Advocates call for removal of machines and demand that company speak out against ICE raids in parking lots
A Home Depot in Los Angeles installed three high pitch noise-emitting machines outside to deter day laborers from seeking work there, causing them to suffer headaches and nausea, advocates alleged at a press conference on Wednesday.
The Instituto de Educacion Popular del Sur de California (IDEPSCA), an advocacy organization that helps day laborers, called for the removal of these machines from Home Depot’s Cypress Park location, according to the Los Angeles Times
Advocates for day laborers also demanded that Home Depot speak out against ICE raids in store parking lots. Immigration enforcement agents have repeatedly targeted the Cypress Park location, which is located near one of IDEPSCA’s support hubs, the Times reported.
Boycott Home Depot. The only language these *giant corporations understand is money.
Or maybey take a stroll through the store, very slowly, so you dont accudently knock something off the shelf.
Definately dont purchase and return things.
Watch out, we got a badass over here
1000 badasses could have a 1000 little accidents, and no one is going to jail. One guy with a can of kerosene and a lighter is going straight to jail.
Yes. Do not purchase a dozen gallons of flammable spirits and some matches, and then “return” them to Home Depot after the store is closed and empty of people.
I wonder what would happen if you walked through a store with one of these devices. How could they bust you if its okay for the store to do it?
So they’re just assaulting all the customers who are trying to walk into the store then?
And the employees, too.
Hell, report it to CalOSHA
How do these machines not make Home Depot customers sick, as well? I’m calling BS.
Customers walk by for 10-15 seconds. Day laborers hang out for hours.
Cities should all operate publicly-run day labor programs to protect workers from shit like this and from contractors who would steal their wages or put them in unsafe conditions
Also boycott Home Depot
Cities should all operate publicly-run day labor programs to protect workers from shit like this and from contractors who would steal their wages or put them in unsafe conditions
Sorry, in 2026, the best we can do is to allow you to legally sell yourself into indentured servitude for a period of time. Yup, that’s it. We’re bringing back literal peonage. Also we’re bringing back debt slavery for student loans. /sigh
Cities should operate unionized day labour programs so nothing gets done unless people are taken care of.
They do. But people don’t usually sign up for these services voluntarily in my experience.
No surprise. Even though HD donates to both parties, they’ve been really right wing for a while.
And a cofounder was definitely right wing:
Lowe’s is also conservative leaning, but less rabidly than Home Depot, and they have a program for hiring veterans, so it’s a lesser of two evils, I go there first. Ace used to be cheaper and closer, now it’s far more expensive.
ICE raids in store parking lots. Immigration enforcement agents have repeatedly targeted the Cypress Park location
So, is Home Depot inadvertently helping immigrants? 🤔
I did not have hitting the brown note in the parking lot trying to buy a hammer on my 2025 bingo card
Are these similar machines to ones businesses use to “deter the homeless” that also end up harassing any neighbors?
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.
Customers to hire them. This is so common that the writers assume everyone knows.
Well thats one way to keep ICE away
Wouldnt standard PPE ear protection render this useless?
Never shopping there again
Hanging around in a parking lot hoping to get work sounds strange. Is this a common thing? Does it have to do with working off the books or working without work permit?
Found the rich kid
Why do you think I’m a rich kid? I work construction myself. And not the lucrative work either
You work construction and you don’t know what a day laborer is? My ass.
This is not a thing in my country you asshat
Which country is that?
Finland. I’ve never ever in my life heard about people picking up workers for anything from a damn parking lot.
Sorry for jumping down your throat, I guess shit works different in Finland
How rich and pampered are you that you don’t notice day laborers hanging around the Home Depot, do you live in LA, what the hell
Do they not realize this will also drive away their own customers?
No shit imagine heading to Home Depot and suddenly getting sick. Imagine We can sue the fuck out of them?
Listen to the video. I’d never be back if I didn’t already hate the place. It’s kinda a shitty store already.
What the fucking fuck my guy are you making money off the back end with all those ads that webpage is serving, fuck you
So… You’re complaining to me about ads, that I don’t even see… Because why?
Because you need an ad-blocker?
Best of luck on the Internet.
Or you know I could just not go to ad filled hellhole websites, the more ads the lower quality of the reporting in any case so good luck with that buddy shoveling dubious propaganda down Your throat
