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West Palm Beach Authorities Pick Iraqi War Interrogation Tactics to Dispel Local Homeless - Reports

Officials in the city of West Palm Beach, Florida, are reportedly tired of homeless people regularly gathering at one of the city's landmarks - Lake Pavilion. City Parks and Recreation director Leah Rockwell told local media that staffers and customers should not have to walk over bodies when they are setting up events.
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"People are paying a lot of money to use the facility. Thousands of dollars [...] We want to make sure people paying this money had a facility that was clean and open and continue to use it in the future", Rockwell said, cited by The Palm Beach Post.

According to the US-based media, an extremely popular children's song could be heard playing on loop at night near the city's Lake Pavilion: "Baby Shark".

According to CBS News, authorities also turn on an annoying loop of another children's hit called "Raining Tacos".

The tactic is reminiscent of the blaring music once used by American interrogators to torment prisoners in the war in Iraq, Afghanistan and also in Guantanamo Bay, according to CBS News.

A spokesperson for the city of West Palm Beach in an emailed statement to CBS News, has confirmed that music is played on the Great Lawn during the day and at night as a "temporary measure".

"Music is also played overnight on a loop by our pavilion to discourage congregating and, if appropriate, to encourage people to seek safer, more appropriate shelter through the many resources that are available [...] The music volume complies with City code, and we are exploring the possibility of having set hours for the Great Lawn and pavilion", the statement said.

According to CBS News, the venue hosted 164 events over the past year, from weddings to business meetings and birthday parties. The city expects the event space will make $240,000 this year.

Meanwhile, the selections of "Baby Shark" and "Raining Tacos" was not made at random, CBS News reported. West Palm Beach authorities have learned a "mistake" from their neighbors in the city of Lake Worth, where local officials reportedly used the same measure but with classical melodies at the town's Cultural Plaza and eventually local homeless started liking the tactic.

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