https://www.rmpbs.org/blogs/housing-transportation/blue-chirper-denver-homelessness
In Denver’s Ballpark district, a homemade device chirps at the homeless
DENVER — A blue, shoebox-sized cube is mounted to the exterior of an apartment building in downtown Denver.
Protected by a custom awning and a metal cage, the device sits roughly 12 feet above ground. Known as the Blue Chirper, it uses a motion sensor that activates when someone lingers or passes within a few feet.
When triggered, the device emits a flashing blue strobe and a chirping cricket sound intended to be disruptive enough to drive people away.
The deliberately irritating design represents a newer approach to deterring unsheltered homelessness in Denver, a tactic critics describe as anything from mildly annoying to openly cruel.
So far, Denver has only one Blue Chirper, installed on Curtis Street Lofts. According to the building’s owner and the device’s inventor, its purpose is to discourage homeless encampments and public drug use.
The intent, said inventor Steven McMahon, is to create just enough disturbance to push people elsewhere. He suggested it signals, “maybe you should go next door and do your fentanyl there instead of here,” or ideally, seek out one of Denver’s recently funded shelters. McMahon lives in Santa Monica, California.
The Ballpark district has a large unhoused population, largely because several homeless service organizations are clustered nearby. The Colorado Coalition for the Homeless, Denver Rescue Mission, and St. Francis Center are all within walking distance of Curtis Street Lofts.
The area has also seen a rise in anti-homeless design measures. Metal spikes prevent people from sitting on ledges. Rock-filled planters line sidewalks to block tent setups. Four years ago, concrete parking barriers replaced an encampment just steps from the building.
This type of “hostile architecture” is increasingly common across Denver. Kayvan Khalatbari, co-founder of Sexy Pizza, has publicly criticized such measures, particularly in Capitol Hill.
“It forces people who are just looking for a safe place into areas that are even more dangerous,” he told Denverite in 2022.
A video below captures the sound of the chirping device.
