal to use a device like this. It's hard on the ears and destroying kids' ears more than they already do with loud music is just making it worse. People loiter around cenex all the time and no one complains about that. If they were going to try to drive anyone away from cenex, it would probably be the cops that are always there.
If I ever saw one of these things I would probably have to just break it to pieces. I guarantee I would snap after about 5 seconds of the noise. It would just be a deterrent for me to ever go near where it was installed ever again. The business would lose me as a customer instantly. I think this would bother more people than it would help
I would not like this sound buzzing in my ear. I like to hang out with my friends you know after a game or something and just be able to chat. Whats it going to hurt to just stand there and chat a while. I agree with megan people who are not even loitering are subject to hear this noise. But then again somebody might sue them for making this thing because it annoys them or ruins there eardrums!
I want more specifics on this device. Does it make sound incessantly or only when people are around? The article mentions putting it in a public place, which is ridiculous. How could you even call it that with one of these around. Kids will find other places to go. Likely, the new places will more obscure, dangerous, and difficult to access. If that's what they want though...
Why is lotering such a bad thing? Is it worth putting up this dumb gadget to make a loud annoying noise? I agree with Genni we are losing our freedom more and more and its not right.
to have one of these it must be a pretty bad area because i dont think that people would put these in areas that people hang out and it doesn't get real roudy. i would have to say im against these because it chases teens out of areas that might improve business
I think this is retarded most kids hanging around arent doing any harm. If they are then the cops can take care of them. I think this would just be a waste of money. Would they rather teens out where they cant see what we are doing?
Stupid. Thats what I say. If I knew that a certian business was trying to drive teens off, then i wouldnt want to give my business to them and probably in the future. There are different ways of getting loitering teens away. If teens are loitering, well maybe the city should set up a place where teens could go?! If that noise was in stores, i beleive that they would lose teen business.
This device is awesome people dont need to loiter in public areas. LIKE MAIN STREET PARK RAPIDS.... loitering is boring all you do is sit there and talk..YAY!!!!! IM TLAKING IN A PUBLIC AREA FOR NO REASON AT ALL...NNNNOOOOOOOOOTTTTT. People can loiter elsewhere. I say beep the poo out of them.
i think this is dumb where else are we supposed to sit and talk i like to be out doors and it is fun sitting in your car talking to people i think that if the people have a problem with it then they should tell the people themselves and i like to have music it loud i dont think it hurts anyone
I dont think that this type of method should be used to chase away loiters, because not only does it affect those who are loitering but those who are not. There are more civil ways to chase away loiters and not by making them hear stupid noises
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